At the January 16, 2018 Regular Council Meeting, the Town of Miami Lakes (“Town”) Police Department was directed to procure fixed LPR cameras to strategically cover several key intersections throughout the Town, for the purpose of enhancing crime investigations and crime prevention. Additionally, the Police Department is preparing to procure Variable Message Sign (“VMS”) and Speed Trailers equipped with LPR cameras for use at different intersections and roadways within the Town.

Throughout the United States and Florida, numerous Police Departments utilize LPR cameras as a crime fighting tool to gather and share intelligence, apprehend criminal offenders, and prevent crimes. LPR cameras take photos of license plates encoded with the date, time, and GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken. The captured photo, along with the corresponding data, is stored in a database that can be searched only by authorized personnel. All LPR data will be safeguarded in accordance with Florida Statutes §316.0777. LPR cameras can be utilized for the following purposes:
1. To alert uniformed patrol and investigators to the presence of felony vehicles and wanted subjects entering or leaving the Town;
2. To obtain the tag number, vehicle description, and direction of travel of criminal offenders and stolen vehicles;
3. To search the database for vehicle information as part of a follow-up investigation; and
4. To assist in the identification of missing persons who are operating or traveling within a motor vehicle.

The Miami-Dade Police Department (“MDPD”) currently has the software licensing and infrastructure in place needed to retrieve data from operating LPR cameras utilizing a commercial database developed by Vigilant Solutions (“Vigilant”) titled Law Enforcement Archival and Reporting Network (“LEARN”) and to disseminate information to uniform patrol via the Real-time Crime Center (“RTCC”). The MDPD is also in the process of expanding this infrastructure to include software licensing for another commercial database developed by Cintel LLC (“Cintel”) titled “CLARITY.” This would allow MDPD to gather and disseminate information from two separate manufacturers of LPR technologies: Vigilant with LEARN, and Cintel with CLARITY. Both commercial databases are proprietary and only interface with LPR cameras developed by their respective manufacturer.

In light of the proprietary nature of both commercial databases, the Town must purchase LPR cameras that integrate with either the LEARN or CLARITY databases to fully utilize the MDPD's data gathering and information sharing infrastructure through the RTCC. This condition significantly limits the pool of competition that could respond to a formal solicitation for LPR cameras. Additionally, this project is unlikely to generate the demand to create an economy of scale that could generate savings greater than those found in cooperative purchasing agreements. For these reasons, Procurement recommended purchasing LPR cameras through a piggybacked cooperative purchasing contract.

Aside from saving on administrative costs associated with preparing a solicitation, utilizing cooperative purchasing contracts is one of the most time and cost-efficient means for procuring resources with limited competition and relatively small project requirements. The low pricing available on these contracts is due to the significantly greater volumes of requirements that larger entities can leverage to take advantage of economies of scale. Through these contracts, the Town has access to pricing it would not otherwise be able to obtain through the formal competitive bidding process.

In the case of LPR cameras, Procurement found that the US Communities Contract 4400006645 with UNICOM offers both Vigilant and Cintel LPR cameras. Because the US Communities Contract was competitively bid, pooled larger requirements than the Town's project, and offers LPR cameras from both Vigilant and Cintel, piggybacking this contract is the most cost-efficient and flexible method for purchasing these LPR cameras.

The Town contacted a UNICOM representative to conduct a site visit and provide a proposal for the entirety of the LPR camera project. The total cost for this project was quoted at $613,220.59, which includes one VMS trailer fitted with a mobile LPR camera, two speed trailers fitted with mobile LPR cameras, four-year extended warranties on each trailer, five-year extended warranties on each LPR camera, and acquisition and installation of thirty-two (32) LPR cameras at the following intersections in order of priority:
1. NW 67th Ave (Ludlam) and NW 167th Street
2. SR 924 and NW 67th Ave (Ludlam)
3. NW 154th St (Miami Lakes Dr) and NW 77th Ave
4. SR 826 South Exit
5. NW 87th Ave and NW 138th St
6. NW 87th Ave and NW 170th St

The Town currently has $200,000.00 budgeted for LPR cameras and $45,000.00 for a VMS Trailer, which will not cover the cost of the entire project. Instead, the Town will initiate purchases in phases according to priority as additional funds become available. The US Communities Contract is effective through April 30, 2021, allowing the Town to purchase additional equipment up to that date. For purposes of contract authority, it is recommended that the Town Council authorize the Town Manager to piggyback the US Communities Contract 4400006645 with UNICOM for the purchase of LPR Cameras, Trailers, and related services and warranties in an amount not to exceed $675,000.00 so long as budgeted funds are available for this purpose.