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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: William Rowley, Lieutenant, Aurora Police Department
Andrew Wolcott, Lieutenant, Aurora Police Department
Edgar Gallardo, Sergeant, Aurora Police Department
Jeff Anderson, Deputy Chief Information Officer
Michael Pegues, Chief Information Officer
DATE: August 1, 2023
SUBJECT:
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to purchase five-year subscription for a Real-Time Crime Center analytics solution from Fusus, Peachtree Corners, GA for a total award of $666,328 with a 10% contingency.
PURPOSE:
In January 2019, the APD established a Real-Time Crime Center (Critical Intelligence Incident Center) to leverage a vast and expanding range of smart technologies for efficient and effective policing. To effectively accomplish this mission, numerous software services are utilized by the Center to deliver timely intelligence information. Those software services come from various vendors with unique interfaces, requiring personnel to toggle between many applications quickly. A Common Operating Picture software solution integrates all those services into one interface..
BACKGROUND:
APD's Critical Intelligence Incident Center (the "Center") deploys and utilizes police resources more effectively, providing officers with real-time intelligence while responding to routine and critical incidents. The Center achieves this by actively monitoring various services and software from numerous vendors. These include the live monitoring of the Hexagon Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, the Axon squad car and body camera system, ShotSpotter, automated license plate readers (ALPR), and hundreds of publicly and privately owned cameras that may have captured a crash or crime occur.
Additionally, the system can pull in data from the City's spatial data from the ESRI/ArcGIS platform, giving the police the ability to overlay property lines, property owner information, and Police Area and District lines on the live data that is coming in.
The ability to monitor these technological solutions has helped direct officers' response efforts to crimes and crashes that have just occurred or are in progress.
The Aurora Police Department believes that a software solution that offers a Common Operating Picture can aggregate all available video, data, and CAD information. The Police Department and IT have been trying to develop a good solution or Common Operation Picture for several years and believe that we have found the best vendor to handle the project. The product makes the information available to the Center and officers and supervisors on their squad laptops and cellular phones. Two of the most significant attributes of the vendor are their strategic partnership with Axon and with Simon Properties (owners of the Chicago Premium Outlet Mall), being the only Common Operating Picture that allows us to pull in live video from our Axon squad and body cameras and the only vendor that can pull in video from the mall..
DISCUSSION:
The City of Aurora and its Police Department sought a comprehensive Police Intelligence Center software solution to assist its public safety efforts. The desired cloud-based solution should provide real-time mapping & GIS functionality, broad video intake & playback capabilities, integration with APD's current CAD-RMS system, and robust data analytics features - all packaged within a streamlined user interface.
The Aurora Police Department’s intelligence center, the Critical Incident Intelligence Center (CIIC), was created in 2019. Construction of the office space, which consists of a large video wall and additional large screen monitors, was completed in 2021. CIIC operates as a real time crime center as well as an intelligence & analytics based investigative unit. CIIC has access to multiple assets that feature location-based data points. These assets also provide real time location information (GPS), GIS data, and live video streams. CIIC is seeking to obtain a single user interface where all the disparate data sources, including historical video and CAD-RMS data, can be combined in a single interactive map with search functions.
police officers and, potentially in the future, Aurora Fire Department personnel. This would assist with coordinating a response to critical incidents, such as covering potential avenues of escape for suspects or tactical awareness of available resources.
Process Sequence:
-- Created Market Landscape with 30 companies - 10 of which focused exclusively on software.
-- Drafted RFQ document based on Aurora Police Department needs and industry best practices.
-- Based on the market landscape and City Stakeholder review, publicly posted and distributed the Opportunity and Scope Document<https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/marketplace-city/projects/27690>for vendors to complete in order to be included in the reporting and selection process.
-- RFP was posted and distributed on 10/26/22 and closed 11/16/22.
-- There were 6 responses completed by the deadline
-- Several companies proposed the same product, Genetec Citigraf, resulting in 4 distinct products among 6 submissions.
-- Project leaders selected a subset of 3 vendors to review a demonstration of their solution.
Siemens was chosen as the most robust of the Genetec Citigraf product proposals, Fusus had deep integration capabilities, and STRAX was a new entrant to the market and the project team wished to review its capabilities.
-- Based on those 3 meetings, the group was narrowed to 2 finalists: Fusus and Siemens.
-- STRAX was not a perfect fit for the Department’s needs while being significantly more expensive than the other solutions.
-- The team solidified final technical and pricing questions to be asked of both vendors, which were submitted to them on 2/13/23 and returned on 3/3/23
-- Scoring was submitted for the two finalists, resulting in the final partner recommendation.
Decision Factors
-- Unified Data Streams:
-- Fusus is a technology-agnostic solution that can unify live video, sensor data, and CAD feeds from virtually any source. This software will integrate with critical APD systems such as Hexagon CAD & RMS, Shotspotter, and the City’s existing camera infrastructure. Fusus’ pre-existing preferred partnership with Axon allows live intake and display from both Officer Body-Worn Cameras and Squad Car Cameras. Other solutions did not provide such holistic data intake capability.
-- Pricing Structure:
-- Despite the breadth of data intake that Fusus provides, they do not charge for third-party integrations. Many are pre-built, and implementation and technical support are included in the annual SaaS fee. Both unlimited system users and mobile (both iOS & Android) application access are also included. This flat-fee SaaS model bundled with 1,500 data streams provides the comprehensive solution APD requires at reasonable cost. Other solutions may have had a lower base price, but necessary integrations would have ballooned the 5-year total.
-- User Interface
-- Fusus was the unanimous choice from the members of the APD who will be using the eventual solution day-to-day. Fusus’ streamlined user interface allows prompt navigation and visual display of the data it ingests.
Initial Implementation of the Fusus ecosystem will include
-- Hexagon CAD data
-- Axon BWC and Axon Air
-- Genetec video
-- Motorola Vigilant Learn
-- SoundThinking Shotspotter
-- ArcGIS Mapping
-- Other private data and video streams up to 1,500 streams
Fusus does not charge for integration of assets into the Fusus ecosystem. The contingency fees are intended to cover integration fees charged by other vendors to make their data feeds available to Fusus. Fusus will provide on-site support for training of users.
The cost of the Fusus subscription is $125,000.00 per year, with an initial five-year contract being signed. To align the contract with the City's annual budget cycle, Staff has negotiated pro-rated amount for the remainder of 2023 that is shown below. Additionally, APD Staff will purchase a CORE Elite device at contract signing.
1. Payment 1: Due Upon Contract Signing. $41,328
2. Payment 2: Due January 1, 2024 $125,000
3. Payment 3: Due January 1, 2025 $125,000
4. Payment 4: Due January 1, 2026 $125,000
5. Payment 5: Due January 1, 2027 $125,000
6. Payment 6: Due January 1, 2028 $125,000
The total cost of the program subscription will be $666,328.00 over the course of the five-year contract.
A Decision Package was approved for 2022 through 2026 to fund a Common Operating Picture in the amount of $59,900 (Account #101-3536-421.45-02). When further analysis of the proposed solutions was conducted, APD staff determined the cost of the proposed solution would exceed the initial amount of funds that were allotted.
At that point, APD and IT Staff decided that the city should engage Marketplace City to find a vendor who could provide the best software solution for a Common Operating Picture. The software would need to integrate the disparate programs and resources currently utilized by the Aurora Police Department.
This portion will be funded through account: Account # 101-3536-421.45-02.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Fusus will allow the Aurora Police department to effectively monitor and quickly respond during important events. Technology will enhance police work efficiency, increase situational awareness, and will make the city safer for all citizens.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the proposed resolution be adopted.
cc: Infrastructure & Technology Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
A Resolution authorizing the Director of Purchasing to purchase five-year subscription for a Real-Time Crime Center analytics solution from Fusus, Peachtree Corners, GA for a total award of $666,328.00 with a 10% contingency.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the Aurora Police Department’s intelligence center, the Critical Incident Intelligence Center (CIIC), was created in 2019.; and
WHEREAS, the CIIC operates as a real time crime center as well as an intelligence & analytics based investigative unit with access to multiple assets that feature location-based data points; and
WHEREAS, an RFP was published and responses received November 2022; and
WHEREAS, the Fusus solution provided the most effective capabilities for the CIIC; and
WHEREAS, funds are available in Account # 101-3536-421.45-02 for this purchase;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: the Director of Purchasing is authorized to purchase a five-year subscription for a Real-Time Crime Center analytics solution from Fusus, Peachtree Corners, GA for a total award of $666,328.00 with a 10% contingency.