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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Cmdr. Jack Fichtel
DATE: January 24, 2022
SUBJECT:
Resolution authorizing the City of Aurora Police Department to enter a contract with Forensic Technology, Inc. for a five-year warranty on the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) that is housed at the Aurora Police Department.
PURPOSE:
Forensic Technology, Inc. is the manufacturer of equipment that is used as part of the NIBIN program. The machines that were delivered to the Aurora Police Department in 2018 came with an initial warranty, which is set to expire in May of 2022.In order to keep the equipment running at optimal performance, the police department is seeking funds to purchase a five-year extended warranty.
BACKGROUND:
In 2018, the Aurora Police Department entered in a partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) to house NIBIN equipment. The initial delivery of the equipment came with an initial warranty which will expire in May 2022.
DISCUSSION:
The Aurora Police Department since 2006 has housed and ATF-APD Fox Valley Gang Crimes Task Force, which has been a highly successful partnership combatting violent, gang and gun crimes. Through this partnership, the ATF identified the Aurora Police Department, and surrounding jurisdictions, as a location that would benefit from NIBIN technology. NIBIN, which stands for the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, is a tool to help law enforcement to establish investigative leads from ballistic evidence.
To understand NIBIN it is important to understand how it works. When a gun is made, the manufacturing equipment etches microscopic markings - somewhat like fingerprints - onto the gun’s metal parts. These markings, called tool marks, are transferred to a bullet or cartridge case when the gun is fired.
When law enforcement investigates crimes in which firearms are used, ballistic imaging of such bullets and cartridge cases can be important in solving crime.
NIBIN is a national database of digital images of spent bullets and cartridge cases that were found at crime scenes or test-fired from confiscated weapons. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) manages the system and provides the equipment to crime labs around the country.
A firearms examiner uses ballistic imaging to convert the spent rounds into two- or three-dimensional digital images that are uploaded into NIBIN. NIBIN can be searched for possible matches - that is, other rounds that have similar tool marks and thus may have been fired from the same gun. After a possible match, or "hit" is identified, the crime lab secures the actual spent round(s) and compares them under a microscope to confirm the hit. Then, the lab sends information on the hit (a hit report) to investigators.
A NIBIN hit report has many potential tactical and strategic uses for law enforcement. Law enforcement investigators can use it to link crimes, which can help to identify suspects. They can also use it to understand patterns of gun crime, such as gun sharing and trafficking.
This technology has been in place at the Aurora Police Department and has been integral in combating gun violence. The initial delivery of the equipment came with a warranty, which will expire in May 2022. It is imperative to maintain the warranty, which is called SafeGuard. This is a protection plan which covers machine repair and maintenance, but the biggest benefit is that it also covers software upgrades - which are security upgrades. These security upgrades allow for Department of Justice (DOJ) to ensure that the network is in compliance with DOJ security mandates and keeps the equipment performing at an optimal level. Additionally, it allows for 24/7 access to the help desk, unlimited remote coaching for the user of the NIBIN machine, and workstation refresher program which allows for a free PC upgrade every seven years the device is in service.
Forensic Technology, Inc. is the manufacturer of the equipment and the only company that has such a warranty and protection plan for their product. (Sole Source Attached)
The cost for the five-year warranty is $137,785, however, by purchasing a multi-year (five-year) package the City saves $25,425 dollars. The final price would be $112,360. This money would be taken from account 287-3536-421.74-99, which is an approved expenditure under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Approval of this funding will allow for the Aurora Police Department to have uninterrupted coverage and support of the NIBIN technology that is currently being used to combat gun violence.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approve the purchase of Forensic Technology, Inc. SafeGuard five-year warranty program for continued coverage of equipment and security for the NIBIN program.
cc: Finance Committee Aldermen
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
A Resolution authorizing the City of Aurora Police Department to enter a contract with Forensic Technology, Inc. for a five-year warranty on the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) that is housed at the Aurora Police Department.
body
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, WHEREAS, in 2018, the Aurora Police Department entered in a partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) to house NIBIN equipment. The initial delivery of the equipment came with a warranty which will expire in May of 2022; and
WHEREAS, the Aurora Police Department since 2006 has housed and ATF-APD Fox Valley Gang Crimes Task Force, which has been a highly successful partnership combatting violent, gang and gun crimes. Through this partnership, the ATF identified the Aurora Police Department, and surrounding jurisdictions, as a location that would benefit from NIBIN technology. NIBIN, which stands for the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, is a tool to help law enforcement to establish investigative leads from ballistic evidence; and
WHEREAS, this technology has been in place at the Aurora Police Department and has been integral in combating gun violence. The initial delivery of the equipment came with a warranty, which will expire in May 2022. It is imperative to maintain a warranty, which is called SafeGuard. This warranty and protection plan covers machine repair and maintenance, but the biggest benefit is that it also covers software upgrades - which are security upgrades. These security upgrades allow for Department of Justice (DOJ) to ensure that the network is in compliance with DOJ security mandates and keeps the equipment performing at an optimal level. Additionally, it allows for 24/7 access to the help desk, unlimited remote coaching for the user of the NIBIN machine, and workstation refresher program which allows for a free PC upgrade every seven years the device is in service; and
WHEREAS, Forensic Technology, Inc. is the manufacturer of the equipment and the only company that has such a warranty and protection plan for their product.
The cost for the five-year warranty is $137,785, however, by purchasing a multi-year (five-year) package the City saves $25,425 dollars. The final price would be $112,360. This money would be taken from account 287-3536-421.74-99, which is an approved expenditure under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA); and
WHEREAS, approval of this funding will allow for the Aurora Police Department to have uninterrupted coverage and support of the NIBIN technology that is currently being used to combat gun violence.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: Approve the purchase of Forensic Technology, Inc. SafeGuard five-year warranty program for continued coverage of equipment and security for the NIBIN program at the Aurora Police Department.