CITY COUNCIL: Resolution Executing MOU for Data Sharing with Police Department & South Bay Information Sharing System (SBISS) South Bary Region Node Law Enforcement Agencies

Meeting Date: March 23, 2010
Prepared by: George Rawson, Public Safety Director

City Council
Agenda Item Summary

Name: Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the City Administrator to execute a Memorandum of Understanding for data sharing with the City of Carmel-by-the Sea Police Department and law enforcement agencies within the South Bay Information Sharing System (SBISS) South Bay Region Node.

Description: The Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department desires to participate in a regional intergovernmental agreement to share law enforcement information with other criminal justice agencies. Participating in this project will enable officers to perform immediate data searches to detect criminal and/or terrorist activity. A grant from the Office of Homeland Security will cover virtually all costs to participate.

Overall Cost:
City Funds:
FY 2009/10: $ -0-
FY 2010-14: $ 162
Grant Funds: $ 2,540,694 (Grant managed by Santa Clara County)

Staff Recommendation: Approve the Resolution. The City Attorney has reviewed and approved the Memorandum of Understanding.

Important Considerations: The benefits of participation are significant, including enhanced capability to solve past and future crime.

Decision Record: None

Reviewed by:

______________________________ _________________
Rich Guillen, City Administrator Date

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
POLICE DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: MAYOR McCLOUD AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
THROUGH: RICH GUILLEN, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
FROM: GEORGE E. RAWSON, PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR
DATE: MARCH 23, 2010
SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXECUTE A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR DATA SHARING WITH THE CITY OF
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WITHIN THE
SOUTH BAY INFORMATION SHARING SYSTEM (SBISS) SOUTH BAY REGION NODE

RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Adopt the Resolution.

BACKGROUND:
The Monterey County Chief Law Enforcement Officers Association (MCCLEOA) includes top criminal justice system executives representing each County law enforcement agency. Several years ago, based on lessons learned from September 11, the MCCLEOA members signed a letter of intent to form a regional automated data sharing system to speed the discovery process in criminal and terrorism investigations.

Law enforcement in the County is hampered with a lack of quick inter-agency data access. This is especially a problem for the Monterey County Gang Task Force (GTF), which often has little information concerning a suspect(s). With establishment of a regional data base, the all Monterey County law enforcement, including the GTF, could search, analyze, and link seemingly inconsequential pieces of information to make suspect identity more apparent.

There have been past attempts to initiate a county-wide data sharing project, including an unsuccessful 2007 Byrne grant application for about $500,000, but lack of funding has stalled the project.

Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)
Late last year, on behalf of the MCCLEOA, the Carmel Public Safety Director contacted the San Francisco Bay Area UASI program to discuss having UASI funding for the Monterey County data sharing project. There are 35 UASI zones in the United States, five of them in California. Each USAI receives and distributes Federal Homeland Security grant funds to fulfill strategic initiatives to bolster homeland security. Monterey County lies at the edge of the San Francisco Bay Area UASI template, and is eligible for UASI funding relating to the proposed data sharing project. Regionally, the San Francisco Bay Area UASI area serves a population of seven million and is comprised of three core cities: San
Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose; 10 Bay Area counties; and more than 100
incorporated cities. The geographical area covered by this region is approximately 8,800 square miles.

The concept of “information sharing and collaboration” is one of several
initiatives contained within the scope of the UASI strategic plan. In an effort to fulfill this initiative, UASI has appropriated grant funds to pay for Monterey County’s participation in a data sharing project to link Monterey County with Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties and the cities located within these counties.

UASI will use a sole source vendor known as “KCC – CopLink” to establish data integration in the Greater Bay Area. There will be three nodes (West, East, and South), overseeing connectivity from San Francisco to King City. Monterey County agencies will become part of the South Bay Region Node, encompassing 32 law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties. The California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) has already purchased an enterprise license to allow every California justice agency to access the CopLink system. This is the only enterprise license available and recognized by the State. Most importantly, the CopLink system will be integrated with the Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center (RTTAC), commonly referred to as the “fusion” center, located in San Francisco.

STAFF REVIEW:
Approval of the Resolution will allow the Carmel Police Department to become part of the South Bay Information Sharing System (SBISS) South Bay Region Node and will give the department invaluable access to inter-county and intracounty law enforcement data via the Coplink system, including access to all Monterey County municipal police departments, the Monterey County Sheriff, and CSU-Monterey Bay. On a larger regional basis, all Monterey County local law enforcement agencies will gain access to law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties. For the first time, Monterey county law enforcement will have state-of-the-art, web-based technology to regionally access each other’s data to solve cold crimes, expedite suspect identification in future crimes, and--it is hoped, prevent terrorist activity.

CopLink is now operating in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, and Sacramento
counties. Once Carmel becomes a participant in the CopLink South Bay Region
Node, it will have access to other CopLink nodes across the State of California. As more nodes connect, the data base expands its capacity as a force multiplier in terms of crime-solving potential.

The UASI Homeland Security grant funds will pay for the necessary hardware infrastructure, 100% of the data integration costs for each member agency, the enterprise software license fee, and three years of maintenance. The cost to participate is assessed on a cost sharing formula based on population. The first four years the City will pay a nominal $162 per year, which is based on a pro-rated share of maintenance costs.

The Memorandum of Understanding, attached as “Exhibit 1”, outlines the details.

The City Attorney has reviewed and approved the Memorandum of Understanding.

FISCAL IMPACT:
FY 2010-2014 = $162 per year

SUMMARY:
The SBISS CopLink program will provide a large regional consortium of agency data that is quickly accessible to Carmel Police personnel. Using cutting-edge technology, this will enable law enforcement to get criminals off the street more quickly, especially those violent, repeat offenders who commit offenses across multiple jurisdictions.

CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
RESOLUTION 2010 -
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXECUTE A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR DATA SHARING WITH THE CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCIES WITHIN THE SOUTH BAY INFORMATION SHARING SYSTEM (SBISS) – SOUTH BAY REGION NODE

WHEREAS, Monterey County law enforcement agencies desire to participate in a regional criminal information sharing consortium known as the South Bay Information Sharing System (SBISS) South Bay Region Node; and

WHEREAS, the expeditious sharing of criminal information will improve member agency’s investigative ability; and

WHEREAS, the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department will maintain ownership of its respective criminal justice records while making certain information available to other consortium members, pursuant to the guidelines of an SBISS Memorandum of Understanding; and

WHEREAS, the SBISS region-wide sharing of information will use a common
software system known as CopLink to connect county and city law enforcement agencies within the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey; and

WHEREAS, the CopLink software sharing system is recognized by the State of
California, the San Francisco Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), and the SBISS as a sole source vendor that is uniquely qualified to establish connectivity between justice agencies in the South Bay node, the Regional Terrorism Threat Centers, and other justice agencies throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, the San Francisco Bay Area UASI has authorized Homeland Security
Grant funds be allocated to pay for creating the CopLink system and initial (3) years of cost related to maintenance of hardware and software; and

WHEREAS, the SBISS member agencies agree to pay pro-rated costs related to this project as stipulated for each member agency listed in the SBISS Memorandum of Understanding.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA DOES:

1. Adopt the Resolution authorizing the City Administrator to execute the attached Memorandum of Understanding, allowing the Carmel Police Department to become a member of the SBISS South Bay Region Node and other nodes as outlined in the MOU.

2. Authorize expenditures from Account #01-74053 in the amount of $162 per year for FY 2010-2014.

PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA on this 23rd day of March 2010 by the following roll call vote:

AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:

SIGNED:

_________________________
SUE McCLOUD, MAYOR

ATTEST:

____________________________
Heidi Burch, City Clerk