Police Chief Bill LaGrone said police vehicles currently do not have cameras, and purchase of new cameras will add redundancy to video evidence and add a layer of liability protection for the city.
"This is what I would consider a litigation protection piece of equipment that is necessary for the city to put into all of our patrol vehicles," LaGrone said. "It doesn't stop litigation, but what it does is limits your liability by providing a factual video log of what occurred inside and outside of our patrol vehicles."
The cameras, to be supplied by vendor Axon, continuously records footage and, upon activation, saves the last 30 seconds of video and continues to record until manually turned off, according to a staff report.
The cameras will also sync with the department's existing body-worn cameras. The 5-year contract approved by the council allows for unlimited evidence storage.
Aside from manual activation, the cameras are automatically activated upon collision detection, activation of emergency lights and sirens; exceeding a preset max speed; rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration; opening of prisoner compartment doors and activation of body cams.
"It's not only good for evidence collection, but it's also good for looking at the event as it happened," LaGrone said.
LaGrone anticipates a long wait time for the cameras' delivery, and said the technology may be upgraded by the time it is delivered. The 25 camera systems are to include views of the officer's compartment, the prisoner's compartment, a view of the front and a view of the rear, he said.
"This is a good program I believe for our city ... in the long run I think this is going to save us money in the event that something happens that we're not particularly proud of," LaGrone said.
Councilor Janet Goodson said the issue of police car cameras came up in the past, and was not favored because of costs.
"The purchase of a mobile audio and video system; it's just essential. I would venture to say the reason why it's coming back now is because of Measure U funding," Goodson said. "This is an opportunity once again to thank the citizens in TV land and here; we thank you and passing and approving measure U to keep our city safe and our citizens."
In addition to the police cameras, LaGrone requested a new camera system to be installed at the department's interview room.
The council approved the contract with Axon for camera installation, use training and unlimited digital evidence storage for $395,320.20 and an annual cost of $79,047.63. The cost for the interview room camera is a one-time purchase of $35,492.14.
OROVILLE DAM
All seven on the Oroville City Council signed a letter Tuesday drafted by the city requesting the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission to move forward with Oroville Dam's long-term licensing process with the Department of Water Resources.
The letter asks FERC to issue the 50-year license with a retroactive date to March 2006; and to support a renegotiation of a financial agreement between DWR and more than 50 signatories as part of a lawsuit settled in 2006 that would fund recreational projects around Lake Oroville.
MILITARY EQUIPMENT
The Oroville Police Department submitted to the council a required annual report of military equipment usage. LaGrone said the intent for the next year is to not add any new equipment and only replace outdated stock.
REBRANDING
The city's year-long rebranding process with North Star was revealed to the public for the first time, and the council approved the rebranding presentation 6-1 with a no from Councilor Shawn Webber. The council also approved budget adjustment of $28,000 in addition to an initial $77,000 budget to continue implementation of the brand.
RECYCLING
The council approved up to $98,800 towards an agreement with Jennifer Arbuckle consulting for city compliance with Senate Bill 1383 including training for the city's recycling coordinator.
CONSENT CALENDAR
The council approved the acceptance of a $1.4 million community development block grant to spend on improvements to the Oroville Convention Center's restrooms, dressing rooms, showers; and installation of wheelchair lifts on the stage.
Other items include an agreement for affordable housing reporting services for three years with RSG; a waiver for all fees for Oroville museums for upcoming events from September through February 2024.
Lifelong Oroville resident and advocate Gonzalo "Pee Wee" Curiel was recognized by the mayor for his instrumental work at the Oroville Airport, and his generosity and contribution to the Oroville community.
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