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Lawrence Municipal Court |
Memo
To: Mike Wildgen, City Manager
Dave Corliss, Assistant City Manager
From: Vicki Stanwix, Municipal Court Manager
Date: July 14, 2005
Re: Automated Citation Purchase
Purpose of Request
To initiate Phase two of technology improvements in the Municipal Court with the purchase of automated citation equipment and software . This equipment will allow police officers to issue and print citations from existing mobile data terminals and transfer the data electronically into the Full Court system. A purchase order in the amount of $125,860.41 is requested.
Background
In September, 2004, the City Commission approved a multi-phase technology improvement plan consisting of new court software, automated citation capabilities for traffic officers and new handheld units and software for parking control officers. The first phase of the project was the installation of Full Court software. The Full Court system has been fully operational for 6 months now. The technical issues surrounding the installation and conversion have been resolved, and we are enjoying the benefits of automated processes, advanced functionality and ease of use. In the past 3 months, there has been a significant increase in the number of automated notices, license suspensions and bench warrants leading to improved court services and an increase in revenue. During the first 5 months of 2005, there was a 20% increase in revenue compared to the same timeframe in 2004. This is largely due to the increase in court costs effective September, 2004. It was initially estimated that the cost of the Full Court system ($105,314) would be recovered through revenue from this fund by December 31, 2005. To date, over $112,000 has been collected, and the system has been fully funded seven months ahead of schedule. The first phase of technology improvements has been successful, and I would like to proceed with the next phase of this project.
On Wednesday, June 8, 2005 representatives from several departments met to coordinate efforts and finalize plans for the purchase of handheld units, software, printers and maintenance to enable the traffic and parking divisions to write citations electronically and transfer them into the Full Court system. The following areas were discussed: Timeframe for purchase and installation, Issues related to the import/export process, and Software/Equipment maintenance and Support.
The products and services needed to enable automated citation processing will be purchased from Advanced Public Safety. This company qualifies as a sole source vendor as they are the only company able to provide software and equipment for both traffic and parking citations that is compatible with the Full Court system requirements. The sole source authorization has been previously approved through Finance. The full purchase would include mobile data terminal software and printers for 27 patrol units, handheld units and software for 4 foot/bike patrol officers and 7 parking control officers, the interface between the units and the Full Court system, and all related maintenance. The detailed quote is attached for your reference. Since this is a major project that will ultimately involve every patrol officer, it is recommended that the installation occur in phases, beginning with the traffic unit officers and parking control. After the traffic officers have been trained and technical issues have been resolved, the remaining units would be installed.
Timeframe for Purchase and Installation:
If the purchase is approved, the traffic control unit and parking control software and equipment should be installed and running in the early fall, and the remaining units should be installed by the end of the year.
The total cost of the project is $125,860.41. This includes the following:
For Traffic:
27 mobile software applications for patrol
27 thermal printers
4 iPAQ handheld units with magstripe reader, printer and case
The interface between APS software and the mobile data terminals
The electronic transfer of field data into the Full Court system
3 cases of thermal paper rolls (36 rolls per box)
The first year of maintenance
For Parking:
7 handheld units with attached printer and software
Scofflaw and batch processing capabilities
(needed to merge the overtime parking system into the Full Court system)
The electronic transfer of field data into the Full Court system
The first year of maintenance
The Import/Export process:
The transfer of parking citation data will be similar to the current process. At the end of each workday, parking control staff will dock their handheld units at the Municipal Court office and the information will be transferred into the Full Court system.
Citation data from patrol units will be transferred from the mobile data terminals to the Police Department’s server. The information will then be imported from there into the Full Court system. If possible, the import of citation data into Full Court should occur a minimum of 3 times every 24 hours (at the end of each shift).
Although the primary issues surrounding the transfer of data have been discussed by all departments involved, further planning and detailed discussions will occur as we work through the installation and activation process with APS, Justice Systems the Police Department and our IT staff.
Software Maintenance and Technical Support:
Currently, the Information Systems department provides technical support for the Full Court system, the overtime parking system, and the handheld units for Parking Control officers. The Police Department’s IT staff provides maintenance and support for their servers, mobile data terminals, and related software and equipment. Staff from both departments will work with APS to install, activate and troubleshoot the automated citation software and equipment. Future responsibility for technical issues with the Full Court system, the import process into Full Court, and the parking units will remain with Municipal Court and Information Systems staff. The Police Department’s IT staff should work with APS directly if any future issues should arise with software installed on the mobile data terminals, the field data transfer process (into the PD system) or the export of information (from PD to Court). Likewise, patrol officers using mobile data terminals or iPAQ units should direct any questions or technical concerns to an APS representative or a member of their IT staff.
Current and Future Funding:
The initial purchase of the automated citation package and the first year of maintenance should be paid from the reserve fund, and recovered through revenue from the court cost increase. If court revenue totals remain steady, the entire APS package should be funded within 9 months. Annual maintenance fees for the overtime parking system, handheld unit software and repairs are currently paid through the parking fund. Future maintenance responsibilities should remain with this fund. However, when APS services are fully activated, the current services provided by Cardinal Tracking, Inc. will be eliminated. Because of this, any increase in future budget allocations should be minimal. Annual maintenance for the automated citation software will be funded through the 1090 operating budget beginning in 2007.
With your approval, I would like to provide Advanced Public Safety, Inc. with a purchase order in the amount of $125,860.41 to be paid out in phases beginning with equipment and software for the traffic unit and parking control. The remaining units will be installed as appropriate. Charges will be billed by APS as they are incurred, and final payment will not be due until we are completely satisfied with the development, implementation and performance of their product. The effectiveness of court operations is improving with each phase of this project and I’m looking forward to working with the Police Department and Information Systems staff to make this happen. If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Vicki S. Stanwix
Municipal Court Manager
500 Fairway Drive, Suite 204
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441
954-354-3000 (Main)
954-354-3001 (Fax)
www.aps.us Date: 6/10/2005
Agency Details