Police Department Hoping to Upgrade Records Management and Dispatch Computer Systems

The city’s Department of Information Technology (IT) is seeking the City Council’s approval to enter into a $200,967 contract with CIT Com, Inc., for professional consulting services associated with replacing the Pasadena Police Department’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management system (RMS).

West Covina Services Group (WCSG) which has provided the services for the past 11 years announced it was ceasing all enhancements to its system and discontinuing all product support by the end of 2021.

CIT COM emphasized the importance of complying with the emerging law enforcement reporting requirements, including FBI’s National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), due by 2021, and the California Assembly Bill 953 (2015 Racial and Identity Profiling Act) system, due by 2023.

Law enforcement agencies are required to collect information on the race, gender and age of people pulled over in traffic stops. All departments are required to begin collecting the data in 2023.

Last week, Pasadena Police Chief John Perez told Pasadena Now the department attempted to comply with the law early, but the current system made it impossible to do so.

The IT Department said it anticipates the consulting engagement with CIT COM will last about 21 months from the date the contract is fully executed. The actual procurement of a new CAD RMS system will be addressed as a separate Request for Proposal.

“For the past 11 years, PPD has relied on a suite of public safety technology products and services acquired through the West Covina Services Group (WCSG), including Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), a Mobile Data System (MDS), and a

Records Management System (RMS) to manage and administer the aforementioned police operations. PPD relies on the Department of Information Technology for infrastructure, hardware, application administration, and database support related to the WCSG system,” the city staff report reads.

In response to a Request for Proposals for “business needs assessment” consulting services published in August 2019, the city received seven responsive proposals. An evaluation panel assessed and rated the proposals, and CIT COM, based in Temecula, came out as the highest-ranked vendor.

The contract will include five optional phases that could each be executed at the City’s sole discretion: business needs assessment, software RFP development, vendor evaluation coordination, contract negotiation oversight, and system implementation.

Earlier this month, CIT COM delivered a final business assessment analysis which lays out a clear picture of the technology needs of the Pasadena Police Department and outlines the next steps towards acquiring a new CAD RMS.