Council
Communication

Office of the City Manager

 
 

Date

December 17, 2007

 

Agenda Item No.       35B

Roll Call No.              07-

Communication No.  07-726

Submitted by: Judy A. Bradshaw, Chief of Police

 

 

 

AGENDA HEADING:

 

Approval of equipment and software replacement for Keyfile at the Police Department

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

 

Recommend approval of a new application system called Indicum to replace the Keyfile equipment and software in the Police Department at a cost of $45,617.  This amount also covers an annual maintenance agreement. 

 

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

 

Amount:  $45,617

 

Funding Source:  2007 Justice Assistance Grant. US Department of Justice Programs 2007-2008 Operating Budget Page 288 Special Revenue Funds SP751, POL 984110

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

 

The Police Department purchased a document management system called Keyfile approximately thirteen years ago. This system was licensed with New Image Technologies in Urbandale, Iowa. At the time, this system was cutting edge technology allowing case files to be scanned into an electronic format. This permitted officers the ability to more quickly and efficiently search out existing case files for follow up as well as ongoing investigations. It was and still is a valuable law enforcement tool for both the police department and the Polk County Attorney’s Office.

 

Unfortunately, the Keyfile document management system is out of production, no longer sold, data is stored in a proprietary format, and the storage device is nearing capacity.  The storage device is a HP DVD writer that holds 16 specialized discs.  When the platters or discs are filled there is no physical storage upgrade available.  In 1994, it was thought that the storage capacity limitation could never be reached.  The reality is storage space capacities will be reached and no capability to accommodate the extra storage will be available.

 

The Administrative Services Bureau of the Police Department believes replacing the department’s Keyfile system is a top priority. The originating vendor, New Image Technologies (NIT), has written and licenses a software package that provides a data migration for our archived data (13 years of case documents); and an interface that will maintain the document management role in our existing system environment.  NIT wrote and implemented at the police department the original Keyfile system.

 

The proposed environment will bring us to industry standard technology and get us out of any proprietary data formats for future data decisions.  NIT is acutely aware of our business practice requirements and associated security.  NIT can provide this data migration because this company is the only Midwest licensed provider of Keyfile support. They have access to the proprietary data formats and have the data conversion package written.  Other vendors would have to go through the licensing process prior to beginning the analysis and programming required to provide the conversion.  This would be time consuming and extremely costly.

 

The system proposed by New Image Technologies consists of a MS Windows based server running MS SQL Server 2005.  This database platform is the standard being adopted by the City IT Department.  The server will be located at the police department.  The server is connected to the City network on the same VLAN as the records management system for security purposes.  Access is gained through unique user security codes. The specialized interface will be installed so that the document management system can communicate 24 x 7 with records management.

 

Staff knows of no other vendor in our region that can support Keyfile.  Likewise, no other Midwestern vendor offers this migration package.  Obviously, it is crucial that police department personnel, Polk County Attorney’s Office, and the City Legal Department be able to review case documents in a timely manner. This archived document system is vital to our case management process.  Timely, accurate data is very important to our operation.

 

This situation falls under the Purchasing Ordinance Section 2-726 (a) (7) concerning “the procurement of goods or services that are of such a nature that they are the only goods and/or services which will fit and comply with the required use, or are an integral part of a total system so as to be uniquely compatible with existing City needs, materials or equipment to be cost effective, and the city Manager so finds and declares in writing.”

 

 

PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION(S):  NONE

 

 

BOARD/COMMISSION ACTION(S): NONE

 

 

ANTICIPATED ACTIONS AND FUTURE COMMITMENTS:  NONE