City Council Approves New Police Helicopter Camera

The City Council authorized a $563,357 contract with Rotorcraft Support to purchase a Wescam MX-10 camera and install it on a police helicopter.

The Pasadena Police Air Operations Section is a multi-disciplined aviation operation whose primary role is supporting first responders. Additional functions include narcotics interdiction, search and rescue, fire operations, gang enforcement, and other inter-departmental operations.

The infrared camera decreases needed man-hours since flight crews are able to locate suspects faster and more efficiently during perimeter searches and large containments. 

With the latest advancements in technology, infrared cameras currently on the market perform with exceptionally better high-definition imagery and zoom capability. This provides for much greater detail and allows for increased stand-off ranges, which in turn decreases the helicopter’s noise signature. Department policy prevents this equipment from being used to violate personal privacy laws.

The technology allows the crew to safely respond to areas that are currently inaccessible in night or low-light conditions and improves their aerial observation capabilities.

This ultimately gives law enforcement the advantage when searching for outstanding suspects, immensely adding to the safety of officers on the ground.

The section operates five patrol helicopters seven days a week, providing a much-needed safety barrier for ground officers and other first responders. Multiple helicopters are frequently required to be operated at various times of the day, and the camera is used regularly during flights.

Aside from Pasadena, the unit provides aerial responses to the Foothill Air Support Team and our two sister cities, Glendale and Burbank.

This accounts for a coverage area of approximately 175 square miles between the 13 partner agencies. In addition, flight crews are frequently tasked with assisting other County, state, and federal agencies in support of homeland security missions, infrastructure inspections, and critical incident planning.

In addition to the camera purchase, other items were passed on Monday’s consent calendar, a group of items grouped together into a single agenda item that can be approved in one vote:

Here are other items on Monday’s consent calendar:

• A $282,523 contract with USA Shade & Fabric Structure for the Washington Park Playground Shade Structure. The current budget for the Citywide Parks Playground Shade Structure Installations Phase I Capital Improvement Project project provides for the design and construction of a playground shade structure installation at Washington Park and the design of playground shade structures at McDonald, Victory, and Vina Vieja parks. Playground shade structures have several benefits including providing sun protection for users; creating cooler temperatures for the playground and equipment resulting in safer and longer periods of active use; and reducing wear and tear on equipment caused by constant sun exposure.

• A $145,000 contract with Disability Access Consultants, LLC for Professional Consultant Services for the Self-Evaluation and Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan Project. Pasadena originally adopted its Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan in November 2009. The Plan included a barrier analysis of all City facilities in existence at that time. However, the Plan did not establish a pathway for compliance and did not include a schedule to remove the barriers. Since the creation of the Plan, the City has constructed new facilities and improved the accessibility of others on an as-needed, priority basis. The existing Plan’s intended duration was through June of 2016. In 2016, the City’s Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan Implementation Team reviewed the accomplishments of the 2009 Transition Plan and discussed how best to continue the City’s effort to address current and emerging accessibility matters in City services and programs. A five-year Accessibility Compliance Plan, commencing at the beginning of 2017, was developed as a successor document and has been implemented in much the same way as the original Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan. The new Self-Evaluation will identify any physical barriers limiting accessibility to and from City buildings and facilities including adjacent sidewalks and curb ramps. Public right-of-way infrastructure not adjacent to City-owned buildings or facilities is not included under this contract scope of work. The updated Transition Plan will provide recommendations for removing identified barriers and complying with accessibility requirements as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act and State of California Access codes.

• An amendment to a contract with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, for any necessary change orders for on-call structural engineering services. The amendment brings the contract to $650,000. On July 11, 2022, City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into contracts with five consultants, including Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., to provide on-call structural engineering services for a not-to-exceed amount of $500,000 for a period of four years. The scope of work for each of the contracts includes, but is not limited to, preliminary studies, seismic analysis, forensic engineering, peer review, bridge inspection, construction plans, specifications, cost estimates, construction administration, and building code analysis. Structural engineering services are primarily utilized for projects within the Municipal Buildings and Facilities, Parks and Landscaping, and Streets and Streetscapes sections of the Capital Improvement Project.

• An amendment to a contract with ABM Electrical & Lighting Solutions, to increase the amount to $413,058 for electrical infrastructure upgrades for field lighting at Brookside Park Fields 2 and 3. The scope of work for the contract includes upgrades to the electrical infrastructure to support the new sports lighting system including installation of new conduits, wiring, switchgear, and a control cabinet. During the course of construction, various unforeseen site conditions and warranted electrical upgrades have increased the scope of the project requiring an increase to the project budget and a contract amendment. Unforeseen conditions included rocky soil conditions that require additional equipment for excavation of light pole foundations and trenching for underground power infrastructure; and replacement of two electrical panels that were initially designated for reuse but determined to require replacement during the power upgrade phase of the work.

• A $319,910 contract with Crown Promotions for equipment rental services related to staging special events. The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department produces 12 citywide special events per year that are free and open to the public. Major events like the Black History Parade and Festival, the Latino Heritage Parade and Festival, and Egg Bowl attract thousands of attendees including many young children. In order to create a festive and safe environment, these events require rental equipment such as canopies, canopy weights, stages, tables, chairs, generators, inflatable games, and onsite attendants through the vendor to operate and monitor equipment. The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department does not own the equipment to meet the needs of these large special events.

• A Three-Year $29,000 Per Year Contract for Staff and Youth Programming Uniforms with Collegiate Promotions: The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department provides recreational and educational opportunities to the community. The department needs uniforms for after-school program staff, fitness instructors, sports coaches, seasonal staff, special event staff and volunteers, and general office staff; as well as youth programming such as tiny tots, cheer, and summer day camps. Various uniform needs were identified in the project including staff polos and t-shirts, jackets, beanies and hats, as well as shirts for Youth Ambassadors, R.O.S.E. Interns, Boxing Camp, Parks After Dark, Recreation Aides and Teen Center participants. A large volume of youth t-shirts are ordered annually for summer day camp participants so they can be easily identified while on field trips.

• A Contract with Perry Thomas for $505,254 for the Wilson and Oak Knoll Substation Oil Containment for the Water and Power Department. Construction of oil containment systems at Wilson and Oak Knoll Substations are needed to prevent environmental damage resulting from potential mineral oil spills originating from transformers or electrical equipment. Federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations require that regulated facilities, including electric facilities, have Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure plans in place to ensure that potentially large oil spills be contained within the immediate area. A large oil spill can be very costly to remediate and has the potential to seep into the groundwater. The Wilson and Oak Knoll Electric Distribution Substations were constructed in 1971 and 1962 respectively, prior to these federal regulations and they are currently not in compliance.

• An Information Only Report on the Emergency Repair to Gas Turbine 5. The Pasadena Water and Power Department owns and operates Glenarm Turbine 5, a General Electric LM6000 PG combustion turbine located at the Glenarm Power Plant. GT-5 is one of five generating units at the Plant and accounts for just over 65 megawatts of the facility’s overall 200 megawatts of local generation capacity. The first indications of a mechanical issue affecting GT-5 occurred in late October and early November 2023. Over that span of time, the unit started four times and showed high lube oil consumption and transient high lube oil temperatures during unit start-ups. On November 16, 2023, an alarm on an unrelated system resulted in a shutdown of GT-5. This led to a forced outage for troubleshooting and inspections which identified carbon and metallic traces in the combustion turbine lube oil system. General Electric was contacted for assistance, and with the help of a General Electric Verona technician, staff continued troubleshooting. A sample from the lube oil system revealed visible metallic particles.

• A Contract Extension with WaterSmart Software to Increase the Maximum Contract to $1,366,504 in Order to Continue Offering the WaterSmart Home Water Reports and Customer Engagement Programs. Pasadena Water and Power has been providing home water reports to Pasadena Water and Power customers for eight years as a means to encourage water conservation. The home water reports are designed based on scientific research that shows feedback through normative comparisons, i.e., comparing a customer’s water use to that of similar-sized properties. These reports have been one of the most productive ways to encourage water conservation by motivating and reinforcing efficient behavior. The reports also provide targeted information about Pasadena Water and Power’s programs and services relevant to the customer. The recommended contract amendment will ensure uninterrupted deliveries of the home water reports for up to three years while the City plans for and implements the Advanced Metering Infrastructure project.

• A $270,510 Contract Award to EFR Environmental Services to Furnish Labor, Materials, and Equipment for the Rental of Temporary Water Storage Tanks for the Monk Hill Treatment Plant for the Water and Power Department.  Pasadena Water and Power owns and operates the Monk Hill Treatment Plant. The Monk Hill Treatment Plant removes perchlorate and volatile organic compounds from the Monk Hill Wells. The Monk Hill Treatment Plant is part of the offsite groundwater cleanup of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is fully funded by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At Monk Hill Treatment Plant, Pasadena Water and Power rents two 18,000-gallon Adler Tanks from EFR, which are used to temporarily store water during backwashing of virgin Granular Activated Carbon and/or reactivated Granular Activated Carbon. Water is sent in an up-flow direction (backwash) through a steel vessel containing Granular Activated Carbon for removal of carbon fines and directed to the tanks via hoses. The tanks require removal of the incidental water and carbon fines that accumulate and slow the draining process. When this occurs, Pasadena Water and Power field operators notify EFR for tank cleaning and disposal of incidental water and carbon fines in the tanks. The water and carbon fines are non-hazardous waste. EFR is responsible for cleaning the tanks, disposing of the non-hazardous waste, and providing waste hauling documentation for hauling and disposal.