On September 11, 2019 the City Council unanimously voted to pursue the immediate addition of private security patrols to the areas of the City most impacted by recent increases in crime.  In response to that request, staff issued a request for proposal, and on September 25, 2019 the City Council approved Agreement 19-184, with Trans-West Security Services, Inc., to conduct a 90-day pilot project that ran from October 1, 2019 through December 30, 2019.

The pilot project resulted in a positive impact upon the areas in which the Prevention Patrol Strategy was deployed.  Calls for service were reduced; and, a recent survey of merchants operating within the selected prevention patrol sites revealed that a little more 41% of the respondents advised that they felt safer since the implementation of Prevention Patrol.

Prevention Patrol is another means by which the Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) will achieve its mission, "to partner with our community to protect the lives and property of the people we serve”.  Given the positive impact of the pilot project, the BPD has solicited a Request for Proposals (RFP) to continue private security patrols through the end of FY2019-20, with the option of extending these services for two additional years.

The RFP was issued on December 27, 2019, with a submission acceptance date of January 6, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. to provide high-visibility patrol services through the City of Bakersfield.  The RFP requested bids to provide the following scope of work for services:

• Provide up to four uniformed officers with vehicles per day, up to 8 hour per day / per officer, up to seven days per week.
• Perform both general security patrols and location specific patrols as directed by the Bakersfield Police Department.
• Monitor and report any type of illegal activity to the proper authorities.
• Provide a daily activity report (“report”) which includes but not limited to; location, arrival time, departure time, activities or events that occurred, and any other pertinent information to the City. The report shall be submitted to designated Bakersfield Police Department staff no later than 48 (forty-eight) hours from the end of a daily shift.
• Notify the Bakersfield Police Department Communications Center as soon as possible, in the event activities require an urgent response.
• Utilize patrol GPS tracking and/or GEO fencing capabilities to assist with management of the project and ensure the effectiveness of the patrols.

Each Contractor and their patrol officer employees/sub-contractors must possess a valid Private Patrol Operators License through the State of California Department of Consumer Affairs of Security and Investigations Services. Contractor teams must include a Qualified Manager, as defined by the Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Security and Investigations Services, with substantial experience and background in security guard and patrol services.

The City received proposals from the five vendors below:

                              M & S Security Services, Inc.                       $ 32.00 / hr.

                              Trans-West Security Services, Inc.              $ 29.89 / hr.       

                              Servexo Protective Services, Inc.                $ 28.90 / hr.

                              Sitrep Security Solutions                              $ 28.39 / hr.

                              Select Patrol Agency, Inc.                            $ 27.42 / hr.

Upon review of the submittals, designated Bakersfield Police Department staff determined that the proposal submitted by Trans-West was the most comprehensive, cost-beneficial, and overall best suited to meet the community’s needs as described above.  Based on the responsiveness, positive references, and the reporting capabilities presented, the BPD recommends the proposal from Trans-West Security Services, Inc. as the contractor to best suit the current needs of the City.

The third quarter 2019 sales tax revenues showed that the Bakersfield Public Safety and Vital Services Measure (PSVS Measure) revenues were coming in significantly higher than expected. Staff is estimating a cumulative increase of approximately $9 million above current budget projections in the current fiscal year. This information was presented to the PSVS Measure Citizens Oversight Committee on December 9, 2019 which at that time approved additional funds for homelessness, including private security services. As such, these contracted services will be funded by the additional PSVS revenue identified.  Funding to extend services through FY2020-21 will be addressed through the budget approval process.