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Commissioner Brown - Police Department - To Authorize the Transfer of $49,705.51 from the General Fund to the General Government Capital Fund, via the Community Investment Fund (CIF) for the Purchase of Crime-lite® AUTO System from Foster & Freeman; and to Accept Foster & Freeman USA, Inc. as a Sole Source Vendor for the Purchase
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STAFF CONTACT
Chief S.M. Zill - County Police - 704-866-3321
BUDGET IMPACT
budget
General Fund: Decrease operating expenditures and increase Transfers out to Community Investment Fund by $49,705.51.
Community Investment Fund: Increase transfers in from General Fund and increase Transfers out to General Government Capital Fund by $49,705.51.
General Government Capital Fund: Increase Transfers in from Community Investment Fund and increase expenditures by $49,705.51.
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BACKGROUND
The Gaston County Police Department Crime Scene Unit requires a modern Alternate Light Source (ALS) system to effectively detect, capture, and document latent evidence (including biological fluids, fingerprints, and trace materials) in both field and laboratory environments. The system must support evidential standards required for criminal investigations and court admissibility.
The current ALS unit, purchased in 2011, is obsolete and no longer supported, as the manufacturer is no longer in business. Replacement parts and updates are unavailable, and the unit lacks the capabilities required for current investigative needs. As a result, the department has recently relied on neighboring agencies to obtain necessary forensic images. In critical cases, including those involving physical abuse, newer technology would provide significantly clearer and more detailed documentation of evidence.
The County conducted market research of available forensic lighting and imaging systems and determined that while other vendors offer alternate light sources, those systems require multiple separate components and do not provide a fully integrated solution. The Crime-lite® AUTO system uniquely combines multi-spectral illumination, camera, filtration, and image processing into a single portable unit, ensuring efficient, consistent, and defensible evidence detection and documentation. Crime-lite® AUTO system also includes built-in Product Verification Library (PVL) containing scientifically validated datasets to support consistent and defensible evidence detection methodologies as well as image hashing, metadata capture, and time-stamping to preserve chain-of-custody and evidentiary integrity.
Foster & Freeman USA, Inc. is the sole manufacturer and distributor of the Crime-lite® AUTO system, and no other product evaluated meets the operational and evidentiary requirements of the department. Accordingly, this purchase qualifies as a sole source procurement under N.C.G.S. §143-129(e)(6).
POLICY IMPACT
N/A
ATTACHMENTS
Budget Change Request (BCR); Sole Source Letter