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Cathedral City Council approves FARO 3D scanner purchase for police investigations using SLESF and council district funds
Summary
The City Council approved spending to buy a FARO Focus 3D scanner and a Dell workstation to enable Cathedral City police to document crime scenes in-house; the scanner and workstation cost about $81,481 in total, funded by two council district contributions and a state supplemental law-enforcement account allocation.
The Cathedral City City Council on Jan. 8 approved the police department’s purchase of a FARO Focus 3D laser scanner and a Dell computer workstation to support in-house crime-scene documentation and reduce reliance on outside agencies.
Commander Enos told the council that the FARO scanner can quickly capture crime-scene geometry and, combined with a 360-degree camera and the vendor’s software, can produce three-dimensional renderings useful for investigations and courtroom presentations. Enos said the scanner would allow investigators to continue other tasks while the device scans the scene: “The scanner would allow investigators to complete other tasks on the scene of incidents while the FARO scanner completes the scene diagram.”
Cost and funding: the FARO scanner hardware and software quote was $72,966.82; the IT workstation configured to run the software was quoted at $8,513.93, bringing the total to $81,480.75. The vendor offered a 5% discount if purchased within 30 days, the presentation said. Council Member Carnivale committed $40,000 from his district funds and Council Member Gutierrez committed $10,000. The council approved using the city’s Fiscal Year 2021–22 Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Account (SLESF) allocation to cover the remaining $31,480.75.
Why the purchase: staff said allied agencies sometimes cannot respond to scan requests, requiring department investigators to spend extended time documenting scenes. The FARO system is widely used by regional agencies, staff said, and includes training and a software warranty.
Vote: Council Member Carnivale made the motion to approve the expenditure plan; Mayor Kathleen Ross seconded. The motion carried on a roll call vote with all ayes recorded.
Ending: Staff will proceed with procurement and training per the approved funding plan. The purchase is intended to provide faster, more self-sufficient crime-scene documentation capability for the Cathedral City Police Department.
