Vacaville police present ARCTIC real‑time center as evidence-led tool; council reviews funding options

The Vacaville City Council heard a study-session update Jan. 6 on the Police Department's Real Time Information Center, commonly called ARCTIC, which officials said has shortened response times and increased case solvability since it went operational in March 2025.

Police Services Manager Nikki Bell told the council the unit moved from limited hours to a five‑day, 10‑hour schedule in October 2025 and that the department plans to expand to seven days a week. "We are now 5 days a week at 10 hours a day," Bell said, noting the center combines live cameras, a drone first responder (DFR) program, license‑plate readers and analytics platforms chosen to comply with CJIS and city policy.

Bell presented early metrics she described as "early wins": a rise in the violent‑crime case clearance rate from 52.3% pre‑ARCTIC to 59.1% post‑deployment, an increase in property‑crime clearance from 16.8% to 21.9%, DFR/ARCTIC on‑scene arrival roughly 50% faster than field units, and an organized retail‑theft response time improvement of more than four minutes. She characterized the eight months of post‑deployment data as preliminary and part of an ongoing validation project; council members requested incident counts and conviction follow‑through tied to the digital evidence.

Bell described three program options for sustaining ARCTIC after the current grant sunsets: (a) discontinue services after the grant (zero ongoing cost), (b) a core model (maintain essential staffing and one DFR) that staff earlier estimated at approximately $659,000 annually, and (c) an enhanced model that preserves the center's current staffing and multiple DFRs and could cost substantially more. Bell cautioned there is staffing uncertainty and a roughly $300,000 variance in personnel estimates as the department evaluates long‑term coverage models.

Councilmembers largely praised the operational and officer‑safety benefits but pressed staff on privacy, liability and transparency. Councilmember Scott asked whether ARCTIC would affect the city's risk‑pool contributions; the city attorney said the city's pooled contribution methodology would not automatically change but that improved digital evidence could reduce the city's civil liability exposure under the city's self‑insured retention. Several councilmembers urged a robust public education effort; Bell described community open houses and tours with local schools, health providers and businesses to build trust.

Nikki Bell and police leadership also discussed regionalization and partnerships: Vacaville Unified, Kairos and some health systems have expressed interest in camera integrations, and Bell said vendor and agency partnerships could expand DFR coverage. She noted technical limitations in some parts of the city (for example a ridge affecting radio control) and said a vendor cellular DFR could address that limitation in a future quarter.

No formal action or vote was taken; the presentation was a study session. Councilmembers asked staff to return with additional data (incident counts behind the percentages, updated cost estimates and options for public outreach and privacy FAQs) to inform next steps on funding and operational scope.