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DATE: |
December 10, 2024 |
06 |
SUBJECT
Title
DISTRICT ATTORNEY - AMEND AND EXTEND EXISTING SINGLE SOURCE CONTRACT FOR ENHANCED CRIMINAL JUSTICE DATA ANALYSIS IN SUPPORT OF AN EQUITABLE PROSECUTORIAL PROCESS (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The District Attorney’s Office (DAO) has an immediate need to redact and analyze information relative to Assembly Bill 2778 (Race-Blind Charging), effective January 1, 2025. AB 2778 mandates prosecutorial agencies to implement a case review process that removes race identifying information from case materials and requires prosecutors to perform initial charging evaluations based on redacted information. Prosecutorial agencies must also analyze, track, and report race-blind charging determinations. An enhanced case review process, and analysis of criminal justice data and information, directly aligns with the District Attorney’s data driven approach to achieve just and equitable outcomes for San Diego Communities.
The DAO seeks to extract and analyze suspect, victim, and/or witness data and case records in support of an impartial decision-making process. Leveraging Sicuro Data Analytics, LLC’s extensive experience will grant the DAO complete, accurate, and timely analysis in accordance with current and forthcoming legislative requirements. Sicuro is the only service provider who has been found to meet these critical needs and qualifies for A-87(1)(D)(3), procurement for services from a provider with unique knowledge, skills, and abilities not available from other sources. Additionally, continuing work with Sicuro will provide efficiencies and critical knowledge unattainable from other providers and guarantee the DAO’s compliance with state legislature.
This is a request to the authorize the Director of Purchasing and Contracting to amend and extend the current service contract with Sicuro Data Analytics, LLC for an automated and efficient technology solution to collect, identify, extract, and analyze criminal justice data for an equitable and transparent prosecutorial process.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
In accordance with Board Policy A-87, Competitive Procurement, and Administrative Code Section 401, authorize the Director of the Department of Purchasing and Contracting to amend contract No. 568534 with Sicuro Data Analytics, LLC to include the collection, identification, extraction, and analysis of criminal justice data and related services in support of equitable criminal justice processes and outcomes, and extend the contract term through August 31, 2026 with four option years, and an additional six months if needed, and to amend the contract(s) as needed to reflect changes to service needs and funding allocations subject to the approval of the District Attorney.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
The District Attorney’s Office is constitutionally responsible for the investigation and prosecution of all criminal violations of state law and county ordinances. Access to accurate and timely data facilitates objective and fair justice proceedings under the law regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin, and may also result in data beneficial to reduce recidivism and support victims. As part of the District Attorney’s ongoing dedication to public safety, the DAO anticipates that the proposed action will enhance local law enforcement operations, resulting in strategic and data-driven processes, and ultimately equitable outcomes throughout San Diego communities.
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT STATEMENT
Upholding an unbiased criminal justice system, driven and informed by local data, directly contributes to the County of San Diego’s Sustainability Goals of ensuring the just and equitable provision of public services. Strategic investments in robust technology solutions for prosecutorial data collection and analysis enhance organizational capacity and efficiency in support of equitable criminal justice - contributing to overall regional sustainability.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds for this request are partially included in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Operational Plan for the District Attorney’s Office. If approved, this request will result in annual costs and revenue of approximately $540,000 in Fiscal Years 2024-25 and 2025-26. Subsequent year costs and revenues, estimated at $510,000 annually, will be included in future Operational Plans for the District Attorney’s Office. The funding source is Proposition 172 Special Revenue Fund. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT
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Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
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BACKGROUND
On December 13, 2022 (5), the Board of Supervisors authorized the single source procurement with Sicuro Data Analytics, LLC (Sicuro) as a provider with unique knowledge, skills, and abilities (A-87(1)(D)(3) in response to Assembly Bill 2542 (Racial Justice Act) for data extraction and analysis services related to criminal charges and their outcomes. Sicuro’s technology automates County of San Diego (County) specific insights to understand the variables of a case, and if and how the variables correlate to case outcomes. This level of objective analysis permits the District Attorney’s Office (DAO) to identify data trends and responsively address its prosecutorial decision-making process. The DAO has an additional and immediate need for enhanced criminal justice data analysis to meet legislative obligations that align with the District Attorney’s data driven approach to achieve equitable and transparent prosecutorial processes for San Diego County.
California Penal Code section 741 (Assembly Bill 2778 (2022)) mandates prosecutorial agencies to implement a case review process from which direct means of identifying suspect(s)’, victim(s)’, and/or witness(es)’ race have been redacted from case materials. AB 2778 outlines a three-step process for case evaluation; the first necessitates an evaluation based on the redacted information; the second requires a complete review of the case using unredacted reports; and finally, if there is a change in charging determination from the redacted and unredacted evaluation, the bill sets forth specific documentation requirements.
The legislation intends to implement protocols that mitigate unconscious biases in the case evaluation process by ensuring that charging determinations are made without consideration of race. The DAO seeks to amend and extend its current service contract with Sicuro to integrate its adaptable artificial intelligence (AI) technology solution, an enhancement that enables the timely collection, identification, redaction, and analysis of criminal justice data. Sicuro’s AI technology solution includes feedback mechanisms that will allow the DAO to refine the solution’s algorithms according to defined criterion set by the organization, resulting in a fully customized product and analytics specific to San Diego County. The enhancement fully integrates into the DAO’s current technology solution and will significantly reduce staff burden to reach timely, accurate, and unbiased charging decisions as required by the new legislation’s multi-step decision-making process.
Data collection and information sharing requires extensive experience implementing similar projects, as well as a thorough understanding of the required data security and privacy. Sicuro meets all required security certifications to access criminal justice information, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) and California Law Enforcement Telecommunications Systems (CLETS) compliance and background, and it possesses a thorough understanding of the DAO’s current case management system. In addition, Sicuro’s services comply with the Department of Justice’s AI technology solution guidelines.
Sicuro Data Analytics, LLC is well-positioned to use its prior extensive experience with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and other California Counties, such as Riverside and San Bernardino, to streamline data and analytics for San Diego County. In addition to Sicuro’s unique combination of technical capability, Sicuro is regarded as an expert and has been called to testify in court on matters involving Racial Justice Act litigation and has submitted multiple expert opinion documents for criminal litigation. Sicuro is uniquely situated and qualifies for A-87 (1)(D)(3), procurement for services from a provider with unique knowledge specific to San Diego County’s criminal justice system, skills, and abilities not available from other sources. Sicuro also qualifies for A-87 (1)(D)(6), procurement for goods and/or services where continuity of providers will provide efficiency or critical knowledge, and other providers cannot provide similar efficiencies or critical knowledge.
Today’s action requests authority for the Director of Purchasing and Contracting to amend and extend the current contract with Sicuro Data Analytics, LLC to support the collection, identification, extraction, and analysis of criminal justice data in accordance with legislation. Authority for a single source contract with Sicuro was given on December 31, 2022 (5). Sicuro possesses both efficiencies as well as a unique combination of technical expertise and proven acumen as a leader in technology-based criminal justice data analysis solutions.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
Today’s proposed actions support the Equity and Justice Strategic Initiatives in the County of San Diego’s 2024-29 Strategic Plan by leveraging technology solutions for public safety initiatives to advance the quality of life for all San Diego communities.
Respectfully submitted,
SUMMER STEPHAN
District Attorney
ATTACHMENT(S)
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