El Cajon Releases Its First Request for Innovation!

On July 2, 2021 the City of El Cajon released the first Request for Innovation (RFI) titled Technology as a Public Safety Force Multiplier. Submissions are due by August 23, 2021 through our Planet Bids System.

El Cajon 2.0, the City of El Cajon’s smart city initiative, in order to assist the El Cajon Police Department, is requesting proposals for a pilot project to maximize the effectiveness of the existing Police Department staff. In that regard, the City is interested in ways to use artificial intelligence, drones, sensors, or other new technologies to greatly improve efficiencies by providing the ability to respond to calls, to be alerted when crimes are suspected in a public place, or aid in the investigation of reported crimes.

Examples include:

• Deterrence of criminal behavior in parks using innovative solutions that require minimal additional resources.
• Artificial Intelligence in camera systems to confirm active fires.
• Drones as first responders to help triage or prioritize calls.
• Aid investigators in sorting through digital evidence from multiple sources.

By automating common labor-intensive tasks, the City believes it can maximize the effectiveness of existing staff which will result in a safer community. The proposed technology should demonstrate how the City can save staff time or improve safety outcomes.

If you have a great idea for how we can make our city safer through the use of technology, we want to hear about it!

 In today’s world, technology has become a critical component of almost every single person’s daily life. With the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, technology went from being a convenience to a necessity. As citizens’ lives have changed to incorporate technology, their expectations of their local government have evolved as well.

Based on feedback from the community and civic leaders, El Cajon 2.0 focuses on five key areas:

What is a Smart City? 

The notion of a smart city is relatively new and surprisingly broad. From one organization or individual to another, a smart city can mean something different. The consulting company Deloitte provides a succinct definition:

A 360-degree smart city looks across every aspect of a city’s operations and uses technology to improve outcomes. The digital infrastructure of a smart city sets the stage for a network of partnerships all focused on one goal: Creating a Page 4 of 24 smarter city. The result? An urban center that not only leverages technology to improve its own operations but connects with citizens, businesses, and nonprofits in new ways.

Great innovations often come from a combination of different perspectives and experiences. El Cajon 2.0 is based on the concept of a smart city as defined above, but also caters to the unique needs of the City. It represents a new way to think about innovation in El Cajon.

Vision

El Cajon 2.0 is an ongoing commitment to utilize innovative technological solutions that support a safe, connected, thriving, and desirable community for all residents, businesses, and visitors.

El Cajon 2.0 Strategic Plan

The El Cajon 2.0 Strategic Plan is based on research of the smart city concept, case studies of how other jurisdictions implemented innovative technologies to address problems, survey results from both the El Cajon community and City staff, and feedback from the City Council.

Its adaptive design is intended to be versatile enough to apply to both current and future challenges. As priorities shift and technology continues to evolve, the City will be well equipped to handle future needs through El Cajon 2.0.

Click on the image to the left to view the plan.

 We asked for your input and you spoke!

To help City staff understand what is important to you, a brief survey was conducted in late 2020. In total, the City received 1,182 survey responses coming from a wide range of ages. They included residents, members of the business community, and those that visit or work in the City.