PREPARED BY: Brian Bubar DATE OF MEETING: 08/03/2026
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN PABLO (1) AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A THREE YEAR AGREEMENT WITH VIGILIFE FOR THE PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT, TRAINING, AND SOFTWARE TO EXPAND AND ENHANCE OFFICER WELLNESS AND TRAINING AT A TOTAL COST NOT TO EXCEED $179,700; AND (2) APPROPRIATING $179,700 IN FUNDS FROM THE SUPPLEMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES GRANT REVENUES FUND 210 (SLESF)
CEQA: This proposed action is not a project as defined by CEQA.
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
Compliance statements
Strengthen Existing and New Technology Programs, Public Facility/Infrastructure Projects, and Future Workplace Development Programs/Services to Enhance SPPD Crime-Reduction Goals, Community Policing, Mental Health and Training Programs is a priority goal under the FY 2025-27 City Council Priority Workplan, effective April 7, 2025.
BACKGROUND
Funding Source
The Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Grant Fund (SLESF) is a mandated grant as defined by Government Code 30061(b)(3)(i), wherein the County remits at minimum $100,000 annually to be spent on frontline law enforcement. The City currently has a balance of $426,861 available for appropriation from Fund 210 (SLESF).
Work Stress related to Policing
Several studies provide empirical data on the physical and emotional dangers of working as a police officer. The National Library of Medicine has published several study articles highlighting increased health risks for police officers to suffer from hypertension, cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, and obesity & metabolic syndrome. Additionally, these studies highlight increased mental health disorders to include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation.
Emerging Wearable Technology
Approximately 30% of U.S. adults use a wearable health device (such as a smartwatch or fitness tracker), and among those users, 80-90% report making at least one positive health behavior change-including increasing physical activity, improving sleep, or losing weight-because of the data their device provides.
This finding is supported by surveys from the Pew Research Center, Rock Health, and other digital health studies.
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Statistic |
Significance |
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Adults who use wearable activity trackers average about 1,800 additional steps per day compared with baseline in randomized studies. |
Increased daily movement lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death. |
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Wearable users increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by approximately 40-50 minutes per week on average. |
Helps meet recommended physical activity guidelines. |
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A 2022 meta-analysis found wearable devices resulted in an average weight loss of about (4-7 lb) when combined with lifestyle interventions. |
Demonstrates wearables improve outcomes when paired with coaching or behavior change programs. |
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More than 225 million wearable devices are shipped globally each year. |
Shows widespread adoption and integration into healthcare and wellness. |
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The global wearable healthcare market is projected to exceed $150 billion by the early 2030s. |
Reflects the growing role of continuous health monitoring in medicine. |
VigiLife
The City of San Pablo has committed to enhancing technology within the Police Department, which enables staff to provide a much higher level of service and increased public safety. Beginning in 2022, staff began researching wearable technology (i.e. smartwatches, Fitbit), which would allow officers to monitor their own biometrics to improve health, fitness, and training. Subsequently, the Police Department utilized funds from the Officer Wellness and Mental Health Grant Program from the California Board of State and Community Corrections to enter into a 1-year service agreement with VigiLife. to develop and deploy the Safeguard wearable program with a small working group. The program was developed specifically for public safety professionals in San Pablo.
Subsequently, a total of (26) sworn and professional staff members participated in the working group to provide feedback. Staff feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and highlights the potential long-term benefits of such a program.
San Pablo PD Wearables Program
The Wearables Program is an innovative initiative designed to enhance officer health, resilience, and operational effectiveness through real-time biometric monitoring and data-driven insights. Utilizing Garmin smartwatches, the program captures a wide range of physiological metrics, including heart rate, sleep score, stress index, training readiness, respiration rate, body battery, step count, and high heart rate alerts, among other advanced data points.
In partnership with VigiLife, the department is actively engaged in the use of the Safeguard Live application. This platform enables both sworn and professional staff to monitor their biometric data in real time while on duty. The application also supports post-shift debriefing, allowing personnel to evaluate how operational stressors and environmental factors impacted them physiologically, thereby promoting greater self-awareness and performance optimization.
While initially focused on on-duty biometric analysis, the program has demonstrated even greater value in off-duty applications. Participants report that continuous monitoring provides meaningful insights into how the profession impacts their overall well-being beyond the workplace. Officers and staff are able to evaluate the effects of lifestyle choices, sleep quality, fitness routines, and recovery on both their personal health and job performance. This holistic approach underscores the program’s emphasis on long-term wellness rather than isolated operational metrics.
Since its implementation in October 2025, the program has experienced substantial growth, expanding from 7 initial participants to 26 active users-representing 30% of the department. Participation spans all ranks and roles, including command staff, supervisors, line-level officers, and professional staff across multiple assignments and shifts.
Training Opportunity
Beyond daily operations, the program plays a critical role in training environments. Biometric data is integrated into a variety of departmental training scenarios, including SWAT operations, defensive tactics, jiu-jitsu, EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course), Taser training, scenario-based exercises, and virtual reality simulations. This capability allows the department to analyze both individual and group stress responses, improving decision-making, performance under pressure, and overall training outcomes.
The program has also enhanced efficiency in physical fitness assessments for Master Officer and Master Sergeant programs. By leveraging wearable technology, the department has reduced the need for personnel to manually proctor components of the Physical Training (PT) test, as performance metrics are accurately captured and recorded through the system.
As part of the agreement with VigiLife, staff intends to offer wearables as a supplemental training tool to visiting agencies utilizing the new training center at a cost yet to be determined. This would enhance the visitor training experience and increase revenues generated by the facility.
PROCUREMENT
Staff recommends that the procurement of additional services from VigiLife be exempted from City bidding requirements because: (1) the purchase involves specialized services combined with equipment and products, in which the City procures equipment but must also retain specialized services for consulting on use, training, installing, maintaining, and servicing the products (San Pablo Municipal Code section 3.16.110(B)); and (2) the unique software attributes discussed above support the use of sole source agreements (San Pablo Municipal Code section 3.16.110(C)).
PUBLIC SAFETY STANDING COMMITTEE
Staff presented the VigiLife Wearables Program to the Public Safety Standing Committee. (Mayor Pabon-Alvarado and Vice-Mayor Xavier) on July 22, 2026. The Committee unanimously voted to receive the presentation and recommended to forward to City Council for formal consideration and approval.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost of the program with VigiLife, with equipment, maintenance and support for three years, is $179,700. This includes a one-time cost of $30,300 for wearable equipment for staff. The software service license costs are approximately $49,800 annually.
The Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Grant Fund (210) has an available fund balance of $426,861. At this time, staff requests authorization to appropriate available grant funds, in the amount of $179,700, to Expense account 210-2110-43600 for this procurement. Potential continuance of the Wearables Program beyond the three-year agreement will be subject to funding availability, and budgeted accordingly in the Police Department’s operating budget (100-2110-43600).
Attachments:
Att A. Resolution
Att B. VigiLife Service Agreement