DOWNEY - Private security will continue to patrol Downtown Downey through at least June after the City Council on Tuesday agreed to extend its contract with security firm RMI International.The vote to retain RMI was 4-0. Councilman Mario Guerra abstained. Paramount-based RMI was hired last December on a trial basis in response to growing complaints of car vandalism in the downtown parking structure. The police department, meanwhile, began undercover detective work and created a high profile robbery suppression detail to combat street robberies in the area. The city also became more aggressive in replacing lights, cleaning graffiti and removing trash from the parking structure, officials said. The contract with RMI is worth $42,000 and ensures security downtown through the end of the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Security officers will patrol the downtown parking structure eight hours each day Monday through Wednesday, 16 hours on Thursdays and 24 hours a day Friday through Sunday. The contract includes provisions to ensure that security officers remain active and mobile by requiring them to use an electronic monitoring program to scan in at designated locations within the parking structure four times per hour. RMI International submitted the lowest bid for security services. Community development director Brian Saeki said RMI offered "superior service" during its trial run. The security contract will be funded using the city's Capital Projects funds.

********** Published: February 16, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 44