Title
Adopt a Resolution to Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with Vice Genderless Widget Software (Q) in an amount not to exceed $135,125
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
• Public Safety
• Race and Equity Initiatives
SUMMARY
Staff seeks Council authorization to enter into an agreement with Vice to use their genderless widget software (Q) in the recorded audio response portion of the sergeant promotional process to remove implicit bias. Q is a combination of male and female voices where the listener cannot discern the gender of the speaker. Research indicates an applicant’s name, appearance, and voice can unconsciously influence how a rater scores them. Q will convert each applicant’s answer into a genderless recording to be graded by raters who will never see the applicants.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends the City Council approve an agreement with Virtue for $135,125 to leverage Q in the audio response portion of the Department’s sergeant promotional process. Using Q, in addition to deliberate steps to increase fairness, will enable the Department to facilitate a more objectively fair promotional process by removing potential rater bias.
Staff also recommends City Council make a sole source finding under Cal. Public Contract Code section 3400(c)(1) and San Leandro Municipal Code section 1-6-315 in order that a field test be made to determine suitability for future use and to match other products in use.
BACKGROUND
One of the City’s and SLPD’s top priorities is increasing the number of women in the Police Department to 30% by 2030. Additionally, staff wants women leaders represented at all leadership levels in the Department. In its history, internal promotions have yielded two women sergeants. A myriad of factors could have contributed such as; motivation, experience, qualifications, performance in the process, etc., but staff cannot ignore gender as a possibility. It is the Department’s goal to take thoughtful action to reduce or eliminate potential bias in its approaches.
Staff began exploring ways to mitigate or remove potential bias in the promotional process. The portion of the process most susceptible to implicit bias was the graded interviews conducted by external, unaffiliated raters. Recognizing that human beings, with the best training and intentions, are vulnerable to unconscious bias, staff searched for a means to eliminate that possibility.
In the quest for a solution, staff discovered Q-a synthetic AI voice without bias created by Virtue and Copenhagen Pride. Virtue and Copenhagen Pride launched Q on March 11, 2019, to demonstrate what a future voice of inclusiveness sounds like for everyone. Staff engaged Q and learned there is no product like it, and the non-binary voice helps reduce gender and ethnic bias interpretations. Q will help staff facilitate a promotional process that removes rater bias, improving the objectivity and legitimacy of the process.
Virtue will change applicants’ audio responses to situational exercises from their original voice to Q1, Q2, Q3, etc., and all voices will sound the same. The raters will listen to the Q audio responses and compare them to a structured model applicant response matrix. It is staff’s understanding that this bias-mitigating approach has never been used before. The San Leandro Police Department is a pioneer in policing and hopes to continue that tradition with this initiative and contract.
Analysis
Q is a one-of-a-kind application that can be used to convert applicants’ recorded responses to sergeant promotional exercise questions to non-binary, indistinguishable audible responses. This will enable staff to remove potential rater bias allowing raters to focus on the substance of applicants’ responses.
Financial Impacts
This Council action would reallocate $135,125. Since the reallocated funds would be exclusively derived from salary savings from the previously adopted FY 2022-2023 budget, no additional appropriations are required. (Account number 010-21-002-5120).
ATTACHMENTS
Att A: Resolution to Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement With Vice
Att B: Presentation
PREPARED BY: Abdul D. Pridgen, Chief of Police, San Leandro Police Department