TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Mary Olsen, Police Department
THROUGH: Mark R. Lauzier, City Manager
DATE: September 6, 2018
Title
RESOLUTION NO. 88-18: APPROVAL TO TERMINATE EXISTING AGREEMENT WITH AXON ENTERPRISE, INC. FOR BODY WORN CAMERAS AND TASERS AND APPROVAL TO ENTER INTO A NEW AGREEMENT WITH AXON ENTERPRISE INC. FOR BODY WORN CAMERAS, TASERS, INTERVIEW ROOM CAMERAS, IN-CAR VIDEO, BATTERIES, CARTRIDGES, RELATED EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES, LICENSING, MAINTENANCE, AND WARRANTY.
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Motion to approve to terminate existing Master Services and Purchasing Agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for body worn cameras and Tasers
Motion to approve new agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for body worn cameras, Tasers, interview room cameras, in-car video, batteries, cartridges, related equipment and accessories, licensing, maintenance and warranty in the total amount not to exceed $2,510,000 over the next five (5) years.
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Background:
On April 19, 2016, the City Commission approved the implementation of the first phase of the Police Department body-worn camera program. The first phase included the purchase of 20 body-worn cameras and TASERs. On November 15, 2016, the City Commission approved the purchase of the remainder of the body-worn cameras and Tasers to outfit the Police Department personnel in a phased deployment. The original contract was for five (5) years and is currently still in effect. The Police Department would like to terminate the existing contract and enter into a new contract to include additional body worn cameras and Tasers in order to accomodate increase in personnel that will be utilizing body worn cameras, as well as to include additional equipment. The additional equipment and services related to the equipment are interview room cameras for Investigations Division, as well as in-car video cameras. The new contract would allow for continuation of the body worn cameras and Tasers for the next five (5) years which means three (3) additional years past the original contract that is currently in effect. The original contract is in effect through the fiscal year 2019/2020 and the new contract would allow for continuation of the body worn camera program through the fiscal year 2022/2023.
Combining purchase of body-worn cameras and Tasers results in cost saving for the Tasers. The cost when purchased alone is $1,600 each but when combined with the body-worn cameras, the cost is $1,200 each. The new contract also includes Taser cartridges and batteries, which currently need to be purchased separately. The new contract provides for unlimited cartridges and batteries, which will allow the Police Department to continue providing training, comply with regulation, and follow best practices, while keeping control of the costs.
The additional equipment for the Investigations Division would include eight (8) cameras for seven (7) interview rooms and would significantly increase our agency's efficiency when processing the data that we collect. It would also allow for tagging of the video so that cases can be linked, as well as provide an audit trail for who accessed the data and when.
The additional equipment of in-car video is requested due to the recent comparison of the existing Panasonic Arbitrator cameras versus Axon Fleet cameras. The Axon Fleet would provide for integration with the existing body worn cameras, and would allow for more efficient data tagging, and would reduce man hours needed to obtain and share the evidence with the State Attorney’s Office. Currently, data from Arbitrator cameras has to be downloaded on disks in order to be shared. While the cost per year is higher with the Axon Fleet, starting to switch out the existing old non-HD Panasonic cameras and purchasing of Axon Fleet cameras for new vehicles/personnel makes sense in the long run. In the future, our vehicles may have their own hotspots or there could be City-wide wi-fi available, which would reduce time the officers spend on coming to the Police Department to offload video as Axon Fleet would then be able to offload to Evidence.com while officer is on duty and in the vehicle.
The new contract also includes addition of a secondary body worn camera for all users, so that a backup camera for each employee is available, which will reduce the need of reassigning the cameras, and will also reduce the wear and tear on the actual equipment.
Law enforcement agencies across the country and worldwide are using body-worn cameras to provide a visual and audio record of law enforcement interactions with the public. Given the issues facing police work nationally cameras have received attention as a means to provide clarity in police issues especially where a fatality may occur. The body camera program is helpful in prosecution when presenting evidence to court, in deflecting fraudulent complaints and potential lawsuits, and for completing reports accurately. It helps strengthen accountability and transparency, and can assist in deescalating conflicts, resulting in more constructive encounters between the police and members of the community. It is believed that use of body-worn cameras will become a national standard. The new contract would allow the Police Department to continue the body worn camera program for additional three (3) years past the original contract, as well as add additional equipment, in an effort to lock into current pricing and provide for efficient and comprehensive approach to video and audio recording of law enforcement interactions with the public.
The breakdown of the cost by fiscal year is as follows:
FY 18/19 $526,070.84
FY 19/20 $427,011.84
FY 20/21 $480,867.84
FY 21/22 $508,323.84
FY 22/23 $562,515.84
Attachments:
Agreement between the City of Delray Beach and Axon Enterprise, Inc.
Resolution 88-18
Legal review checklist
Axon - Financial Impact per Fiscal Year
Quote - Body worn cameras & Tasers
Quote - Body worn cameras & Tasers combined
Quote - Interview Room
Quote - Axon Fleet (Phased deployment)
Cost Comparison between Axon Fleet and Panasonic Arbitrator in-car video
Original Master Services and Purchasing Agreement between the City of Delray Beach and Axon Enterprise, Inc.
Axon Sole Source Letter
City Attorney Review:
Approved as to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
The breakdown of the cost by fiscal year is as follows:
FY 18/19 $526,070.84
FY 19/20 $427,011.84
FY 20/21 $480,867.84
FY 21/22 $508,323.84
FY 22/23 $562,515.84
The account that would be utilized is -001-21-110-521.34-90 (Special Services - Other Contractual Services) pending the approval of each fiscal year budget and appropriation of funds.