Consideration and Approval of Sole Source Purchase:  Consideration authorizing the purchase of Axon Flex body cameras manufactured by Taser International in the amount of $117,000 for the Flagstaff Police Department

 Increases in technology have made it possible to outfit officers with body cameras.  Some of the benefits of using body cameras include:
-reducing use of force incidents and citizen complaints, as well as reducing the time spent investigating them.
-providing an accurate point of view recording of incidents and crime scenes.
-capturing valuable statements by victims, witnesses and suspects to aid in prosecution.
-giving officers an opportunity to review incidents to enhance their reports and their testimony in court.
-allowing supervisors to review officer interactions to provide training in better communication techniques.

Upfront costs for the capital purchase of the camera and mounting equipment: $46,693.10.
Cost for Taser to set up equipment and train the trainer on use, review and docking: $1,935.00
Year one evidence.com storage: $12,446.16
Year  two evidence.com storage: $12,446.16
Year three evidence.com storage: $12,446.16
Year four evidence.com storage: $12,446.16
Year five evidence.com storage: $12,446.16
Estimated shipping costs: $46.74
Estimated tax: $6,094.36
Total allocation request: $117,000.00

Effective Governance (Public Safety)
The Axon Flex camera system has many benefits to the individual officer and the police department.  The use of this technology will help protect officers and the department from false accusations of wrong doing.  It will benefit the community in the long run through better prosecution of crimes.  

This will be the first opportunity for the Police Department to utilize body cameras. 

1. The Council may approve the contract with Taser International to purchase Axon Flex body cameras.
2. The Council may choose to reject the contract.

The Flagstaff Police Department is committed to the belief that body camera video is an important and valuable tool for law enforcement.  The cameras provide audio-video documentation of a police officer’s investigative and enforcement activities from the perspective of the officer.  The use of on-officer video is expected to result in greater transparency, more effective prosecution, and more effective investigations of  allegations of excessive use of force, misconduct or racial profiling. 
 
Some officers who have recognized the protective function of audio or video recording have voluntarily purchased devices of varying types and made use of them in the field.  Audio or video recordings of investigative or enforcement actions are evidence, and subject to rules of disclosure. It is in the best interest of justice that the Department standardizes the body cameras in use as well as evidence collection and storage policy and procedure. 

Having officers wear body cameras allows complete incidents to be viewed from the prospective of the individual officer.  This complete video may help protect the Department if a person using a smartphone posts video clips which are scrutinizing officer conduct.  The Police Department conducted a pilot program which was well received by the volunteer officers who utilized the cameras.   A couple falsely made citizen complaints were easily unfounded upon video review by supervisors. 

After speaking with other agencies, and reviewing the research, and conducting an internal pilot program, we believe the Axon Flex body camera is the best system on the market with the features and capabilities no other vendor can provide.  Therefore, Taser International is a sole source vendor.
 
Benefits of the Axon Flex System as compared to other systems include:
 -a higher capacity recording life (12 hours).
 -the multiple point of view mounting options.
 -pre-event recording (30 seconds).
 -low light and night mode capability.
 
The evidence management system (Evidence.com), allows for easy download and categorization of incidents, easy retrieval for disclosure or supervisory oversight, and allows departments to set up automatic retention periods in line with state law.

During the three day budget retreat the Police Department requested funding for the body camera program.  Our original plan was to purchase 60 body cameras for an amount of $33,000 and three years of evidence storage for $84,000, for the total request of $117,000.   City Council was supportive of this funding and budgeted it in that way for us to move forward ($33,000 for cameras and $84,000 for evidence storage/maintenance) at the budget retreat.

During the budget retreat the Police Department had just started a pilot program, after receiving three body cameras and three Axon Flex cameras to test.   The body cameras have a basic clip attached to them and can be positioned on the officers clothing or belts only, limiting the viewpoint of the camera when recording.  The Axon Flex is more versatile and has multiple mounting options.  Most importantly the Axon Flex has mounting options on eyewear and over the ears, which allows the viewer to see exactly what the officer was viewing when the camera was on.  This viewpoint is much more beneficial to the officers.   Police Department leadership spoke at length with the pilot program officers at the end of the pilot program.    They were overwhelming in support of the Axon Flex cameras system over the basic body cameras, due to the officer’s point of view benefit.    The Axon Flex cameras are more expensive at $499 apiece versus the body cameras at $299.    We felt it was in the best interest of the department and the city to explore this Axon Flex option.

Purchasing has been able to secure a quote for this program to include 50 Axon Flex cameras ($47,000) and five years of evidence storage instead of three ($62,230.80).   The 50 cameras will outfit the majority of our patrol officers.  Those working special details (Airport, school resource officers, will not be assigned cameras).  The department may be able to secure a grant at a later time to purchase more cameras. The Axon Flex utilizes a system that mounts to glasses.  The Police Department was able to purchase the needed glasses in the current budget year at substantial savings over what the vender could provide.  We were able to successfully reduce our evidence storage cost by sharing accounts among those who will have a need to review the video recordings.  The costs for evidence storage and retention will be $12,446.16 annually, or $62,230.80 for the five year contract.  The cost for the Axon Flex cameras ($47,000), five years storage ($62,230.80), along with professional services, shipping and tax makes the total amount of this request ($117,000).

The Flagstaff Police Department values customer service and citizen trust.  Body camera video will aid in prosecution, accurately documenting victim and witness statements as well as an objective recording of the crime scene.  The use of body cameras allows us to be more transparent in our interactions with the public.   The demeanor of both officers and suspects is less contentious when both parties are aware they are being recorded.  As a risk management tool, the video may alleviate false accusations of wrong doing.

The law abiding citizens of our community deserve and expect our streets and neighborhoods to be places where they feel safe.   The body cameras are another tool to ensure we are policing correctly, constitutionally, and consistently.   The audio and video recording from the body cameras will increase our ability to review probable cause for arrests, view officer and suspect interactions, provide feedback for officers in training, and better collect evidence for investigation and prosecution.