Consideration and Approval of Sole Source Purchase: Authorization of the purchase of 34 Taser International Axon Flex body cameras and 5 years of storage manufactured by Taser International in the amount of $77,762.57 to outfit and issue body worn cameras for all patrol officers to include supervisors for the Flagstaff Police Department.

The Flagstaff Police Department is requesting authorization to purchase 34 body cameras and enhance storage in the amount of $77,762.57 to complete equipping all uniform patrol with the body cameras.

Upfront costs for the capital purchase of the camera and mounting equipment: $28,016. Five Years of evidence.com storage, 34 basic user licenses,1 professional license: $32,879.90 Extended Warranty: $12,697.80 Estimated shipping costs: $320.01 Estimated tax: $3,848.86 Total allocation request: $77,762.57.  The Police Department has $85,000 budgeted in FY 2016 under account 001-04-061-0221-2-4305. 

Improve effectiveness of notification, communication, and engagement with residents, neighborhoods and businesses and about City services, programs, policies, projects and developments.  Review what, when and how Council and public are notified about development projects. Identify opportunities for collaborative outreach among Council members and key community stakeholders. 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, and improves community trust and transparency by assisting in use of force and citizen complaint reviews. It will benefit the community in the long run through better prosecution of crimes. Cameras provide valuable evidence and an opportunity to allow the investigator to have the ability to review after the initial contact and to view the scene in the original officers point of view.  These tools will help assist to continue to maintain high-quality effectiveness and efficiency in law enforcement to the extent that is consistent with governmental operations.

Yes. The Council approved for the purchase of 50 Axon Flex Body Cameras on July 01, 2014 along with accessories and storage of the video.

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. Studies have also shown the use of body cameras results in a reduction of citizen complaints and use of force incidents. Officers in the Flagstaff Police Department previously issued with the body cameras have recognized the protective function of audio or video recording since the purchase in July of 2014. 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.

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. In July 2014 the Flagstaff Police Department issued Taser Body Cameras to officers in the field. The transition has gone smoothly and we have noticed the usefulness of the video for criminal and internal investigations. Benefits of the Axon Flex System as compared to other systems include: a higher capacity recording life (12 hours), multiple point of view mounting options, pre-event recording (30 seconds) low light and night mode capability.  Storage is kept on the Evidence.com cloud. The evidence management system (Evidence.com), allows for easy download and categorization of incidents, easy retrieval for disclosure or supervisory oversight, and allows our department to set up automatic retention periods in line with state law.

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. The Axon Flex cameras are more expensive at $599 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. We have been able to secure a quote for this program to include 34 Axon Flex cameras ($28,016) and five years of evidence storage instead of three ($32,879.90). The 34 cameras will outfit the supervisors in the field and officers assigned to specialty assignments. The department may be able to secure a grant at a later time to purchase more cameras for replacement purposes. The Axon Flex utilizes a system that mounts to glasses. The current approved amount for this purchase is $85,000 allowing us to successfully purchase more eyewear with the remaining amount in this account. 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 $32,879.90 for the five year contract. The cost for the Axon Flex cameras ($28,016), five years storage ($32,879.90), along with professional services, shipping and tax ($4,168.87), warranty ($12,697.80) makes the total amount of this request ($77,762.57). The remaining funds will be used to purchase extra equipment such as sunglasses to properly mount the cameras.

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 providing 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 citizens 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.

Inform.

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 citizen interactions, provide feedback for officers in training, and better collect evidence for investigation and prosecution.