County prosecutor seeks nearly $6M Axon contract to centralize video, redaction and AI tools

Cuyahoga County's prosecutor's office presented Oct. 29 a request to contract with Axon Enterprise for digital evidence management software and cloud storage services, citing a dramatic increase in video and associated workload.

Pete Sighetti, presenting for the prosecutor's office, said the Axon Justice Premier product line would provide storage, automated redaction, transcription and discovery tools the office currently lacks. "This is absolutely essential for the prosecutors operations today and and going forward as well," Sighetti said. He told the committee evidence storage demands rose from about 70 terabytes to 180 terabytes in four years, a more than 150% increase.

The office described several anticipated benefits: automated face and license‑plate redaction that can be propagated across multiple camera angles; AI‑assisted transcription to make audio searchable; automated discovery links for defense and partner agencies; and workflow automation that could reduce manual administrative burden. Fiscal director Jim Ginley said the expense was not included in the biennial budget and that some services previously were provided at no charge and must now be paid.

Committee discussion focused on contract term length. Sighetti said Axon requested a longer term to secure pricing; the proposed agreement contains a five‑year checkpoint and a 30‑day exit provision, and the office said contractual protections were included to allow retrieval of county data if necessary. Council members asked whether the platform would generate operational savings; Sighetti said some efficiencies would be gained but that many functions on the platform were not feasible without the tools.

The committee approved moving the resolution forward to full council under second‑reading suspension; no dollar amount beyond the contract cap of $5,960,835 was changed in the discussion.