Moscow council approves five-year Axon equipment and services purchase for police

Moscow — The Moscow City Council on Oct. 20 approved a purchase agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc. to supply tasers, body-worn cameras and in-car camera systems for the Moscow Police Department, along with a five-year service agreement and on-site installation.

Chief Anthony Dellinger, Moscow Police Chief, told the council the department is replacing equipment that is at or near the end of its service life and that switching to Axon would consolidate tasers, body cameras and in-car cameras under a single vendor. He said the purchase includes a five-year service agreement, on-site installation and training equipment for taser use in the field.

The purchase order will be funded from the general fund surplus and a $200,000 reimbursement from Whitcomb, Dellinger said. Council approved the contract and an associated NASPO participation resolution by voice vote.

Dellinger described operational reasons for the change. He said the department has used in-car camera systems for more than 20 years and body-worn cameras since about 12 years ago, originally supplied by WatchGuard. "We as MPD have utilized in car camera systems for over 20 years," he said, and he noted WatchGuard was later purchased by Motorola. Dellinger said the department experienced reliability problems with older equipment and inconsistent customer service after vendor acquisitions.

On technical differences, Dellinger explained the newer taser technology offers more opportunities to establish an effective connection in the field. He described the newer devices as having multiple deployable contacts (ten available in the cartridge though only one fires per trigger pull) to increase the chance of achieving the intended neuromuscular incapacitation and reduce reliance on physical force. He also said taser deployments in Moscow are rare: "Luckily, not too often. We've had... in the last 6 months, I think we've had 2 deployments. But that's actually kind of rare." Dellinger added that the department records all deployments.

Council members asked about procurement timing and lifecycle planning. Dellinger said the five-year agreement will give the department time to plan future replacements and the city’s information systems fund will add electronic equipment to a depreciation schedule to smooth future purchases. An unidentified city staff member explained the radio-system replacement was a recent, separate multi-million-dollar project and that the police equipment lifecycles will likely follow a five- to seven-year cycle.

Councilmember [name not specified in transcript] moved approval of the purchase agreement and the NASPO participation resolution; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote with the record showing Haley, Drew, Gina, Sandra, Bryce and Julia voting "Aye." The motion language on the record was: "I move that we approve the purchase agreement with Axon Enterprises and the associated NASPO participation resolution." No ordinance number or contract number was specified in the meeting record.

The council and chief discussed disposal options for replaced equipment; Dellinger said very old devices would be surplus or returned to the vendor for destruction, and some functional older units could be transferred to smaller agencies.

The city did receive a late Motorola quote that narrowed the price gap, Dellinger said, but he recommended Axon based on vendor experience, perceived reliability and references from other agencies. Council members who had seen demonstrations reported positive impressions from neighboring agencies that switched to Axon.

The purchase is intended as equipment replacement only; no new policing authorities were proposed in the Oct. 20 discussion.