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Police outline body‑camera storage costs, taser lifecycle and retention questions for municipal records committee
Summary
Police reported on evidence storage fees (Axon/evidence.com), taser certification life and repair process, and requested clarity on retention and municipal records procedures for body-camera footage.
A police department representative briefed the Selectboard on continuing costs tied to body-worn cameras and evidence storage and on taser lifecycle and repair needs. The department is not asking for new cameras but for continued funding for cloud storage and user fees through Axon/evidence.com; the town currently pays Axon for automatic video ingestion, categorization and storage.
Why it matters: The department explained retention policies vary by record type: basic calls for service are routinely retained for 30 days; traffic stops and summonses have been retained as long as three years given COVID-era backlogs; other categories may have manual deletion or permanent retention. The department said it currently relies on evidence.com to store video and lacks an alternative archive if the contract ends. That storage and the user fees are an ongoing operating cost the department asked the town to continue funding.
The police representative also said the department’s tasers are certified for five years; units purchased five years ago are approaching end of service/warranty and may require repair or replacement. The presenter noted vendors can repair some units under warranty or through manufacturer repair services; if a taser fails out of warranty it would need replacement.
A Selectboard member asked whether the municipal records committee or another body should control deletion/retention decisions for body-camera video; the police representative said evidence.com’s categorization allows the department to set retention periods but suggested adding policy language to municipal records guidance to clarify who authorizes deletion, retention schedules and long-term custody. The board agreed staff should add retention-language options for the municipal records committee to review.
Ending: The Selectboard did not change policy at the meeting but signaled support for drafting retention rules and continuing the Axon contract payments as a budget request.
