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Brentwood approves consent agenda including police body‑worn camera upgrade after presentation on officer-safety features
Summary
The board approved the consent agenda 7–0, which included Resolution 1533 to fund replacement of the police department's body‑worn camera system with Utility (vendor). Police leaders described automatic activation features, holster sensors and geofencing integration as officer-safety benefits; ARPA funds were used for purchase.
The Board of Aldermen approved the consent agenda Feb. 3 by acclamation and roll call (7–0). During discussion Alderman Theis asked for a brief presentation on one consent item, Resolution 15‑33, which funds a replacement for the police department's body‑worn camera system.
Police leadership said the department's Panasonic system purchased in 2019 has reached the end of its useful life and that staff evaluated vendors including Utility and Axon. Major Hawkins (staff lead on the evaluation) and the chief described key capabilities that shaped the recommendation for Utility: smart-platform operation, automatic activation tied to holster sensors (camera activates when an officer draws a weapon), "officer down" alerts tied to device sensors, integration with computer-assisted dispatch (geofenced automatic activation at an incident location) and automatic redaction features for body-camera footage.
Officials told aldermen the Utility platform was priced roughly $20,000–$30,000 less than Axon in the department's market comparison and that the project used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funds reallocated from vehicle purchases to cover the procurement so no new patrol cars were added to the 2025 budget for that purpose. Staff estimated device life in the 4–5 year range based on market experience and said software upgrades would extend functionality; battery life remains a point of attention.
The consent agenda passed on a roll-call vote that recorded affirmative votes from Aldermen Plovka, Tice, Wege, Sims, Lochmiller, Gould and Harder. The consent agenda contained five items; staff will proceed with implementation steps for the body‑worn camera replacement as described in the resolution packet.
