Solicitor General proposes Axon discovery system to streamline Bulloch County prosecutions; commissioners permit negotiations

Solicitor General Catherine Sumner told the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners she wants her office to join the county’s sheriff’s office on Axon’s evidence and discovery platform to reduce manual work, improve security and shorten the time her staff spends preparing discovery for defense counsel.

Sumner, who said her office handled 8,112 new criminal and traffic cases in 2024, said the solicitor general’s office is currently a five‑person unit that spends large amounts of staff time downloading, converting and reformatting evidence from multiple vendors and agencies before disseminating it to defense lawyers. "This would be a situation where we are not having to take in discovery from these various sources," Sumner said, adding that Axon provides an "ingestion portal" where agencies can drop evidence directly and a dissemination portal to share it securely with defense counsel.

Sumner described the expected near‑term costs and contracting terms. She said the initial, first‑year onboarding for all participating agencies would require a one‑time setup fee of $5,000; she has permission to submit that request to the Bulloch County law library board and asked the board not to fund the first year from county general funds if the law library board will cover it. For years two through ten she shared a quote of $162,044 (with an alternative quote that applies a 4% annual inflation adjustment) and said the county negotiated a 30‑day cancellation clause with no acceleration or penalty. Sumner said those longer‑term costs would be built into her next year’s budget if the county proceeds.

Sumner and the board emphasized security and staff time savings as the main drivers. She said the solicitor general’s legal secretary spends roughly two weeks each month on discovery processing and that Axon would automate formatting and viewing, reducing overtime and supply costs. "It eliminates those middlemen, and it decreases the amount that we are spending per month in the discovery process," Sumner said.

Commission discussion was limited. The board voted unanimously to allow Sumner to continue negotiations with Axon; the motion carried without recorded dissent. Sumner said the contract could begin as early as September if negotiations and outside approvals proceed as expected.

The solicitor general’s proposal also raises governance and procurement questions still to be resolved: which law‑enforcement agencies will join, whether the law library board will approve the initial setup fee, and what year‑two budget commitments the board will be asked to approve. Sumner told commissioners she negotiated a cancellation option and that the county would not be on the hook for acceleration fees if the solution did not deliver the expected savings.

Ending: Sumner said she will submit the law library request for the $5,000 onboarding fee and return with final contract language if the law library board approves the initial cost. Commissioners did not vote to purchase or to obligate county funds beyond approving negotiations.