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Sheriff’s office seeks three-year extension for WatchGuard camera contract; estimates ~$190,000 total cost
Summary
Chief deputy outlined a proposed three-year extension with WatchGuard for body-worn and vehicle cameras, estimating roughly $190,000 total (about $63,483 annually) beginning August 2027 and including one refresh of body cameras.
A chief deputy from the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office asked the county commissioners to approve negotiating a three-year extension of the department’s WatchGuard video contract, which covers vehicle dash cameras and body-worn cameras.
The deputy said the proposed extension would have a total cost of roughly $190,000 across three payments, with the first payment due in August 2027 and annual payments of about $63,483. The extension would include one scheduled refresh of body-worn cameras; vehicle cameras would be retained because they “don’t get beat up quite as much” and can be extended at lower cost, the deputy said.
The sheriff’s office speaker said switching to another brand would likely be an expensive undertaking, and in his experience as a major crime-scene commander the vendors’ video quality is comparable for evidentiary purposes. The department also uses cloud storage as part of this contract to store digital evidence and backups; the contract’s cloud-storage component is included in the proposed WatchGuard arrangement.
A commissioner asked whether the cameras initially were on a five-year contract; the deputy clarified the extension would start in August 2027 and run through August 2030. Commissioners expressed support for locking in a lower price now, and one commissioner said he expected the price would be higher if negotiated later.
The discussion was informational; no formal contract approval vote was recorded in the meeting transcript provided.
