Sheriff seeks overhaul of digital evidence storage as cheaper offer emerges; command‑bus funding still undecided

The sheriff and county IT staff briefed commissioners on a planned overhaul of body‑worn cameras, in‑car cameras and digital evidence storage.

IT staff told the board they had originally budgeted for an Axon‑based solution that would cost roughly $800,000 per year. Motorola has since presented an alternative that staff said may offer comparable functionality at lower cost; preliminary conversations suggested a potential reduction to approximately $500,000 per year and a sales‑cycle discount amounting to roughly $1.2 million over five years, but the county had not completed a full technical and operational vetting. Staff emphasized they will not recommend a vendor without demos and a technical validation of requirements.

The sheriff also described a previously earmarked $1.2 million ARP item for a mobile command bus that he had not pursued last year when budget cuts forced prioritization; he asked staff to obtain new quotes, noting an earlier estimate he had received was about $1.5 million and that prices could change. Commissioners discussed the tradeoff between using ARP funds set aside for the command bus and reallocating some of that money to support the digital evidence project or other high‑priority items. Several commissioners urged rapid follow‑up so the board could decide whether to reallocate ARP funds or hold them for the command vehicle.

No procurement award or reallocation decision was made at the meeting. Staff were asked to obtain firm Motorola pricing, technical demos, and updated quotes for the command bus and to return with firm cost/benefit comparisons so the board could decide whether to use the ARP set‑aside or other funds.