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Commissioners approve sole-source Axon in‑car camera purchase after sheriff's office seeks immediate replacement
Summary
Chief Deputy Allen Wilson said delays and discontinued models left roughly 15 patrol vehicles without working in‑car cameras; the board approved a sole-source purchase from Axon to equip 15 vehicles and a two‑year payment plan, subject to staff verification that the procurement meets state purchasing laws.
The Nash County Board of Commissioners on March 10 approved a sole‑source purchase to equip 15 sheriff's office vehicles with Axon in‑car cameras, after department leaders said their current system had been discontinued and left some vehicles without functioning equipment.
Chief Deputy Allen Wilson told the board the department had "experienced significant delays since July of 2024, leaving approximately 15 vehicles without the necessary in car camera equipment." He recommended buying Axon equipment that integrates with the department's existing Axon body cameras and evidence system, which the chief deputy said would streamline evidence collection and case management: "Everything sinks when it loads, when you go search it for evidence, everything's tied together."
Wilson presented a vendor quote for a three‑year contract structured with payments over two years, listing a total cost of $87,004.32 including installation. He said the county already had funding for the purchase and that Axon would include installation and a replacement guarantee for failures during the contract period.
Project lead Jack Thorpe, who described prior professional experience working with Axon systems, said he had seen the equipment operate reliably in high‑impact crashes and that its video resolution and ruggedness were superior to the county's existing Digital Ally equipment. "I've seen them operate, and what I have found is that they're very reliable," Thorpe said, citing cases where Digital Ally units stopped recording after crashes while Axon units continued to operate.
Board members asked procurement and procedural questions. Commissioner Leggett asked whether the current in‑car camera brand was Axon; Chief Deputy Wilson responded the county's current in‑car brand is Digital Ally and that their EVO model replacement had been delayed. Commissioner Davis and others asked about the number of cameras in the fleet and the plan for future upfitting; Wilson said the department currently has roughly 60–70 cameras in the fleet and intends to add cameras to new vehicles as they are purchased.
Commissioner Davis moved to approve the sole‑source purchase with the additional instruction that staff verify compliance with North Carolina purchasing law; the motion passed by voice vote. The clerk recorded the motion and asked staff to note the condition in the minutes: verification of statutory compliance for a sole‑source procurement.
The sheriff's office said the phased approach would avoid the cost of replacing cameras in the entire fleet at once (which the department estimated could approach $800,000) and that the Axon option provides future features such as optional live‑view capabilities at added cost. The board asked that staff provide any documentation needed to support a sole‑source determination under state purchasing rules before procurement is finalized.
No fiscal appropriation was requested at the meeting; the department stated existing funding sources — including a legislative grant and available interest funds — would cover the purchase. The board's approval allows staff to proceed with the vendor contract subject to the purchasing compliance check.
