Cass County schedules special meeting Oct. 20 to consider prosecutor—s evidence storage system

The Cass County Board of Commissioners voted to schedule a special meeting for Monday, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. to consider adoption of evidence.com as the prosecutor—s office media storage system.

Prosecutor Fitts, speaking to the board during the committee-of-the-whole meeting on Oct. 16, said the proposal centers on long-term storage of digital media for the prosecutor—s office and that the system "is primarily for the prosecutor's office" while noting it "may" allow other offices future access. Fitts said an Axon representative will provide training for evidence.com and that a separate system referenced in the meeting (variously called "Carpel" or "Karpel" in the record) will have an on-site representative here next week to provide training and troubleshooting for that product.

Why it matters: evidence management systems store and index body-worn camera footage, 911 audio, and other digital evidence. The board and prosecutor—s office cited two practical aims: avoid duplicative uploads and begin using any available, no-cost 2025 allocations so the office does not have to migrate media twice.

Discussion details: Board members referenced a 160-page procurement document and asked whether courts or other offices would have access if the county adopts the system. Fitts said he was not aware of court access at present but that it could be explored later. On training, Fitts said a representative for the other incoming system will be on-site for roughly 40 hours the first week and that training for evidence.com will be provided by Axon. He described the procurement process as thorough and praised Acting Administrator Jennifer Renfro and IT staff member Jody Nesterich for their participation in demonstrations and evaluations.

Action taken: The board agreed to move the item to a special meeting on Monday, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. for formal consideration and any vote.

Next steps and scope: Commissioners indicated urgency because the county can begin using the system at no cost if it is activated in 2025. No final procurement decision was recorded at the Oct. 16 meeting; the formal approval or rejection will occur at the Oct. 20 special meeting.

Provenance: The topic was introduced in committee discussion of new business and the prosecutor—s office request (transcript excerpt beginning at the committee—s new-business item). The board confirmed the special meeting date and time later in the same item.