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Caldwell police request real‑time crime center, drones and upgraded body cameras in $2.4 million technology package
Summary
Caldwell police presented a multi‑year technology and facility proposal at a budget workshop asking the council to fund upgraded body cameras, a drone first‑responder program, new Tasers and a small “real‑time” crime center; the five‑year bundle was priced at about $2.4 million with a fiscal‑2026 cost estimated at roughly $438,000.
Caldwell police presented an integrated technology and capital proposal at the council’s budget workshop that the department says would speed investigations, give field officers more real‑time information and reduce long‑running investigative workloads.
The package centers on an Axon ecosystem—upgraded body cameras, software to aggregate live video and camera feeds, a drone‑first‑responder program and newer Taser devices—plus the buildout of a small “real‑time crime center” with video walls and analyst workstations. Axon’s bundled five‑year price the department presented is roughly $2.4 million; the cost attributed to fiscal 2026 in the proposal is about $438,000. Police also proposed a separate Microsoft/desktop upgrade for roughly $165,000 to bring fleet computers to a supported operating system.
Police leaders described the investments as primarily a technology route to make officers more effective, not a substitute for officers on the street. Chief (name not specified) told council the department has focused on fiscal restraint and, on the topic of budget performance, said, “we have never been over budget in my 10 years.” Captain Rosen and other command staff answered council questions about staffing, operational impacts and oversight of new tools.
In discussion, council members asked whether the center would replace or supplement dispatch and how many people would staff the facility. Police said the initial staffing model would put current analytical staff and reassigned detectives or light‑duty officers into the center (not a full 24‑hour operation at launch). The department argued that cameras, license‑plate readers and drone first‑responder flights can produce leads that save substantial detective hours—for example, locating a vehicle used in a robbery via a new license‑plate reader camera that would otherwise have required much broader canvassing.
Council members also questioned the balance between technology and additional sworn positions; several members expressed interest in growing patrol and investigation staffing over time. Police responded that the department had already added several officers earlier in the year on grant schedules and that decisions about new sworn positions remain part of an ongoing budgeting trade‑off.
The department proposed a second, personnel‑focused change: moving from a 28‑day (160‑hour) overtime threshold to a 14‑day (80‑hour) threshold for overtime calculation, which the department estimated would add about $70,000 in annual overtime cost. That request was framed as an employee wellness and retention measure; city HR staff participated in the discussions.
Next steps: the police proposals appear as a capital and operating request in the city’s draft budget and will be reviewed during the remaining budget workshops. Council members asked staff to show funding options, including using capital funds freed by a proposed vehicle‑leasing program, before any final approvals.
