Hand County Board approves $60,000 federal grant purchase for Axon cameras

Hand County commissioners voted to accept a $60,000 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and to purchase Axon dash and body cameras tied to a five‑year service and licensing agreement.

The board heard from Shane, a county staff member, who said, "we applied for and were granted a grant for $60,000 for new dash cameras and body cameras," and outlined the vendor proposal: roughly $59,800 for equipment, three dash cameras and five body cameras, cloud linking and a five‑year contract that includes device/service replacement at 2.5 and five years. Shane also said the funding is federally provided through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant administered via the South Dakota Highway Safety/Department of Public Safety.

The purchase was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. Commissioners discussed pricing pressures for public‑safety equipment and noted the county will sign grant paperwork before ordering the cameras. The vendor named in the motion was Axon Enterprises (quote #2). Officials said the county will not pay out of pocket for equipment covered by the grant; future licensing and service costs at the five‑year renewal point were described as uncertain.

The board did not record a formal roll‑call tally for the camera purchase; minutes show a voice vote and the motion passed. The county will complete grant paperwork and proceed with ordering once the award and contracts are finalized.

The next procedural step is execution of the grant paperwork and purchase order once the award and vendor paperwork are finalized.