La Palma council approves switch to Motorola/WatchGuard for police body cameras and in-car video
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Summary
The La Palma City Council voted to terminate its Lenslock agreement and authorize a five-year contract with Motorola Solutions (WatchGuard) for body-worn and in-car cameras, citing reliability, integration and an estimated $58,000 five-year savings; the vote was 4–0 with one member absent.
La Palma City Council voted June 2 to authorize a five-year agreement with Motorola Solutions for body-worn cameras and in-car video systems for the police department and to terminate the city's existing contract with Lenslock Inc.
Captain Jesse Amend told the council staff recommended the change after finding multiple performance problems with the current system and testing Motorola's WatchGuard product. Amend said problems with the Lenslock system included a mute feature that “when they let go of the mute button, it stays muted unless they press it again,” intermittent automatic tagging that requires officers to manually label videos, a 30-second prerecord limit rather than the desired 1-minute buffer, and interview-room recordings that sometimes produced audio without video or video without audio. “Because of these shortcomings … it's impacted both officer efficiency and reliability of the product,” Amend said.
Amend said staff conducted site visits and direct product testing with other local agencies using WatchGuard and that the WatchGuard devices integrate with the city’s Motorola dispatch and records systems. He also noted WatchGuard cameras have removable rechargeable batteries that can be swapped in the field, rather than requiring officers to return to the station to recharge a fixed camera.
On costs, Amend said the WatchGuard option yields an estimated savings of about $58,000 over five years compared with continuing with Lenslock and is roughly $140,000 less expensive than a five-year contract with Axon. Staff said funding for the transition is included in the adopted fiscal 2025–26 budget.
Council members asked whether the city would face termination penalties. The City Attorney confirmed the professional services agreement with Lenslock contains a termination provision allowing the city to terminate “with or without cause” and that staff worked with counsel and Motorola’s counsel on contract language. Captain Amend confirmed staff reviewed termination language and that no termination cost was expected beyond amounts already paid; the first-year payment to Lenslock runs through October of the year noted in the record.
Mayor Pro Tem N. Patel moved to approve the agreement and termination; Council Member Debbie Baker seconded. The council approved the motion by roll call vote, four ayes with Council Member Keo Conklin absent. The contract will be executed by the interim city manager or designee.
The council did not discuss specific timelines for device deployment in detail at the meeting; staff said they are available to return with implementation details when asked.
