Billings police make case for roughly $3M Axon contract to modernize cameras, evidence management and tasers

Police command staff described substantial technology and workflow gaps in the department's current evidence and camera systems and recommended a cooperative purchasing agreement with Axon Enterprise for an integrated hardware and cloud software package.

An unnamed captain who led the presentation said the department's current body cameras have limited battery life and syncing problems, the digital evidence management pipeline is manual and time‑intensive, and staff spend significant hours recovering or preparing media for investigators and prosecutors. "We're spending roughly 385,000 a year in the system that we have that isn't working for us," the captain said during the presentation.

Staff presented Axon's package as an all‑inclusive model that would provide updated body‑worn cameras (30‑month refresh cadence), in‑car systems, TASER devices (five‑year refresh), internal affairs and early‑warning software (Standards), integrated evidence workflows and virtual‑reality training. Key technical benefits highlighted included automatic activation (camera triggering when a firearm or taser is drawn), auto‑tagging via CAD integration to populate case numbers, and cloud uploads that would allow officers to remain on the street rather than returning to dock cameras.

Cost and funding: staff estimated the Axon contract at just over $3 million for five years; they said doing nothing would push the city's current outlay toward roughly $500,000 per year and about $3.23 million over five years. The department reported about $900,000 in ERP funds available to cover early years, and staff said they have a pending Bureau of Justice application that, if awarded, would reduce the city's contribution in year 1. Verizon offered a roughly $94,000 incentive covering about two years of data costs for the Cradlepoint routers included in the package.

Councilors raised subscription, replacement and continuity concerns. Jared Kleinbart, an Axon representative at the meeting, said Axon has a technology assurance plan and customer success structure: body cameras are eligible for replacement every 30 months and tasers at 60 months under the proposed terms, material failures are handled via an RMA process, and Axon assigns a strategic deployment manager for on‑site installation and training. Kleinbart also said Axon was founded in 1994.

Financial implications in later years were a recurring question: staff said the city would need to identify roughly $350,000 a year in years 3–5 to cover the difference between current annual spending and the proposed subscription costs if grant funding did not materialize. A non‑appropriations clause in the cooperative agreement and an 18‑month pricing guarantee were described as contractual protections the city can use if the council chooses not to fund later years.

Staff also noted interagency interest: the county attorney's office requested compatibility with the city's evidence system and conversations with the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office are ongoing; prosecutors had expressed frustration with the current workflow. The captain said staff planned a pilot rollout with two vehicles and limited body camera tests before full deployment.

The matter was informational at the work session and will appear on the consent agenda at the December 8 meeting for council action.