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Hagerstown police pitch $11M Axon rewrite to modernize records, body‑cams, translation and drone response
Summary
Police leaders proposed a 10‑year Axon contract rewrite to lock pricing, add a records management system (RMS), automated body‑camera auditing, translation, new taser models and a drone‑as‑first‑responder capability; staff estimated roughly $11.0M over 10 years and seek grant support to offset the year‑3 RMS costs.
Police command and staff presented a request to negotiate a 10‑year contract with Axon that would lock current prices and build out a set of integrated technologies: a modern records management system (RMS), body‑camera translation features, updated taser hardware, automated body‑cam auditing and a FUSIS dashboard to aggregate city cameras, third‑party feeds and drone support.
Sergeant Plummer and Nick Varner demonstrated features the department said would increase transparency and operational efficiency: body‑camera translation (50 languages currently, expanding), a performance module to manage and route audits, a "my90" citizen survey function tied to 911 events, and integration into the Real‑Time Information Center. The proposal also includes drone‑as‑first‑responder capability (rooftop‑deployed drones with roughly a 2.5‑mile radius from downtown) and DFR radar tracking.
Staff projected current annual technology spending at roughly $500,000–$600,000 and presented a proposed 10‑year contract totaling a little over $11,000,000; the year‑by‑year cost profile rises in Year 3 once the RMS product is deployed. Staff said about $166,000/year of legacy applications could be retired and used to offset some costs, and they will pursue federal or state grants to reduce the RMS year‑3 burden.
Council members asked about training, data sharing with the county and the ability to continue interoperable access if the county selects another vendor for CAD/RMS. Staff said the Axon rewrite would allow a read‑only view into county data if the county chooses a different RMS and that department training for patrol officers will be scheduled in the months ahead. No contract authorization or vote occurred during the work session; staff requested direction and approval to pursue contract terms before the end of the calendar year to lock pricing.
