Oxnard council approves five-year Axon contract for body cams, drones and evidence services
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Summary
The Oxnard City Council unanimously approved a 5‑year, $3.74 million contract with Axon to equip officers with body‑worn cameras, in-car systems, drones, Taser 10 devices and evidence‑management subscriptions that include auto‑redaction and translation tools.
The City of Oxnard on Dec. 16 approved a five‑year technology agreement with Axon that bundles body‑worn cameras, in‑car video, drones, less‑lethal Tasers and cloud‑hosted evidence management subscriptions.
Police Commander Cody Collette told the council the package includes cameras and docking stations for officers, 55 in‑car dash systems, subscriptions to evidence.com (including auto‑redaction, transcription and auto‑tagging), upgrades for six interview rooms, Axon Air drone subscriptions for 10 drones and Taser‑10 devices with support and warranty services. Collette said the contract also covers ancillary services such as installation and ongoing maintenance.
The department emphasized public‑safety and transparency benefits: faster response and situational awareness from drone first‑responder flights, searchable transcriptions that speed investigations, and automated redaction tools that reduce staff time on public‑records requests. The council also heard that the city did not include Axon’s AI‑generated report drafting service in this agreement.
Council members pressed staff on privacy and state law compliance. Chief Jason Benitez and Collette said the Axon system will be configured to comply with California law, including SB 54 safeguards for the automated license‑plate (ALPR) functionality and controls on who can access plate data. Staff also noted the system supports controlled sharing with prosecutors and investigative partners while restricting other uses.
Councilmember Gabe Turan proposed — and the council added — a follow‑up request that the vendor pursue Mixteco and Zapoteco translation capability as soon as practical. The motion to approve the contract carried 7–0.
What happens next: The city will execute the contract and begin hardware installation and subscription onboarding. Officials said the evidence‑management services should reduce staff time spent on redaction and improve how quickly investigators and prosecutors can review recordings.
Speakers quoted: “It’s a tool for officer safety and community transparency,” Commander Cody Collette said, summarizing benefits of faster situational awareness and automated redaction.
Topics: police technology; body‑worn cameras; evidence management; drones; public‑records efficiency.
Ending: The council approved the agreement 7–0; staff will begin procurement and implementation under the contract terms.