Buckeye City Council voted Dec. 16 to approve a five-year lease-purchase agreement with Motorola Solutions to provide a unified public-safety technology ecosystem for the Buckeye Police Department, city staff said.

Chief Bob Sanders and department staff told the council the package would include APX Next portable radios, next-generation body-worn cameras that also operate as Bluetooth microphones, in-car M500 video systems, a cloud-based CAD (computer-aided dispatch) and a digital evidence management platform. Staff said the system’s automated transcription and redaction tools and closer integration would reduce administrative workload and improve operational coordination.

Chief Sanders framed the upgrade as part of a longer effort to modernize systems and allow field units, dispatch and records to work from one integrated “pane of glass.” Deputy staff said Motorola’s bundle totaled roughly $5.33 million over five years and included equipment that otherwise would cost more to buy individually; staff presented comparative five-year price estimates from other vendors that were higher when like-for-like systems and in-car cameras were included.

Council members asked about artificial-intelligence features and privacy safeguards. Deputy staff said the current Motorola package does not employ facial-recognition functions and that planned AI features are aimed at transcription, redaction and license-plate reading; public access to footage would continue to be governed by public-records rules and redaction procedures.

Council member questions also addressed expansion: staff said additional units could be purchased later at similar group pricing as the department grows. Supporters described operational and safety benefits; one councilor noted projected savings “equivalent to roughly six police officers” based on the cost differential.

The council approved the lease-purchase agreement unanimously (six yes, one absent). The department said it will proceed with implementation and that phased deployment, training and public-record processes will follow the contract award.

What happens next: staff will execute the financing documents and begin staged deployment of radios, body cameras and vehicle systems, with training and updated public-record procedures; details on timing were not specified at the hearing.