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Umatilla County OKs five‑year Axon Evidence integration for district attorney
Summary
The Board authorized a five‑year contract to integrate Axon Evidence with the district attorney’s evidence management system, a move the DA said is required to maintain electronic discovery links and avoid losing access to data.
The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 17 authorized the district attorney’s office to contract with Axon Evidence and fund the integration over five years.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacqueline Jenkins told the board the county’s current discovery interface has operated in a limited fashion since 2022 but Axon will begin charging for its part of the service. "If we do not pay the charge, we will lose the data connection," Jenkins said, arguing the integration is essential to ensure defendants and defense counsel receive timely, verifiable electronic discovery.
Jenkins described how the office moved from paper and CDs to an electronic workflow and emphasized the volume of digital material in modern cases — body‑worn camera footage, Ring videos and phone recordings. She said the request would allow staff to send secure links that show when files were sent and downloaded, reducing manual copying and speeding case resolution.
Commissioners asked about training, interoperability and which agencies currently use the vendor’s Evidence.com platform. Jenkins and staff said CarpEL (the office’s discovery system) typically provides training, that Evidence.com is widely used by local agencies, and that work remains to interface some vendors (the sheriff’s office uses WatchGuard and is handled separately). Board members also discussed anticipated efficiency gains for assistants who now spend hours managing high volumes of media.
The DA’s office presented the five‑year cost as $132,515.6 in the materials supplied at the meeting. Commissioners moved, seconded and approved the contract authorization by voice vote.
The board did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript; the approval was announced by voice as "Motion carries." The DA’s office said staff and CarpEL will provide training to local users as the interface is implemented.
Next steps: the county will finalize contracting and set up the interoperability and training plan as described by DA staff.
