County approves renewal of Kerpal (PDK) contract as attorneys warn of rising digital‑evidence storage costs
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Summary
Board approved a $49,250 renewal and bid waiver for Kerpal Solutions (referred to in discussion as PBK/PDK) to continue case‑management and evidence storage services beginning April 1, 2026, after county attorneys described rising discovery and video storage expenses and discussed alternatives including evidence.com and retention policies.
The Rockingham County Board of Commissioners voted Feb. 12 to approve a renewal and bid‑waiver for Kerpal Solutions (discussed in the meeting as PBK/PDK) to provide user licenses, case management, support and cloud storage at $49,250 beginning April 1, 2026.
County attorneys presented the request and described growing costs tied to digital evidence. Speaker 2 said discovery charges previously billed per transmission have shifted to an annual unlimited‑discovery fee, and that video evidence storage—body‑worn camera and cruiser video—has increased storage needs and costs. "They charge us $500 every 2 terabytes," Speaker 2 said, and the office estimated roughly a $4,000 increase year‑over‑year tied to recent changes in billing and storage volume.
Commissioners pressed staff on alternatives and continuity of access. Speaker 1 asked whether the office could instead use evidence.com and simply be given user access; staff said they would investigate whether police departments could grant access and whether evidence could be maintained off the county’s PDK instance. Speaker 4 expressed concern about vendor lock‑in and long‑term dependence on a platform for access to county records.
Staff acknowledged tradeoffs: centralized digital storage offers convenience—attorneys can access files remotely and avoid transporting paper records—but it also concentrates records with a private vendor and can be costly. Speaker 2 said the office is investigating retention policies, including sending older or nonessential video back to police agencies and archiving older files on physical media to reduce storage spend.
The board approved the contract renewal and asked staff to return with options for retention policy, storage alternatives and any potential line transfers to cover the increased recurring cost.
Next steps: staff said they would consult the attorney general's retention guidance, evaluate evidence.com access, and report back with recommendations and budgetary adjustments.