Police chief asks trustees to approve purchase‑order to pursue state grant for body‑worn cameras

Chief Johns asked the Ross Township Board of Trustees to approve signing a quote for 10 Axon body‑worn cameras and to allow staff to submit a state grant application to offset costs. The five‑year package he presented would cost about $8,700 per year (approximately $43,000 total) and include cameras, cloud storage and redaction software. Chief Johns said the state grant for first‑time users typically covers about 60% or more of costs, which could reduce the township's annual share to roughly $3,400.

"If we sign now the quote we're not going to incur that extra increase which Axon is going to increase every single year," Chief Johns said, describing the vendor as a market leader and noting redaction tools that can blur faces and private details for public‑records compliance. He said cloud storage and unlimited retention options mean the township would not need local servers and estimated a 60‑day delivery.

Trustees asked detailed procurement and budget questions, including whether the quoted $8,700 per year covered all 10 cameras and software (Chief Johns confirmed it did). He outlined grant timing: applications would be submitted as soon as the state grant window opened, with notification of awards expected between January and March and disbursement in 2025 if awarded.

Board members discussed using a blanket purchase order to hold the five‑year contract and to include the annual cost in future budgets so the expense is managed across fiscal years. No roll‑call vote on a purchase or resolution to obligate funds was recorded in the meeting transcript; Chief Johns asked for authorization to sign the purchase‑order form so staff could proceed with the grant application.

The next procedural step recorded was trustees' discussion of whether to prepare a resolution and the suggestion that approving a purchase‑order to form would allow the township to apply for the grant and secure quoted pricing.