St. Joseph County approves Motorola contract for body cameras and radios amid vendor price dispute

St. Joseph County commissioners voted June 30 to approve a purchase contract with Motorola Solutions for body-worn and in-car cameras and new radios, a procurement the sheriff’s office said will integrate automatically with the county’s Motorola CAD system and include a radio-discount arrangement.

Assistant Chief Steve Nunan told the board the county’s five-year contract with its current vendor ended in October and that Axon’s initial renewal quote was “cost prohibitive,” roughly double the prior price. He said Motorola’s system will “autotag” video by incident type from dispatch and that the proposal, amortized over seven years, represents $2,321,272. County staff and the auditor’s office negotiated a lease structure that defers the first payment until Jan. 31, 2027.

The board discussed the financing timeline and confirmed the arrangement to receive equipment now and pay later. Auditor John Murphy and staff were credited for coordinating an interest-free period through January to align the payment schedule with the next fiscal year, a point several commissioners highlighted before the vote.

Lauren Klene, joining remotely from Axon Enterprise, asked to clarify the public record. She said the higher price referenced in earlier discussion encompassed an expanded scope (drones, AI and additional software), and that Axon’s quote for a like-for-like camera renewal was about $1.6 million. “We value this partnership,” she added, offering Axon’s support for a smooth evidence-data transition if the county switches vendors.

Nunan said the Motorola option would be “fiscally responsible” and better aligned with the county’s dispatch platform. Commissioners approved the contract by motion.