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Wadesboro council approves new police camera system and combines taser, body-camera contracts
Summary
The Wadesboro Town Council approved switching the police video system from Flock to a vendor referred to in the meeting as Veronica and voted to combine Axon taser and body-camera contracts into a single five-year agreement, which officials said will add cameras and reduce long-term costs.
The Wadesboro Town Council voted to replace its current Flock video system with a vendor identified during the meeting as Veronica and approved combining Axon taser and body-camera contracts into a single five-year agreement.
Police Chief (the police chief) told council members the Veronica trial helped investigators solve two shootings and an armed robbery in Oak Hill Park and recommended the town adopt the company’s 10-year proposal because it adds five cameras, several high-resolution pan-tilt-zoom units and a mobile multisensor camera. "It's not something that we want. It's something we need," the chief said, arguing the new system will enhance public safety and operational access.
The chief said the vendor offered to match the town’s current annual cost and to apply up to a $21,000 credit in the first year to help the town exit the existing Flock contract; he projected a 10-year savings of about $255,000 if the town accepts the full schedule discussed in the presentation. Council members asked whether camera repair and data services would be covered after the initial term; the chief said the vendor covers maintenance for 10 years and that optional maintenance packages (which the vendor described as roughly a few hundred to $1,000 annually) would be available thereafter.
Council then considered a separate procurement item to combine two Axon contracts — one for tasers and one for cameras — into a single five-year agreement that includes device trade-ins and local instructor training. The police chief said the first year of that combined contract would not increase the town’s immediate expenditures and that the department negotiated onsite training so Wadesboro officers could certify as taser instructors locally.
A council member moved to adopt the Veronica camera change and later moved to combine the Axon contracts; both motions passed on voice votes with council members answering "Aye." Staff said the new camera arrangement would be mounted on existing poles and lights as needed and that the mobile multisensor unit would be pole-mounted during deployment.
What happens next: staff will finalize contract language and return with final documents for signatures. The council also discussed but did not delay implementation pending further contract review.
Ending: The council approved both procurement decisions during the meeting and advanced the police department’s plan to expand camera coverage and consolidate equipment contracts.
