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Officer Howell urges council to pursue Taser 7s and Axon body cameras; council authorizes purchase if budget allows
Summary
Police presented equipment and body-camera upgrades citing expired cartridges and data-management limits; council voted to allow staff to pursue the purchases this fiscal year if funds can be reallocated (motion passed 6-0).
Officer Howell, speaking for the Deer Lodge Police Department, told the City Council the department is encountering equipment shortfalls that could risk officer and public safety if not addressed.
"We could experience equipment failure if we do have to employ that taser," Howell said, noting some officers currently carry expired cartridges and the TASER X2 platform has been sunset by the manufacturer.
Howell laid out a proposal to adopt the TASER 7 platform and to replace existing body-worn cameras and evidence-management systems with Axon hardware and cloud services. She said Axon’s platform offers improved nighttime video and audio, easier evidence sharing with prosecutors, transcription, AI-assisted report writing and redaction tools. Howell said those features could reduce time officers spend on paperwork — citing an example that a full DUI investigation and paperwork “can take 5 to 6 hours” and that AI-assisted workflows can cut that substantially.
On costs, Howell presented two vendor quotes as part of a five-year procurement discussion. She described the lower-cost option without AI-enabled features as "about 9,900 every year for 5 years" for the package noted in the packet, and a second quote including AI capabilities shown in the packet as the higher-priced alternative. Council members asked about warranty coverage and cartridge reliability; Howell said Axon’s warranty structure and cloud evidence tools provide added administrative and operational benefits.
Council member (speaker 7) moved to authorize staff to pursue the purchase if it can be accommodated within the current year’s budget; Council member John O'Dell seconded the motion. The council voted 6-0 in favor of the motion.
The decision authorizes staff to continue procurement discussions and to move forward with purchase planning if funds are available; the council did not adopt a contract or allocate a specific appropriation at the meeting. Staff said the item will return during the budget process with final pricing and funding recommendations.
What happens next: Staff will refine quotes, check warranty and cartridge-availability details, and return with recommended contract terms and an identified funding source during the budget process or with an interim budget adjustment if feasible.
