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Deer Lodge police propose roughly $69,000 Axon package for Tasers, body cameras and evidence storage
Summary
The Public Health and Safety Committee heard a Deer Lodge police presentation on replacing aging Tasers and ProVision body cameras with Taser 7s, Axon Body Cam 4s and Axon Evidence software under a proposed five‑year contract quoted at about $69,000; staff will seek finance committee review.
A Deer Lodge police officer and Taser instructor told the Public Health and Safety Committee that the department needs to replace aging stun devices and upgrade body cameras, citing cartridge supply problems for older models and poor nighttime video quality from current units.
“The Taser 7 is, like, the most widely used Taser platform right now across law enforcement boards,” the officer said, arguing the department would not face the cartridge back‑order problems it has with older hardware. The presenter said the department had trialed two Axon Body Cam 4 units for about 40 days and found notable improvements in nighttime imaging and upload speed compared with its ProVision devices.
Committee members reviewed cost comparisons presented during the meeting. The presenter referenced prior quotes of about $27,000 and $38,000 for other options and said a combined package — seven Taser 7 devices, seven Axon Body Cam 4 units and Axon Evidence software with AI assistance — was quoted at roughly $69,000. The presenter described the offer as a five‑year contract that includes a three‑year hardware refresh; extended warranty options align with the contract term.
The presenter emphasized operational benefits for a small department: faster uploads to cloud storage, live‑streaming options that can improve officer safety when officers work alone, and in‑camera AI features that the presenter said can provide on‑the‑spot translation across more than 100 languages and help expedite report writing. The presenter cautioned that AI‑generated text would still require officer review: “the officer has to make certain adjustments to the report.”
Staff and committee members asked about evidence storage and local IT limits. The presenter said Axon Evidence is cloud‑based and would reduce pressure on local machines that currently run out of space; an a la carte evidence‑storage line was noted as about $11,000 and the presenter said a non‑AI package would lower the combined quote (figures discussed in the meeting varied by package). Committee staff recommended coordinating with the city finance office to identify funding sources and asked the department to provide updated quotes.
No formal committee vote was taken. A staff member said they would recommend the request be forwarded to the finance committee for next fiscal‑year budget consideration and to confirm specific funding sources.
What happens next: the police department will supply updated quotes and budget numbers to staff for placement in finance committee review; the committee did not adopt or reject the proposal at the meeting.
