Police chief presents packet proposing new RMS and Axon body‑camera/MVR contract amid server‑risk warnings

Police Chief Robert Tobias reviewed the May 2026 police report and read from a prepared agenda and packet that included an AXON body‑worn camera (BWC) and in‑car video (MVR) proposal and a Special Projects Initiative describing investigative procedures. In the packet the chief summarized the problem: "If that server fails, all department data will be lost, and the officers will not be able to function." The packet said the department’s MVRs and BWCs are old, require manual thumb‑drive downloads, and that Evidence.com and Axon’s cloud tools would automate uploads and provide an audit trail.

The AXON materials included a proposed five‑year program with equipment, cloud storage, training, planned hardware refreshes and a quoted total investment in the presentation materials. The packet also outlined a proposed schedule of payments and noted the department’s plan to seek grant funding alongside recurring budgeted costs for future years. Separately, the packet included a "Special Projects Initiative" that proposes a structured investigative framework overseen by the chief to address longer‑term criminal investigations while preserving patrol coverage.

Chief Tobias answered council questions about body cameras, mobile video recorders, evidence management, and reporting systems and asked council to consider funding options that would reduce the department’s risk from an aging local server and failing equipment. Council did not take a final contract vote during the meeting; the materials were entered into the record as part of the police agenda packet.