Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 4.J
Meeting Date: August 13, 2025
From: George Crum, Police Chief
Title: Approval of Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Account (SLESA) Expenditure Plan for Fiscal Years 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 for Axon Body-Worn Cameras and Software.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve the expenditure plan appropriating Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Account (SLESA) funds for Fiscal Years 2021– 2022 and 2022–2023 for the acquisition and implementation of Axon body-worn cameras and associated software.
BACKGROUND:
A Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Account (SLESA) has been established in each county of the state, for the purpose of overseeing and allocating funding being provided by the State of California's Citizens Options for Public Safety (Cal-COPS) program, for the purpose of funding "frontline law enforcement services." The total state funding from the program allots a certain percentage for "city funding." City funding allocations are distributed based on population estimates provided by Chapter 353 of the Budget Act for the particular year funding.
In accordance with Government Code Section 30061 and 30063, the City Council shall approve the appropriation of the anticipated funding by approving a written request in the form of an expenditure plan. The County of Riverside Sheriff’s Department is designated as the Supplemental Law Enforcement Oversight Committee and must certify receipts and approval of the city's expenditure plan prior to submitting it to the County Board of Supervisors for review and approval, who will subsequently authorize the County Auditor/Controller to release the funding.
DISCUSSION:
Our current balance of S.L.E.S.A. funds for FY 2021-2022 is $66,767.84 and $186,158.96 for FY 2022 - 2023. The expenditure plan requirement requests the identification of the category (or categories) for which the Police Department plans to expend current funding. It has been determined through management and staff decisions that the best and most beneficial use of the funding will be for the body-worn camera system, Axon Body 4.
The Cathedral City Police Department currently utilizes body-worn camera and evidence management services from Intrensic, which was initially implemented in 2016 and is now almost ten years old. After evaluating operational needs and technological capabilities, the Department has identified Axon’s Body 4 platform as a significant upgrade. This transition from Intrensic to Axon is expected to provide enhanced reliability, more robust cloud-based storage, and powerful features such as automated tagging and redaction, which are not fully supported under the current system.
The Axon Body 4 system represents a modern, integrated solution that aligns with best practices in law enforcement technology and data management.
The agreement includes the following:
60 Axon Body 4 cameras with two refreshes during the term (new cameras and docking stations) in 2028 and 2030
4 Multi-Bay Docking Stations
Software licenses for redaction assistant and auto-tagging Basic and Pro Evidence.com user licenses
Unlimited Axon Cloud Storage
Evidence.com integration for a centralized evidence management solution Virtual starter training sessions
Comprehensive 5-year support and warranty coverage
The Axon Body 4 system integrates seamlessly with Axon Fleet 3 in-car camera system, enabling synchronized review of body-worn and in-car video footage on a unified platform.
This feature enhances incident review capabilities, improves transparency, and supports comprehensive evidence gathering.
Additionally, the system connects to the Department’s CAD system, enabling real-time event number auto-tagging and streamlined evidence submission to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. These technological improvements are expected to significantly reduce administrative workload and improve the efficiency of case file preparation.
Although the Department will transition to Axon for all new recordings, the current Intrensic system will still be required to access and manage existing body-worn camera footage obtained under that system. However, reliance on Intrensic will diminish over time as older video files are purged according to retention policies and all active recordings are captured using the new Axon platform.
The City Council conducted an in-depth review of the proposed Axon system during study session on August 13, 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of the agreement is $406,730.26, payable in five annual installments of $81,346.05, beginning in September 2025 and ending in FY 2029 - 2030.
Funding for FY 2025/2026 and FY 2026/2027 of $162,692.10 will be allocated through appropriated Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Account (SLESA) funds (Fund 247) FY 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 allocations; with remaining three-year costs to be budgeted in the Police Department’s budget during the next biennial budgeting process.
SLESA 2021-2022 Balance will be $0 and SLESA 2022-2023 balance will now be $90,234.70.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal E – Safety
Action E-3: Expand the use of cameras and other technology to promote public safety.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Axon Five-Year Quote
2. Axon Master Services and Purchasing Agreement