Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: Dash Camera Agreement for Police Electric Vehicles Date: March 14, 2023
Written by: Michael Parish, Chief of Police
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a motion authorizing the City Manager to execute a 5 year agreement with Axon for deployment of dash cameras in the police electric vehicles.
Background
The newer police electric vehicles have glass roofs, which prevents the mounting of conventional dash cameras. Older police vehicles can have dash cameras mounted on the interior of the steel roof.
Analysis/Discussion
Dash cameras are an important tool for risk reduction, as they fully capture events prior to the police officer exiting the vehicle. In the event of a complaint or litigation, this allows management to review events leading up to the vehicle stop. Once the officer exits the vehicle, the body worn cameras pick up officer interactions with the citizen. In the event that the police officer is transporting someone, the dash camera also documents the transport.
The Cotati Police use Axon body worn cameras, so the dash camera will work together to fully document the event and automatically upload the video to a secure server.
The Cotati Police were the first to fully deploy body worn cameras in Sonoma County. The deployment of body cameras has greatly improved dispute resolution, and the addition of the dash camera to the electric vehicles will ensure that the Cotati Police remain at the forefront of police technology to ensure continued accountability while reducing the potential for litigation.
Financial Considerations
The proposed 5-year agreement is $12,219.40 per year, for a total cost of $63,566.15 from the General Fund. Due to the 8-month lead time, the City will need to order the equipment now for deployment in January 2024. Therefore, if approved by the City Council, this expense will be included in the forthcoming FY 23-24 budget.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.
Attachments:
Axon Fleet Quote (PDF)