Police to switch camera vendors to save money

The Chattanooga City Council voted Tuesday to stretch its dollars by switching vendors for in-car cameras in the police department.

Police Chief David Roddy told council members at their strategic planning session that buying from the same company that now furnishes officer bodycams will reduce a multiyear planned capital expenditure from $2.2 million to $1.6 million, and save even more by letting the department off the financial hook for storage to hold all that camera footage.

The capital expenditure was already in the budget, but Roddy said switching from the Arbitrator system to Axon will get the department a “better, more robust” video capture system for its cars, expanding the camera’s range from 90 degrees to 140. The company also can provide new video systems for interview rooms and offers third-party retrieval and storage.

That means the department also can upload videos from other sources, such as store surveillance or homeowner security systems, for storage along with its own videos.

Because Axon will store the video, Lt. John Chambers said the department also will save $240,000 this year and $40,000 a year thereafter by not having to invest in new servers.

Councilman Russell Gilbert asked if the department would maintain its present policies on deploying cameras, such as a requirement that officers warn people they are wearing a body cam. Roddy said those policies wouldn’t change.

Councilman Ken Smith asked whether existing video can be uploaded into the new system, or if the department might end up paying both Axon and Arbitrator.

It will, Chambers said, because video on the legacy system must stay there to maintain the chain of custody in criminal cases. But the licensing costs will shrink greatly, he said.

All told, Chambers and Roddy said, the department will save about $12,000 and will get a much broader range of equipment and services.

The council vote was 8-0, with Councilwoman Carol Berz absent.