Editor’s note: Transcript provided by Cambridge Artificial Intelligencer.
Bedford is moving to significantly upgrade its police equipment and technology.
At a June 23 meeting, city council members unanimously authorized a 10-year, $5.3 million agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc. for police equipment and software.
Axon’s Officer Safety Plan 10 Plus consolidates hardware, software, licensing and ongoing equipment replacement into one contract. The city will pay the total cost in annual installments over 120 months.
The plan for the police department’s approximately 90 officers includes:
- 81 Taser 10s
- Axon Body 4 cameras — enough for the entire department, with upgraded storage
- 30 Axon Fleet 3 in-car cameras — with automatic license plate readers and livestreaming
- Evidence.com licenses for every officer, creating a central evidence management system
- Artificial intelligence-powered tools, including report-writing assistance and use-of-force compliance review
Financial overview
- Bundled contract price: $5,323,195
- Retail à la carte price: $8,330,000
- Estimated savings: $3,100,000 over the program life
Bedford Police Chief Bobby LaPenna said the department had opted for an à la carte purchasing model in 2021 instead of the then-available Officer Safety Plan 7, passing on features like livestreaming and unlimited auto-transcription because of costs. He was clear that the recommendation this time was different.
LaPenna emphasized the value of an integrated system during his June 23 city council presentation.
The Axon Enterprise system “is kind of that complete public safety ecosystem that exists where basically your Taser, your camera, your computer, your report, the information that goes to your supervisor for review is all collected in one atmosphere.” LaPenna said. Tasers have wireless reporting capabilities.
A key feature is the Technology Assurance Plan, which guarantees that equipment will be replaced throughout the contract period — meaning the department won’t be stuck with aging hardware.
“The hardware refresh is probably the most important thing that comes with this contract,” LaPenna said. “I don’t want to have unnecessary capital proposals in two years saying, ‘hey, we need 80 more body cameras because these have all failed.’”
Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan added that financial commitment could help Bedford attract and keep officers in a competitive hiring environment.
“If they are able to have this equipment, top-notch equipment, all the time, they don’t have to worry about things breaking; they don’t have to spend three hours writing a report,” Cogan said. “They can just have this new and cutting-edge equipment that makes us probably one of the top agencies around us.”
Cogan also underscored the broader stakes: “It is a big ask, but it’s the price of security and safety. That is our primary concern and our primary duty here at the city.”
To learn more about how the transcript that informed this report was created, visit Cambridge Artificial Intelligencer.
Eric Zarate is a freelance journalist. If you believe anything in this account is inaccurate, please email us at news@fortworthreport.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
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