Staff Report.AXON
PREPARED BY: Greg Borromeo
Traffic Sergeant
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Finance Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 05/04/2021 ITEM NO: 3
DATE: April 22, 2021
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Authorize Actions for the Purchase and Maintenance of Police Vehicle Mobile
Audio and Video with Integrated Automated License Plate Reader
Technology:
a. Authorize the Town Manager to Execute a Six-Year Agreement with Axon
Enterprises Incorporated for the Purchase and Maintenance of Police
Vehicle Mobile Audio and Video with Integrated Automated License Plate
Reader Technology in an Amount of $214,851.49; and
b. Authorize an Expenditure Budget Transfer of $35,222.28 from the
Equipment Replacement Fund to the Police Department Operating
Budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
Authorize actions for the purchase and maintenance of Police vehicle mobile audio and video
with integrated automated license plate reader technology:
a. Authorize the Town Manager to execute a six-year agreement with Axon Enterprises
Incorporated for the purchase and maintenance of Police vehicle Mobile Audio and Video
with integrated Automated License Plate Reader technology in the amount of $214,851.49.
b. Authorize an Expenditure Budget Transfer of $35,222.28 from the Equipment Replacement
Fund to the Police Department operating budget.
BACKGROUND:
The Police Department currently incorporates video and other technologies to maintain its
longstanding commitment to transparency and accountability. One of the tools that is
currently deployed is Mobile Audio and Video (MAV) systems in marked patrol vehicles. MAV
in addition to body-worn camera (BWC) videos offer an unbiased view of interaction between
PAGE 2 OF 4 SUBJECT: Authorize the Town Manager to Execute a Six-Year Agreement with Axon Enterprises
Incorporated for the Purchase and Maintenance of Police Vehicle Mobile Audio and
Video with Integrated Automated License Plate Reader Technology. DATE: April 22, 2021
BACKGROUND (continued):
sworn Department members and the community. Utilizing the MAV in conjunction with the
BWC’s is an important redundancy in order to present the most complete accounting of an
incident and especially since the BWC’s often have an obstructed view or are dislodged in a
physical altercation.
The MAV captures a forward-facing view of the marked Police vehicle and a rear-facing view of
the prisoner transport compartment. Several methods can be used to activate the MAV
including the use of emergency lighting, collision detection, speed, and manual activation.
Upon activation, MAV captures sixty seconds of video prior to the activation and remains
recording video until the conclusion of the incident. These videos are retained in accordance
with the Town’s Retention Policy.
The Police Department has a long history of utilizing Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR)
technology to collect and retain license plate information that can assist in identifying vehicles
associated to Amber Alerts, missing people, criminal warrants, persons of interest, stolen
vehicles, and stolen license plates. The existing MAV and ALPR systems are significantly past
their recommended service life and are no longer supported by their respective manufacturers.
First generation ALPR equipment was added onto the exterior of marked patrol vehicles. Due
to the high costs, only two marked patrol vehicles were initially outfitted with ALPR devices.
Technology has allowed for the best practice of collecting and retaining digital evidence on a
single operating platform. In 2020, the Town Council approved the purchase and deployment
of Axon Enterprises Incorporated (Axon) BWC’s. Axon’s Evidence.com is used to manage and
store digital evidence obtained through BWC’s and other digital media. Evidence.com also
allows for the collection and retention of audio and video evidence from MAV, body-worn
cameras (BWCs), ALPR, and computer-automated dispatch information (CAD).
DISCUSSION:
The Police Department has identified Axon as the preferred vendor for the MAV system.
Axon’s Fleet 2 is the current Axon MAV solution which enables enhanced MAV video and the
ability to leverage Axon’s Evidence.com for storing the digital evidence in addition to other
systems already being supported by Axon. Axon Fleet is compatible with the Department’s
current Axon BWC’s. Axon Fleet turns on Axon’s MAV and BWCs simultaneously when an
officer initiates an enforcement stop; consequently, the police officer has one less activation to
think about during this high-risk activity. Axon’s current technology also embeds ALPR in the
forward-facing MAV cameras and allows all patrol vehicles to be ALPR capable.
PAGE 3 OF 4 SUBJECT: Authorize the Town Manager to Execute a Six-Year Agreement with Axon Enterprises
Incorporated for the Purchase and Maintenance of Police Vehicle Mobile Audio and
Video with Integrated Automated License Plate Reader Technology. DATE: April 22, 2021
DISCUSSION (continued):
Additionally, Axon Fleet and BWC videos will be stored in Evidence.com, allowing efficient
administration of video evidence. When used in conjunction, the videos allow for real-time
blending of different camera views in a "Multicam" feature that plays videos recorded by other
cameras, synchronized by location and time, in one screen view. The six-year agreement with
Axon would incorporate Fleet 2 for the first year of the contract.
Axon’s Fleet 3 is the next generation Axon MAV solution which also integrates ALPR technology.
The installation during the first year of Fleet 2 would enable the Department to upgrade to
Fleet 3 in year two. There will be no additional installation cost for this upgrade. Axon’s Fleet 3
installation in all 14 patrol vehicles increases the number of vehicles with ALPR technology in
the field. Axon’s Evidence.com would store and retain all video evidence and license plate data
collected by the Police Department. The retention of that data is configurable to the Police
Department’s specifications to adhere to local and state requirements.
Axon focusses in its research and development teams to create hardware and software that
resolve real-world problems faced by law enforcement agencies. Some of the essential
features to note:
• A 6-year contract includes a full warranty on all cameras and equipment.
• A Department of Justice-compliant cloud-based storage system that will eliminate the
need for on-site servers.
• Computer Aided Dispatch/Records Management System and (CAD/RMS) integration
allow for videos and still images to be automatically assigned to CAD/RMS-generated
case numbers. Officers will no longer be required to manually enter metadata, allowing
staff to use their time on other essential duties.
• Videos captured in the Evidence.com platform can be redacted and prepared for
dissemination.
• MAV videos will no longer need to be separately burned onto DVDs. Instead, the video
files are prepared in conjunction with BWC videos and sent via an e-mail link to a
specified Axon user. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is already using
the Evidence.com platform and will have access to prepared video files.
• Axon operates through a service model which includes a warranty of all applicable
systems and replacement at the end of the contract.
In accordance with the Town’s Purchasing Policy, Section 7c (Cooperative Purchasing), this
purchase is based on a formal bid process completed by the State of California Department of
General Services, which allows for other municipalities to purchase equipment using their
formal bid proposal documents.
PAGE 4 OF 4 SUBJECT: Authorize the Town Manager to Execute a Six-Year Agreement with Axon Enterprises
Incorporated for the Purchase and Maintenance of Police Vehicle Mobile Audio and
Video with Integrated Automated License Plate Reader Technology. DATE: April 22, 2021
CONCLUSION:
Authorize the Town Manager to execute a six-year agreement with Axon Enterprises Inc. for the
purchase and maintenance of Mobile Audio and Video cameras with integrated Automatic
License Plate Reader technology and approve necessary budget adjustments including a
transfer of funds from the Equipment Replacement Fund to the Police Department operating
budget.
ALTERNATIVES:
Alternatively, the Town Council could direct staff to delay the replacement of the equipment.
Staff does not recommend this alternative as the current Mobile Audio and Video system has
significantly exceeded the recommended service life. Also, not deploying a MAV system will
impact daily operations and has the potential to increase liability by limiting the level of
transparency expected by the community when it comes to incidents involving police
personnel.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are sufficient funds available in the Equipment Replacement Fund for the payment of the
first year for MAV equipment. A $35,222.28 revenue and expenditure budget adjustment,
including a transfer of funds from the Equipment Replacement Fund to the general fund, will be
required. Ongoing annual payments summarized in the table below will be requested through
the annual budget process.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachments:
1. Axon Agreement