Approval of contract for software to process and store body-worn camera footage

The Mesa County Commissioners authorized the District Attorney (DA) to sign a five-year contract with AXON to provide software and storage for the 21st Judicial District Attorney's Office to process, view, put out in discovery and create trial exhibits for body-worn camera (BWC) footage that all officers are required to record. The first-year cost is $10,000, the second-year cost $20,000, then years three through five are at the normal cost of $178,912 per year.

All local jurisdictions that regularly submit BWC evidence to the DA's Office, as required by law, utilize AXON equipment. AXON allows the prosecutor's offices to view the footage as a guest through the law enforcement agencies' portals for free, but there is a cost in order for the DA to put the footage out in discovery and maintain copies for their file, as well as view the footage simultaneously with all officer cameras on a synced screen.

If the DA’s office were to use the free version, they would end up spending more money to build their own discovery portal, purchase high-capacity storage and hire full-time staff to manage it. 

AXON is aware of the County’s current budget limitations and has agreed to reduced costs for the first two years of the contract. The Colorado District Attorney's Council is working with the State Public Defender's Office and legislators, through a task force, in the hopes that the above-mentioned services are paid for at a statewide level for both the prosecution and defense, in order to minimize discovery problems that lead to court-ordered sanctions and risk injustice in the handling of criminal cases.