New Bedford police officers could soon be donning body cameras, contract before council
NEW BEDFORD — City police officers could soon be donning body worn cameras along with their badges.
A five-year contract to provide officers with the cameras for $1,848,919.80 will be heard by the City Council Thursday.
The proposed lease agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz. also includes training, hardware, software and storage.
New Bedford Purchasing Director Molly Gilfeather Rodriguez said 240 body cameras are included, as well as eight free spares, and 30 eight-bay docking stations.
The agreement also calls for 248 new cameras and 30 new docking stations every 30 months.
A full week of on-site training by Axon is also part of the deal.
Cameras could arrive by early April
If approved, the cameras would arrive in early April, according to the proposed agreement.Council approval is needed under state law because the lease exceeds three years.
Rodriguez said in a communication to Mayor Jon Mitchell that a five-year agreement was the industry standard.
It will also save the city an estimated $310,000 vs. a three-year agreement and two years of renewals, she said.
Recommended to modernize department
Equipping New Bedford police officers with body cameras was one of the recommendations in an 18-month study to improve and modernize New Bedford Police performance by law enforcement consultant Jensen Hughes.
The police union had already agreed to their use after negotiations with the city prior to the report's release last August.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford police officers could soon add body cameras to their gear
