Ottawa council approves $462,929 purchase for police cameras

The Ottawa Police Department and the Ottawa City Council got a head start on obtaining new body cameras for officers and fleet cameras, approving a $462,929 quote from Axon Enterprises on Tuesday.

This purchase will come out of the DUI and Drug Fund on the 2023 budget, as Police Chief Brent Roalson sought out quotes early to lessen the burden of lead times.

“What we’re doing is waiting until all the systems together combined come in,” Roalson said. “The biggest delay is the fleet cameras, which are the in-car cameras we’re switching to. There’s about a 10-month delay right now but we might be able to get them in seven.”

The Ottawa Police Department doesn’t have body cameras but Roalson said this is the opportune time to replace the department’s old Watchguard system, which has three cameras placed on squad cars.

The department’s plan is to make sure their systems can all be integrated together more conveniently on the Axon system.

“It’s also beneficial for officers even though it’s part of the SAFE-T Act, which is questionable for some issues with law enforcement but there’s some definite benefits to it,” Roalson said. “Body cameras are one of them, in my opinion, then the additional training and especially the body cameras to give the full 360 picture when the officer is away from the squad car.”

Roalson said the reason it took so long for the department to get updated on its tech is not necessarily the hardware but the licensing.

“The storage and the fees, which is why that fee is so much for all three,” Roalson said. “But it’s a five-year program and we’re eligible for a grant reimbursement for the hardware, not for the licensing and not for storage. That’s the big cost.”