The Salina City Commission unanimously approved a five-year, $1.18 million agreement consolidating several Salina Police Department technology and equipment contracts under Axon Enterprise Inc.

Commissioners voted 5-0 Monday to authorize City Manager Jacob Wood to execute the agreement for $1,178,147.84. The contract combines the department’s body-worn cameras, vehicle cameras, interview-room recording systems, TASER program and digital evidence-management services into one agreement.

Captain Rachel Larson, who oversees hiring, recruiting and internal affairs for the Salina Police Department, presented the proposal to commissioners.

Larson said the department has used Axon technology since 2014 and has built its video-recording, evidence-storage and less-lethal weapon systems around the company’s integrated platform.

The department currently manages three separate Axon agreements with different expiration and renewal dates. Under the approved agreement, those contracts will be combined into a single five-year term beginning in September 2026.

City Projects Approximately $533,000 in Savings

Larson said consolidating the agreements is projected to save the city approximately $533,000 over five years compared with renewing each contract separately.

Commissioners reviewed figures showing that the cost of the city’s body-worn camera agreement would increase substantially in 2029 if it were renewed independently.

Without consolidation, the city’s annual Axon costs were projected to increase from approximately $219,000 to nearly $396,000 during that period.

Under the consolidated agreement, annual payments would remain more consistent, with increases of approximately $8,000 per year.

City officials said the agreement also locks in current equipment pricing and an established inflationary increase rather than requiring the city to negotiate new pricing as individual contracts expire.

Agreement Includes Cameras, TASERs and Evidence Storage

The contract includes equipment, licensing, maintenance and services for several systems used by the Police Department, including:

Body-worn cameras

In-car camera systems

Interview-room cameras

TASER energy weapons

Axon’s cloud-based digital evidence system

Equipment replacements and hardware refreshes

Software licensing and maintenance

Digital evidence storage

Live transcription technology

Virtual-reality TASER training simulators

The department will receive replacement body-worn cameras during the agreement to help maintain battery performance and equipment reliability throughout the five-year term.

The agreement also moves the department to Axon’s TASER 10 platform, which Larson said is necessary to maintain manufacturer support and warranty coverage.

Systems Automatically Connect During Incidents

Larson said one advantage of using a single Axon platform is that the department’s different systems communicate with one another.

When an officer activates the emergency lights on a patrol vehicle, the system can automatically activate nearby compatible cameras. Activating a TASER can also trigger body-worn cameras within a designated distance.

Video, photographs and other evidence can then be grouped under the same case file.

The department may also send residents secure links allowing them to upload photographs or videos directly into Axon’s evidence system. Officers can upload evidence through an Axon application, allowing material related to a case to be maintained together and transferred for court proceedings.

Larson said achieving the same level of integration would be difficult if the department used equipment and software from several different companies.

Digital Evidence Stored Through Axon

During public comment, Salina resident Christopher Traits asked what would happen if the digital evidence system failed and whether evidence could be erased.

Larson said the evidence is housed in a cloud-based system maintained and managed by Axon rather than stored solely by the city.

She said retention periods vary depending on the evidentiary value and classification of the material. Certain evidence can be retained indefinitely.

Contract Initially Listed on Consent Agenda

The agreement was initially placed on the commission’s consent agenda, where items are generally approved together without a separate presentation or discussion.

City Manager Jacob Wood said he initially did not recognize that the proposal consolidated the full range of the Police Department’s Axon equipment and services.

Wood acknowledged that the approximately $1.18 million contract was significant but said the city has already been paying for the individual systems through separate annual agreements.

Commissioners discussed the proposal separately before voting.

They said consolidating the contracts would simplify administrative tracking and place the systems on the same expiration schedule. Commissioners also said that aligning the agreements could make it easier for the city to evaluate competing providers when the five-year contract expires.

The motion authorizing the consolidated Axon agreement was approved 5-0.