LEAD, S.D. – The Lead City Commission has approved a long-term plan to modernize equipment used by the Lead Police Department.
The proposal from Arizona-based Axon Enterprise will provide new body cameras, in-car dash cameras, Tasers, cloud-based evidence storage, software, training, maintenance, and technical support. The contract is valued at just over 453-thousand dollars over ten years, or about 45-thousand dollars annually.
City officials say the new system will replace outdated equipment and streamline the handling of digital evidence. Currently, body camera footage must be manually transferred and physically delivered for prosecution. The new system would automatically upload evidence to secure cloud storage.
Some commissioners questioned whether the department needs seven sets of equipment after reducing the force from seven officers to six. Police Chief Robert Williams said the additional equipment would be used by part-time officers who regularly assist the department.
While the commission unanimously approved the proposal, city officials say they will continue reviewing the contract to determine whether some equipment can be removed to reduce costs before a final agreement is signed.
