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Now, city commissioners are buying a $990,000 audio-video equipment and software package allowing the police department to store data in a cloud-based system.
Commissioners are entering into a five-year contract with Utility to purchase the audio-video system including 50 police car cameras and 120 body cams while allowing the department to store evidentiary video files in a Polaris cloud database, based on Police Chief Michael Kester’s recommendation.
“This wasn't budgeted,” Kester told commissioners during a Wednesday meeting. “I've been discussing this for a while with the city manager.”
The equipment and software package will replace an outdated WatchGuard camera and data storage system purchased in 2017, Kester said.
After reviewing quotes from companies including Axon, WatchGuard-Motorola and Getac, which offered quotes ranging from $1.1 million to $2.5 million, Kester recommended contracting with Utility, with a quote of $990,000.
Law enforcement agencies contracting with Utility include Harris County, Arlington, Edinburg and Laredo, he said.
Commissioners are entering into a five-year contract, dipping into the city’s $57.8 million general fund budget for a first payment of $396,000, City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez told commissioners.
To fund the deal’s first payment, Kester said the city could tap more than $400,000 in police officer salary savings.
“We always have salary savings, which goes back into the general fund budget,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez said the police department will dip into its own $18.7 million budget to fund the deal’s four annual payments of $148,500.
The purchase will allow the police department to start storing backup data in a Polaris cloud-based system.
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