CEDAR CITY — The Cedar City Council approved a new camera system bid allowing the police department to replace its “critically important” hardware.
Last Wednesday, the council considered bids from Axon, LensLock and Digital Ally to provide police with vehicle, body and interview room cameras.
LensLock submitted the lowest bid at $568,615 over five years, according to the Council Packet. The purchase will require a budget revision.
The Cedar City Police Department has used cameras since the technology was available, Chief Darin Adams told Cedar City News, adding that footage was previously recorded to VHS tapes.
Over the last 10-15 years, the department has utilized two separate systems, Adams said. The first vendor, L3 Communications, provided body cameras that ultimately failed, and the company no longer supported the devices. The department has been using WatchGuard since 2020.
“And everything seemed to be working well until it didn’t,” Adams said.
The devices weren’t functioning, video downloads were failing and “customer service was dwindling,” he said.
After meeting with WatchGuard, the department learned that Motorola had acquired the company, according to the Council Packet. Despite attempting to “give them another chance,” continued issues compromised the agency’s “ability to effectively capture and store video evidence.”
For instance, hardware in the interview room failed and videos couldn’t be stored digitally. Instead, the department had to download files onto discs, the packet reads.
Adams said that cameras are an essential investigation tool and benefit both law enforcement and citizens.
If someone were to submit a complaint against a police officer, the footage could exonerate them, he said. For instance, in one 2021 case, four cops were cleared of wrongdoing in an officer-involved shooting due partly to the vehicle and bodycam footage the department provided to the investigating county attorney.
Additionally, individuals interacting with police may feel the officers will be on their “best behavior — not that they wouldn’t be otherwise” — if they are being filmed, Adams said.
“We’ve always felt that capturing video evidence and interaction with bodycam and in-car video is critically important not only for what we do and the prosecution but also to ensure equity and fairness for the public …” he said. “So it’s been frustrating to have the failures that we’ve had.”
To find a consistent option, the department spent “many, many months” researching various vendors, comparing history, feedback and performance, among other factors and was “really pleased” with the bid submitted by LensLock.
The devices offered by the company have tested well and appear to be user-friendly, Adams said. Additionally, Lenslock and other bidders offered a cohesive system for vehicle, body and interview room cameras, where footage is uploaded to cloud storage and “easily accessible.”
“Everything’s been great,” he added. “We just cannot wait to get the contract sent and signed and implementation started hopefully in the 45-90 days.”
To view the discussion on Cedar City Council’s YouTube channel, click here.
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