Roseville PD to send evidence to 'the cloud' with new body cameras

Doing away with old technology featuring CDs and DVDs, Roseville Police spent $2.5 million this month for new body cameras sending evidence into "the cloud." The Roseville City Council approved a contract Oct. 1 with Axon Enterprise to provide modern equipment. The city has a five-year agreement with Lenslock to supply body cameras, set to expire next year. The department selected Axon Enterprise to modernize the program. Roseville PD currently relies on outdated methods for storing and sharing digital evidence, such as CDs, DVDs, disk arrays and partitioning sections of city servers, authorities said. "The risk of losing evidence stored by those methods is high," said RPD Management Analyst Mark Peinado in his council report. The current camera system since 2021, however, significantly enhanced policing capabilities, said Chief Troy Bergstrom. The footage is routinely used as evidence in court and is often requested under the Public Records Act and other transparency laws. However, RPD has encountered challenges that call for upgrades, including: • The need for extra spares due to equipment breakage. • Inefficiencies in accessing and sharing footage from the online system. • Inability to efficiently use cloud-based storage for other types of digital evidence. • Cumbersome processes for sharing digital evidence outside the police department, including with the District Attorney's office. • Time-consuming redaction requirements for subpoenas and public release. • Reliance on outdated storage methods, including CDs, DVDs, disk arrays and partitioned servers, that increase risk of lost or inaccessible evidence. To meet the challenges, Roseville PD chose the new cameras from Axon which include a centralized, secure and redundant cloud-based digital evidence management system. "Just a single case can involve multiple types of digital information or footage from a variety of sources, such as CCTVs, smartphone recordings, security cameras and traffic cameras, along with photos and audio recordings – in addition to footage from body-worn and in-car cameras," said Peinado. Axon Enterprise is the sole distributor for all its Axon brand products. The total cost of the five-year deal is about $2.5 million with a first-year cost of $446,175, according to the report. The system will include new hardware – cameras, batteries and docking stations, along with increased functionality with automatic transcription, robust video auditing capabilities and embedded redaction software. The cameras will allow seamless evidence-sharing with the DA's office and others, many of which already use the same system for their needs, with unlimited and secure cloud storage, staff said.