County of Stettler council voted at its Aug. 26 meeting to replace the municipality’s 20 year old dash cameras, approving a $39,600 contract for a new video system.
The five-year agreement with Motorola Solutions will cost $7,920 annually plus taxes to outfit three Protective Services patrol vehicles with the specialized camera units.
County administration recommended the upgrade after warning the council the current equipment has reached the end of its lifespan.
Council heard the older system posed a growing risk of interrupted recordings, and lost video evidence needed for prosecutions, and traffic investigations.
Under the agreement, Motorola will retain ownership of the hardware while providing full technical support throughout the five-year term.
Motorola’s quote covers installation of three M500 two-camera systems, evidence management, live-streaming, video redaction tools, and automated audio transcription.
The county council chose Motorola over a competing proposal from Axon Enterprise after noting Motorola’s quote came in $16,115 lower.
Council also passed on an option to purchase the equipment outright and manage server hosting internally.
The replacement will be funded through the Protective Services capital budget.
Author: Landin Chambers
Landin Chambers is a news reporter for Hometown Media Stettler. He has a background in broadcast news, with previous roles in Prince George, Red Deer and Calgary. You may also see him as a cameraman for the Stettler Wildcats and Stettler Imperials. Have a story idea? Email: lchambers@htproductionsmedia.ca
