Memorandum
REPORT TO:
City Commission
FROM:
Jim Veltkamp, Chief of Police
Joseph Swanson, Deputy Chief of Police
SUBJECT:
Authorize the City Manager to Sign a Master Services and Purchasing Agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for the Purchase of Body-Worn Cameras, Patrol Vehicle Cameras, Conducted Energy Devices, and Associated Digital Evidence Management.
MEETING DATE:
October 20, 2026
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:
Agreement - Vendor/Contract
RECOMMENDATION:
Authorize the City Manager to Sign a Master Services and Purchasing Agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
BACKGROUND:
The Bozeman Police Department responds to approximately 50,000 calls for service annually, generating more than 200,000 individual pieces of electronic evidence. The Department’s current digital evidence management system has experienced ongoing vendor service issues, resulting in significant officer and staff time spent ensuring evidence accuracy, retention compliance, and consistency across multiple platforms.
Following focused testing and evaluation, the Department is pursuing the procurement of digital evidence solutions from Axon Enterprise Inc., including body-worn cameras, patrol car camera systems, conducted energy devices, and associated digital evidence management. This procurement is intended to modernize evidence collection and management, improve operational efficiency, enhance officer safety and accountability, and support greater community safety. This solution will also reduce administrative workloads and provide officers with additional tools, including language translation, while expanding community access to police services.
The Department recognizes the importance of protecting individual privacy and ensuring the responsible use of police technology. Existing Department policies and state law establish the framework for authorized use, and the Department has updated several policies to strengthen privacy protections, establish appropriate safeguards, and ensure personnel receive the necessary training to comply with applicable requirements.
This procurement represents an investment in modernizing the Department’s technology infrastructure, improving service delivery, strengthening accountability, and supporting the safety and well-being of the Bozeman community.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES:
None.
ALTERNATIVES:
As Recommended By the City Commission.
FISCAL EFFECTS:
This agreement is for a period of five years (FY27-31) with a total cost of $2,417,629.54 satisfied by annual payments over the five-year period. Funds for this purpose were approved during the FY27-31 Capital Improvement Plan and FY26-28 Biennium Budget.