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Home My WebLink AboutIR 019 (3) INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-019 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 24, 2023 Page 1 of 3 i i7 Y SUBJECT: UPDATE ON AXON POLICE TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT r6 rn Yg7'3 The purpose of this report is to provide a general overview on the current status of the Axon police technology contract as well as provide information related to license plate recognition technology. The police technology contract was authorized by the City Council in April 2022, and the following list outlines aspects of the new or improved technology being implemented. Hardware ■ Body-Worn Cameras—The contract authorizes a total of 1,693 cameras. Currently the department has 1,512 body-worn cameras issued to personnel. Cameras have already been allocated for issuance to the current academy classes upon graduation throughout the year. Policy has been updated to mandate that all officers working off-duty positions are now required to utilize a body- worn camera. ■ Vehicle Cameras —The department has 54 Axon Fleet 3 units either deployed or in preparation at Fleet. This includes 5 trial units used for testing last summer. We anticipate installing 200 additional systems by the end of 2023. This system utilizes integrated license plate recognition software which automatically checks license plates against a database of license plates listed as significant law enforcement notifications. The LPR capability is described in more detail later in this document. ■ Firearm Sensor (Signal Sidearm) —This sensor will wirelessly activate the user's body-worn camera whenever a duty firearm is removed from the holster. To date, we have purchased and received 1,693 sensors. This hardware must be installed on the holster of each employee, and the Training Division is developing a plan for efficient installation of this labor-intensive process. Currently, several sensors are in field testing to identify any hardware concerns and to establish and draft accompanying policy. ■ Taser— New hardware acquisition is moving along as scheduled and should be implemented in early February 2023. ■ Interview Rooms — New equipment has been ordered, with expected shipment in January 2023. This will allow the department to outfit six additional interview rooms, and we anticipate these being installed in mid-February 2023, with an additional five more expected in June 2023. ■ Virtual Reality (VR) Use-of-Force Training —The Training Division has purchased and received the hardware necessary for this project. Staff are working with the vendor to establish instructor training schedules to train and certify instructors. Once instructors have been certified, planning and implementation of the VR training will begin. Software ■ Wireless video upload and LTE Cellular service—This feature is still pending testing and implementation through the Information Technology Solutions Department. The department is still working with the vendor to establish and program a hierarchy of software permissions to begin utilizing this feature. This feature includes live-streaming capabilities of both body-worn and Fleet 3 cameras. ■ Redaction assistant—This software feature has been active since the summer of 2022. It integrates with existing software and assists employees by attempting to automatically recognize common redaction concerns, such as license plates and law enforcement computer screens. This process is more efficient than the previous software, which increases the quality of the product provided to citizens. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-019 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 24, 2023 Page 2 of 3 i i7 Y SUBJECT: UPDATE ON AXON POLICE TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT r6 rn Yg7'3 ■ Auto-Transcription -- Transcription of dialogue captured within the video software has been active since the summer of 2022. This feature helps investigators and detectives with case management and case filings. There are many examples of the transcription capturing language that is difficult to hear through the audio that assists the investigator. Near the end of FY 2022, Axon also activated a beta-version of the Spanish-to-English translation process. ■ Axon Air software (Drones) — New policy and standard operating procedures have been drafted and are under review for compliance with local and federal regulations. Once policy is approved, the department can develop a training curriculum to begin implementing this program. The software is operational and will integrate with our existing inventory once policy and training are finalized. ■ Records Management System (RMS) — Developing an RMS program is a lengthy process which requires significant collaboration with the vendor. There is no expected release date at this time. ■ Axon Standards software —Our personnel continue to meet with the vendor on a regular basis to develop and refine this software to ensure the product meets the needs of the department. There is no expected release date at this time. Policies Body-Worn Cameras—We have updated this policy to reinforce the use of body-worn cameras and implemented new policy to discourage powering down body-worn cameras. We have also created new policy requiring officers to utilize body-worn cameras during off-duty employment. ALPR - Created and implemented new policy regarding the use of Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems. Some of the highlights include: • requiring officers to receive training prior to use • proper inspection of the system • requiring officers to verify the accuracy and validity of the alert • all stolen vehicle alerts be verified through NCIC and TCIC • retention schedules for "hot list" • guidelines for access to sensitive information • audit procedures to include disciplinary guidelines for abuse Policies and procedures are still being researched, drafted and/or pending approval regarding drones, signal sidearm, LTE upload functionality and live-stream capability. License Plate Recognition Through December 1st, the LRP software has read approximately 2.2 million license plates. This information is retained for 30 days, unless the license plate appeared in an active list commonly referred to as a "hot list". Any reading of a license plate on the "hot list" is stored for 90 days. If a reading is associated with enforcement action, then the information is stored in evidence.com and subject to those retention schedules. The following list summarizes what will initiate an alert when a license plate is scanned. Felony Warrant Terrorist Law Enforcement Suspect Homicide Amber Alert Stolen License Plate Narcotics Fugitive Armed Robbery ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-019 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 24, 2023 Page 3 of 3 i i7 Y SUBJECT: UPDATE ON AXON POLICE TECHNOLOGY CONTRACT r6 rn Yg7'3 Car Jacking Hit and Run Protection Order Gang Member Missing Person Stolen Vehicle Stolen Vehicle Suspect Stolen Plate Wanted Person Wanted Vehicle Violent Person Child Abductor Missing Person Gang or Suspected Terrorist Felony Theft Warrants Sex Offender The LPR will not alert for minor offenses like capias warrants, unlicensed driver or expired/revoked licenses, or law enforcement notifications like immigration violator or supervised released. In summary, implementation of the many facets of this contract are proceeding as expected. Over the past year, the department has met hardships with supply-chain issues, as well as private-sector employee shortages that have delayed vehicle up-fitting. These issues have caused delays in our implementation of certain portions of the contract. We knew certain aspects of this process were not turnkey and would involve collaboration and refinement before implementation. If you have any questions about this information, please contact Executive Assistant Chief Robert Alldredge at 817-392-4131. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS