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Medford police upgrade tech to track stolen cars By Damian Mann Updated: Dec 01, 2022 10:56 AM A A Medford police are adding upgraded video systems to police cruisers to provide quicker tracking of stolen cars. [Mail Tribune/file photo] A $370,152 upgrade of video systems inside the Medford Police Department’s fleet of 35 vehicles promises to provide quicker tracking of stolen cars. Medford City Council Thursday will consider an ordinance approving the five-year contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. By approving the contract prior to Jan. 1, 2023, the city will avoid a 10% price increase expected next year. The ordinance would allow police to install five new cameras in each vehicle, with each exterior camera covering three traffic lanes and offering a clearer panoramic view. The interior camera located in the prisoner compartment offers knee-to-head views with infrared capabilities. The in-car video system activates automatically depending on certain conditions such as turning on the emergency lights or when the vehicle pursues at high speed. The new equipment also integrates an automated license plate reader camera into every patrol vehicle. The license plate information is uploaded and provides an alert if a vehicle of interest, such as a stolen vehicle, is located. The video system also integrates with body-worn cameras and helps capture incidents from multiple vantage points. Information gathered from the video systems is shared among regional law enforcement agencies, the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office. All body camera and in-car video for the past five years is stored on Axon Enterprise servers. With approval of this ordinance, Axon would provide a $122,760.20 bundle discount, compared to an unbundled price quote of $492,912.20. The city has budgeted $74,030.40 for each year of the contract, beginning July 1, 2023. The city has purchased Axon equipment in the past, starting in 2016 to Taser International (now Axon Enterprise, Inc.) with $145,233.70 for body-worn cameras and video storage. Police have turned increasingly to more high-tech crime-stopping capabilities in recent years. Four drones were purchased with $30,000 in federal forfeiture funds earlier this year, and police created a Drone Response Team with three officers. In 2021, Medford police spent more than $1 million on next generation Tasers that fly straighter and are more effective at penetrating loose clothing Axon provided 102 Tasers and 102 body cameras. The new Tasers replaced 85 existing Tasers and cameras in the police armory and are also issued to code enforcement and community service officers, who didn’t carry them on their belt. The new Tasers are yellow rather than black to readily distinguish them from handguns, particularly useful if there’s a scuffle and they drop to the ground. According to police, Tasers are far more frequently used than handguns on most calls, particularly if a suspect doesn’t have a gun or doesn’t have the ability to inflict injury on the officer. Officers generally don’t like using pepper spray because the spray can be inhaled by officers. According to Axon’s website, Rick Smith, chief executive officer of the company, said, “We are going to make the bullet obsolete.” Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].