Newark signs $3.8 million, 10-year deal for body cams and other police equipment

The City of Newark has signed a 10-year contract with police supplier Axon, agreeing to pay more than $3.8 million for new body cameras, Tasers and other equipment.

City council approved the deal Monday night.

Police Chief Mark Farrall said the new body cameras come with additional features, including the ability to livestream footage back to a command post during an emergency situation.

The equipment also includes sensors that automatically turn on the body cameras when an officer draws his or her gun or Taser. While the department has strict rules for when officers must turn on their cameras, the sensors provide a fail-safe in case the officer is unable to due to emergency conditions.

“We’re trying to minimize any chance of not recording,” Capt. Michael Van Campen said.

The body cameras will be replaced four times over the 10-year contract.

The contract also includes new Tasers for every officer and updated cameras for inside patrol cars and interview rooms at the police station, along with a variety of software programs and cloud storage for camera footage.

The city will pay Axon a downpayment of $500,000 this year using part of the $2 million the city received from the state to make up for lost tax revenue due to property owned by the University of Delaware. In every future year through 2033, the city will pay $373,630.

Farrall said signing a 10-year contract allowed the police department to get a more favorable price.

In other business, council also approved the purchase of two dump trucks for just over $1 million in total. The trucks have swappable equipment that allows them to be used for leaf collection, snow plowing and construction‐related excavation.