Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
New contract saves money, improves service
COLFAX – New bodycams for the Colfax police are going to save money for the city and improve service for the department.
After a four-year contract with Axon, Colfax police is moving to use Motorola Watchguard body-worn cameras to record police work.
"We think it's a better deal and better quality," said police Chief Bruce Blood.
The Motorola cameras are used by the Whitman County Sheriff's Office, which was a factor in deciding to change companies.
Cost is another factor.
"With the Axon system, we had storage problems ... and overage fees," said Blood.
Motorola has unlimited video storage.
Blood said the repair policy is better with Motorola as the cameras can be repaired at no cost. Axon took months to repair a camera.
"We need those cameras for citizen and officer safety," he said.
The cost is about $3,000 annually to lease the five cameras, one for each officer and the chief.
The Axon cameras were coming to the end of their service life, said Blood. The older contract left the city buying the cameras.
Motorola allows for camera upgrades after two years of the five-year contract.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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