For City Council Meeting November 25, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Tanya Williams, City Manager
FROM: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
Title
Request City Council to : (1) Adopt Resolution No. 8436 Amending the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year Budget; (2) Approve The Multi-Year Agreement With Axon Enterprise, Inc. For The Purchase Of The Axon Officer Safety Plan 10 (OSP10), Which Includes Conducted Energy Weapons, Body-Worn Camera System Enhancements, Digital Evidence Management, Virtual Reality Training, Drone Program, And Advanced Software Tools; and (3) Authorize The City Manager Or Designee To Execute All Documents.
(ACTION)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Adopt a Resolution amending the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget;
2) Approve the nine (9) year contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc. in the amount of $14,346,497.00; and
3) Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all documents.
BACKGROUND
Since 2012, the Rialto Police Department has positioned itself as a national leader in the adoption of body-worn camera technology, becoming one of the first agencies in the country to implement a fully deployed body-worn camera program. The early adoption of Axon cameras produced measurable improvements, including a 59% reduction in use-of-force incidents and an 87.5% reduction in citizen complaints during the first year of deployment. This success cemented Rialto’s reputation for transparency, accountability, and progressive policing.
In 2025, the City entered into a Master Services and Purchasing Agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc., establishing a single umbrella contract governing body-worn cameras, evidence retention, and related technologies. Amendment No. 1 expanded that agreement to include additional Axon products and services, modernizing the City’s digital evidence ecosystem.
As technology evolves and public expectations continue to rise, the department now seeks to migrate to Axon Officer Safety Plan 10 (OSP10) - Axon’s most advanced and comprehensive public safety technology bundle. This contract represents a significant step toward unifying the department’s conducted energy weapons, cameras, evidence systems, in-car video, drone program, real-time crime center integration, and artificial intelligence tools under a single operational platform.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The Rialto Police Department has built a long-standing reputation for embracing innovative technologies that strengthen transparency, improve investigative capability, and enhance officer safety. As the demands of modern policing continue to evolve, so too must the tools and systems that support our personnel in the field and behind the scenes. The Axon Officer Safety Plan 10 (OSP10) represents a significant advancement in this effort, offering a comprehensive and interconnected platform that supports every phase of an officer’s workflow-from initial response, to evidence gathering, to investigative follow-up, to courtroom presentation.
Under the OSP10 program, officers are equipped with Axon’s latest generation of body-worn cameras and fully updated conducted energy weapons. The TASER 10, for example, provides a meaningful leap forward in technology, offering improved accuracy, extended range, and ten probe deployments from a single magazine. These enhancements allow officers to create distance, maintain cover, and employ safer tactics, reducing the likelihood of escalation. In addition, the TASER 10 connects seamlessly with Axon’s digital ecosystem, automatically capturing critical data and ensuring that weapon activity is stored and auditable through the department’s evidence management platform.
Equally transformative is the integration of Axon Respond+, which provides real-time situational awareness during critical events. Supervisors and command staff can view live-streaming footage from officers in the field, monitor GPS mapping, and access time-sensitive information that aids in tactical decision-making. These capabilities support a more coordinated response during rapidly evolving incidents, improving officer safety and allowing leadership personnel to make informed decisions based on live, verifiable information.
The department’s investigative capabilities are also significantly strengthened under OSP10. With unlimited cloud storage, all digital evidence-body-worn camera video, fleet video, drone footage, interview room recordings, CCTV uploads, and digital files-can be securely stored and retrieved without concern for storage limits or overage costs. This is particularly relevant given the expanded retention requirements imposed by SB 1421, SB 16, and other legislative mandates. Tools such as Auto-Transcribe and Redaction Assistant dramatically reduce staff time spent on transcription and public records requests, turning what once took hours of manual review into minutes through automated, time-synced processing. These improvements not only streamline investigations, but also enhance the department’s ability to respond promptly to community inquiries and public transparency obligations.
Another key component of the OSP10 ecosystem is Axon’s Virtual Reality (VR) Training environment. This platform allows officers to participate in realistic, scenario-based training that addresses de-escalation, crisis intervention, tactical decision-making, and cultural competency. VR training modules have been adopted nationally as a way to reinforce critical skills without the constraints and costs associated with traditional in-person training. By incorporating VR training into the department’s annual training plan, Rialto positions itself at the forefront of data-driven, modern policing practices.
In addition to the enhancements provided through the OSP10 platform, this proposal includes the acquisition of six Skydio drones-an important step toward establishing the Rialto Police Department’s first-ever Drone as First Responder (DFR) program. The inclusion of these aircraft, paired with Axon’s integrated Axon Air and Fusus real-time intelligence platforms, will allow the department to rapidly deploy drones to priority calls for service, often arriving ahead of ground units.
This capability dramatically improves situational awareness for responding officers, providing live aerial video, thermal imaging, and real-time intelligence that can be streamed directly into the Real Time Crime Center and to field personnel. The use of DFR technology has been widely adopted by innovative law enforcement agencies nationwide and has consistently demonstrated improvements in officer safety, faster incident resolution, and reduced use-of-force incidents by providing officers with critical information before they arrive on scene. The addition of these six drones positions Rialto at the forefront of modern policing and will serve as a cornerstone of the City’s evolving real-time response model.
Finally, the OSP10 package includes significant upgrades to the department’s real-time intelligence capabilities. The integration of Axon Fusus allows for a centralized platform where drone feeds, body-worn camera video, automated license plate readers, CCTV systems, fleet cameras, and third-party video sources can be viewed and analyzed in real time. This supports the department’s development of a Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), enabling personnel to access critical information during emergencies, track unfolding incidents, and support field units with timely intelligence. As the department moves into its new police facility, the capability to unify multiple technologies into one operational environment is essential for long-term efficiency and public safety outcomes.
Taken together, these advancements create a powerful, unified system that improves the department’s operational effectiveness, enhances officer and community safety, and strengthens Rialto’s commitment to transparency. By transitioning to the Axon Officer Safety Plan 10, the department ensures that its technology infrastructure remains current, fully supported, and capable of meeting the increasing demands placed on modern policing.
AXON Enterprise, Inc. has been awarded Sourcewell contract 101223-AXN for the procurement of public safety video surveillance solutions, including related equipment, software, accessories, and AXON interview room technology. This acquisition complies with the Rialto Municipal Code’s cooperative purchasing provisions, or "piggybacking," ensuring adherence to established procurement guidelines. Valid until December 15, 2027, the contract was verified by City Procurement to meet municipal code requirements. As outlined in Rialto Municipal Code 2.48.430, the City Council can authorize purchases through cooperative agreements, enabling the City to secure high-quality equipment at competitive prices while ensuring transparency and fiscal responsibility.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The proposed action does not meet the definition of a project as defined by Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and excludes the following:
1) Continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as purchases for supplies, personnel-related actions, general policy and procedure making
2) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The City of Rialto has outlined key goals and objectives relating to public safety. The purchase of this technology is consistent with meeting these objectives.
Goal 5-8: Provide effective and comprehensive policing services that meet the safety needs of Rialto.
Policy 5-8.4: Initiate proactive crime suppression and prevention strategies throughout the community.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney's Office has reviewed the agreement and staff report and approved it as to form.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
Operating Budget Impact
The long-term contract will span FY 2026 through FY 2034, funded by multiple sources each fiscal year: General Fund, discretionary funds resulting from developer agreements, and matching discretionary funds from San Bernardino County.
For Fiscal Year 2026, an additional appropriation of $237,426.72 is needed and available from discretionary and matching funds as shown in the table below. Annual contract costs for each subsequent fiscal year from FY 2027 through FY 2034 will be included in the department’s annual budget and funded as shown in the table below from the four funding sources.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
No capital improvement impact.
Licensing
This action does not trigger a requirement for a business license.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Axon Contract Price Comparison Charts
2. Amendment 1 to Master Services & Purchasing Agreement
3. Axon Quote
4. Sourcewell Contract
5. Axon US Domestic Price Book