Storm Lake police officers will soon be equipped with new Axon body and in-car cameras, after the city council Monday night unanimously approved the transition.
The upgrade adds real-time translation, faster reporting tools, and stronger evidence management, replacing the department’s current Digital Ally system that’s been in use since 2016.
Police Chief Chris Cole told the council the move is both fiscally responsible and necessary.
The five-year contract will provide officers with Axon Body 4 cameras, in-car Fleet systems, and access to Axon’s AI tools. Those include automatic transcription, advanced redaction, and real-time language translation.
Cole emphasized how critical translation is in Storm Lake, where he says 36 languages are spoken.
During the meeting, officers demonstrated scenarios where the cameras translated Spanish into English during a 911 call.
Cole says those tools could mean the difference between life and death.
The package also includes in-car cameras that automatically sync with body cams, pre-event recording that captures incidents seconds before activation, and automatic license plate recognition, says Cole.
Another key feature is “Draft One,” which automatically generates interview transcripts and searchable reports.
Cole noted the system can even live-stream an officer’s camera during emergencies like standoffs, and can translate phone calls placed on speaker.
The five-year contract comes at an estimated cost of $105,749 in the first year, and about $100,749 annually after that—roughly $420 per officer per month—which includes hardware, warranties, cloud storage, AI services, and training.
