DA asks commissioners to OK Axon upgrade as office handles about 200 hours of video per workday

Chief Deputy District Attorney Joel Zink told the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners that the DA's office is receiving so much digital evidence that attorneys cannot review it all manually and asked the board to support an upgrade to the county's Axon evidence.com contract.

"We are receiving now roughly 200 hours of video evidence every single workday of the year," Zink said, describing the volume of body-worn camera, jail and 911 audio and other digital evidence the office now handles. He said the proposed "Justice Plus" tier would add automated transcription and AI tools that highlight "key moments" so attorneys can find arrest or Miranda-advisement points and witness appearances quickly.

Staff said the negotiated contract change would not require an immediate cash outlay in 2026 but would increase long-term costs. County staff summarized the fiscal impact as an average increase of about $169,000 over the contract term while noting the vendor offered a deferred-payment arrangement and a one-month trial turn-on in August. County IT told commissioners it had completed security and AI-policy reviews and found the platform met county cybersecurity and accessibility criteria.

Commissioners asked how the upgrade would be paid and whether it should be handled out of cycle or folded into the 2027 budget process. Todd Weaver (finance staff) and IT staff said the county could defer the payment into the 2027 appropriation schedule and that the upgrade could be managed under IT after the initial contracting. Staff also said ongoing statewide negotiations through the Colorado District Attorneys Council (CDAC) might produce a statewide contract that the county could join later; the county negotiated an exit clause to migrate to such a statewide agreement if it becomes available.

The board did not take a final procurement vote in the study session; commissioners indicated support for moving forward with contracting steps while urging staff to align timing with the budget process and to preserve the county's ability to adopt a potential statewide contract if it emerges. The DA and IT staff said an initial no-strings-on trial would allow a brief evaluation before any long-term payment obligation.

Provenance: first discussed in staff presentation and Q&A beginning at SEG 395 and continuing through SEG 1702.

Speakers quoted: Chief Deputy District Attorney Joel Zink; county IT representative.