AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Consider approval of Resolution 2026-154R, approving an amendment to the agreement with Axon Enterprises, Inc. to allow continued contract extensions in the estimated amount of $46,860.80 annually, for capacity storage for digital evidence; authorizing the City Manager, or her designee, to execute the amendment on behalf of the city; and declaring an effective date.
Body
Meeting date: September 1, 2026
Department: Police Department - Stan Standridge, Chief
Amount & Source of Funding
Funds Required: $46,860.80
Account or Project Number (C = CIP funds): 10002141-52395
Funds Available: Yes
Account Name: Software License and Maintenance
Fiscal Note:
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Background Information:
The Police Department is requesting approval of a contract amendment to allow continued contract extensions of contract #2026-015 with Axon Enterprises, Ltd., for capacity storage for digital evidence. The original contract, which was less than $100,000 and did not require City Council approval, was executed to meet storage requirements in a timely manner, with the direction that City Council approval would be required prior to the first extension or exceeding the $100,000 threshold - whichever occurred sooner. The reason for this contract is twofold.
First, the Hays County District Attorney’s Office utilizes a digital evidence portal that provides a standard solution for the submission, management, and storage of exhibits in trial courts that have adopted the service. The digital evidence portal provides convenient 24/7 online access to upload, review, manage, and share exhibits among judges, attorneys, and litigants during virtual or in-person court hearings.
Second, there are more electronic devices now as technology has become more accessible and because we have become a digital society with far less reliance on standard paper and pen. Digital devices range from smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, to external storage devices such as external hard drives, USB drives, and memory cards. It includes GPS devices, smartwatches, and tracking devices; gaming consoles, vehicle infotainment systems, smart televisions; drones, game cams, dash cams, and cloud storage, to name just a handful.
Digital multimedia evidence (DME) is essentially anything that is recorded, accessed, or stored through those and other digital devices. It includes text messages, photographs, emails, spreadsheets, documents, PowerPoint presentations, navigation routes, social media posts, scanned images, web browser history, speedometer and tachometer information, and the myriad of apps used on digital devices.
Examples of DME include emails, spreadsheets, evidence from websites, digital photographs, PowerPoint presentations, body camera footage, text messages, social media posts, and much more. It also includes forensic examination documentation, forensic reports and photographs, chain of custody information, etc.
ASTM standards, in conjunction with NIST guidance, require that DME be stored in a physically secure location with restricted access to maintain its integrity and chain of custody. This protects the DME from unauthorized access, alteration, or damage, and it documents every transfer of custody, including from San Marcos Police Department to the Hays County District Attorney’s Office.
ASTM International - American Society for Testing and Materials - is a non-profit organization that establishes the standards/best practices for forensic science. NIST is the National Institute of Standards and Technology - a US government agency that develops standards and guidelines for the federal government, particularly in cybersecurity.
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
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Alternatives:
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Recommendation:
City Council approve the contract amendment allowing annual extensions.