Arapahoe commissioners support DA’s Axon upgrade, defer contract increase

Arapahoe County commissioners supported the district attorney’s proposed upgrade to Axon’s Evidence.com Justice Plus tier but did not approve it as a midyear add-on. They sent the request through the county’s budget and EBC review processes.

The DA’s office said the upgrade would add an average of about $169,000 to the county’s contract cost over 10 years, with payments increasing over time rather than arriving as one upfront charge. The request would also require an increase to the DA’s budget.

What the upgrade would add

Joel Zink, chief deputy district attorney and the office’s director of technology and innovation, said the office receives roughly 200 hours of body-camera and other evidence video each workday. He later cited about 205 hours per workday in 2026, compared with 190 in 2025. Manually reviewing that volume, he said, would require the equivalent of about 24 full-time employees working eight-hour days.

According to Zink, Justice Plus would automatically transcribe video and audio, identify key moments, and help identify witnesses and their roles. Attorneys could search for and move directly to relevant portions of evidence. Those are the DA office’s descriptions of expected benefits, not independently measured results from an Arapahoe County trial. Zink and other county officials discussed the proposed upgrade during the commissioners’ study session.

Zink linked the request to Colorado Rule 16 discovery obligations, saying the tools could help the office locate and disclose body-camera footage, police interactions and witness-related evidence to defense attorneys. He warned that Rule 16 problems can lead to dismissed cases or reduced charges. The meeting record supports that explanation as the DA office’s rationale; it does not establish that the upgrade would prevent violations or reduce dismissals.

Budget path, not approval

The discussion produced no formal vote approving Justice Plus. Commissioners said they supported the proposal’s substance but wanted the DA’s office to rank it with other priorities through the normal budget process.

Staff said the upgrade was not needed in fiscal 2026 and would likely be handled through the 2027 budget process, with an appropriation available by Jan. 1 for payment. Commissioners discussed presenting the office’s priorities in September through the county’s EBC process and questioned how the proposed payment schedule would fit that process.

The July 28 record does not show a final contract amendment, purchase approval or other completed action on Justice Plus.

Trial and statewide contract remain prospective

The DA’s office said Axon offered to activate the upgrade for a no-strings-attached trial in August, with the features turned off if the county did not reach an agreement. Because the trial was discussed as a future offer and commissioners did not approve the upgrade, the record does not show that it had begun as of July 28.

Staff also said the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council was negotiating a possible statewide version of the upgrade. The timing was uncertain, described as possibly within one or two years. The county said it had negotiated a provision allowing it to leave an individual agreement and join a statewide contract if one becomes available. That is a possible future purchasing route, not an executed statewide contract.