Jun. 17—CITY ALDERMEN WILL hear a pitch from the police chief next month to switch to a new provider of body camera, taser and digital evidence management technology and eat $300,000 remaining on the existing contract because of frustrations with the current vendor.
Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg appeared before the Aldermanic Committee on Public Safety, Health and Traffic recently to discuss moving from the city's current vendor, Utility, to a new vendor, Axon.
"To be frank with you, there are many police departments across the country that are transitioning from Utility and going to Axon," Aldenberg said. "They have many of the same concerns we have."
Manchester entered into a contract with Utility in 2019 to supply local police with body cameras. The contract runs through December 2024 at a cost of $1 million, which has been paid in full, Aldenberg said.
A request for proposals to replace Utility issued in December 2022 received six proposals.
Aldenberg said one of the primary issues with Utility is the company doesn't manufacture its own product.
"They purchase Samsung phones in bulk, which are then outfitted with body worn camera software. This requires constant updates for hardware and mounts, and the devices are fixed through our uniform using mounts," Aldenberg said. "This becomes an issue when the department sends a device back to Utility for replacement due to damage, which unfortunately occurs.
"In return, we receive a different version of the phone, which requires a different mount. The mounts are not interchangeable with the different phone versions. This is compounded over time, and the department recently had four different types of phones in circulation, all with different mounts."
Aldenberg said this creates significant issues keeping backup hardware in stock and getting the correct versions of the mount from Utility.
Because Utility has no plans to manufacture their own product, this issue will continue "with no proposed solutions from the company," Aldenberg said.
{Aldenberg said the initial setup in December 2019 "was not properly done when we went live with the system through no fault of the department."
"Our computer dispatch system was not integrated with the cameras properly, which resulted in the advertised auto-tagging feature not to function," Aldenberg said.
Auto-tagging ensures videos are retained for an appropriate amount of time with accurate case numbers, Aldenberg explained.
"This was a significant issue that caused numerous videos to be unnecessarily deleted by the software's video retention system."
In March 2022, Manchester police asked to change the video retention schedule for unclassified videos from one year to three years because of problems with the initial setup.
"Despite what we felt was clear language allowing us to do this in our contract, Utility refused to change the retention default for unclassified videos," Aldenbeg said. "We and our personnel ended up changing hundreds of videos manually to try and resolve this issue ourselves."
In another example of a problem with Utility, Aldenberg said in 2021 his department ordered 20 new body camera packages. MPD initially was quoted a cost of $85,000 by the sales vendor contracted by Utility.
"After our review of that contract, we felt we were being grossly overcharged," Aldenberg said.
Utility responded with a quote of $67,000, which the department also rejected as inaccurate.
"They finally properly quoted us at $54,000, which was consistent with the contract," Aldenberg said.
Aldenberg said his department initially tested body cameras in fall 2019 under the previous administration and looked at both Axon and Utility. A testing and evaluation was done by eight MPD officers using Axon and Utility body cameras.
"Seven out of the eight officers who took part in the trial identified Axon as their preferred option and recommended the department purchase the Axon product," Aldenberg said.
However, the department went with BodyWorn cameras from Utility. The following September, then-Police Chief Carlo Capano announced his retirement. In October, he took a job with the body camera company owned by Utility, working as a business manager for BodyWorn in the New England states and New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
"As Chief of Police with Manchester NH, I had the opportunity to implement the top technology in the industry and literally provide our officers with the best safety measures, while also answering to the communities (sic) needs and promoting transparency and accountability," Capano said in a post on his LinkedIn account at the time.
Capano left Utility in December 2021 and now is director of sales for Fusus, which supplies Manchester PD's surveillance technology, according to his LinkedIn page.
In 2022, a second evaluation of Axon equipment was conducted, with eight MPD officers taking part over a one-month period.
"As was the case in 2019, our officers overwhelmingly chose Axon as the superior product," Aldenberg said. "All eight officers in the trial strongly agreed that the department should transition from body worn to Axon. This means 15 out of 16 officers recommended Axon over Utility.
"Compared to other products, Axon cameras are easier to use, are durable, reliable, and are a very simple design. Simply put, this camera allows our officers to focus on their job and alleviates the constant and ongoing issues that have occurred with the Utility product."
Aldenberg said Manchester, "particularly of late, asks a great deal from our officers."
"They are regularly placed in life-threatening traumatic situations and expected to perform flawlessly," Aldenberg said. "For the past 40 months, our officers have been outfitted with the Utility product. The product has caused a great deal of frustration and angst due to constant performance issues. We are fortunate to have some of the best law enforcement officers in the country. They sacrifice and perform for our citizens on a daily basis. They deserve a top tier body worn product, which is what Axon provides."
Aldenberg said the city could achieve cost savings of roughly $77,000 per year with the change.
The three contracts — for cameras, tasers and digital evidence management — would cost the city $4.2 million for six years.
Mayoral endorsements
The race for Manchester mayor is picking up steam, with candidates recently announcing several key endorsements.
Ward 2 Alderman Will Stewart announced he has been endorsed by 12 current and former state officials: former Ward 12 Alderman Patrick Arnold, former alderman Tim Baines, school board member Jason Bonilla, state Rep. Lina DiSilvestro, former alderman Jerome Duval, Alderman Erin George-Kelly, school board member Nicole Leapley, former state rep. Israel Piedra, school board member Chris Potter, state Rep. David Preece, state Rep. Christine Seibert and former alderman Peter Sullivan.
Jay Ruais announced his mayoral run has been endorsed by Hillsborough County Attorney John J. Coughlin.
"As a former Judge, Marine Corps and Army veteran and the Elected Hillsborough County Attorney, I have full faith and confidence that Jay will successfully prioritize the safety and well-being of Manchester families," Coughlin said in a statement.
"He knows that a safe city allows for a prosperous city, and as mayor will work with anyone and everyone to deliver common-sense, long-term solutions to bring about a new day for Manchester," Coughlin said.
Ward 1 Alderman Kevin Cavanaugh previously announced he has received the endorsement of current Mayor Joyce Craig.
Voters will decide the Queen City's next mayor this fall.
The official filing period for the 2023 Manchester municipal election runs from 8 a.m. on Monday, July 10, to 5 p.m. on Friday, July 21.
The municipal primary election will be Sept. 19. Election Day is Nov. 7.
Paul Feely is the City Hall reporter for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Reach him at pfeely@unionleader.com
