The project will resurface about 40 lane miles of city streets and is expected to be completed within 100 working days.
Council unanimously approves ordinance to modernize definitions, enforcement and owner responsibilities
The city says Downtown Morning Market returns March 7. A survey found nearby businesses saw mostly neutral or positive impacts.
Five-year agreement aims to speed evidence sharing, expand drone response and reduce staff workload
REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands City Council unanimously approved a five-year, $3.54 million agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. on Dec. 16 to replace the Police Department’s body-worn cameras and significantly expand its digital evidence and drone response capabilities.
Why it matters: Police officials say the agreement addresses long-standing inefficiencies in how digital evidence is collected, stored and shared, particularly with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. This technology is also intended to improve officer safety, response times and accountability.
Details: The contract replaces all 110 existing body-worn cameras and licenses and moves the department onto Axon’s integrated evidence platform.
Of the first-year costs, approximately $254,000 will be paid using asset forfeiture funds, with the remaining $454,000 coming from the General Fund. Ongoing costs beyond the first year will be requested through the Police Department’s next biennial budget, according to staff.
The agreement includes:
Police Chief Rachel Tolber said bundling the products reduced overall costs compared to purchasing them separately.
Drone program: The agreement also expands Redlands’ existing drone program into a Drone as First Responder model. The three Skydio X10 drones will be stationed in secure docking stations on city-owned rooftops and operated remotely from the police communications center.
According to staff, the system is designed to provide near citywide coverage with response times under two minutes. The drones will support police, fire and other city departments, including responses to structure fires, rescues, infrastructure emergencies and disaster scenes.
Background: Since 2022, the department has operated 110 body-worn cameras under a different vendor. Under that system, officers must physically dock cameras at the station to upload footage, creating an average two-week delay before evidence can be shared with prosecutors.
Discovery requests and public records responses require manual downloads and redactions, contributing to staff strain and overtime. Police staff process roughly 1,441 video evidence or discovery requests each year, with each request taking more than an hour to complete.
Because the current system is incompatible with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Axon-based platform, evidence must be manually transferred between systems, further slowing prosecutions and increasing the risk of errors.
City Staff noted in the agenda that the new system will allow prosecutors secure access to recordings within hours rather than weeks.
What they’re saying: Several council members raised questions about privacy protections related to drone use.
Police officials said drone cameras face upward during routine travel and are only activated when responding to an incident. All flights are recorded, allowing post-incident review if concerns arise.
Council members also asked about automatic license plate readers. Police said the department currently operates 55 ALPR units and will use the 10 additional demo cameras to evaluate integration with the Axon platform before deciding whether to expand or replace existing systems.
“This is money well spent,” Council Member Paul Barich said. “It protects the public. It protects our safety officers. And this is going to be a pleasure to vote yes on”
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