The Dearborn Heights Police Department could get 70 new Axon T7 Tasers and 77 body worn cameras if the city council accepts a Department of Justice grant.
By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — The Police Department soon will get body worn cameras and an upgrade for its Tasers after both items were brought before City Council Feb. 8.
Police Chief Mark Meyers asked the council to accept a $172,000 grant from the Department of Justice for the body worn cameras and the purchase of 70 new Tasers.
The item to award the bid for the body cameras was removed from the meeting agenda to ensure the specific rules of the DOJ grant were being followed. When the original bid for the body cameras was put out, a grant wasn’t available.
“A grant came up and we’ve been awarded it, but in order to properly use the grant money, there are certain rules, laws and regulations that have to be followed,” Meyers said at the meeting. “Out of an abundance of caution, we want even our bid to be reviewed by the lawyers to make sure down the line, if we’re audited by the government, that they don’t say, ‘You have to give us this money back because you didn’t follow one of our rules.’”
Meyers said he worked with the city comptroller and attorney to review the rules. Corporation Counsel Gary Miotke said the bid should not be addressed in a public forum, and that an opinion — if a re-bid is needed or existing bids can be used — will be given.
When asked about the number of body cameras, Meyers said 77 officers would receive them.
“That will put every person on the road would be wearing body cameras unless they’re doing undercover investigations or inside work on the secure side of the Police Department,” he said.
At the same meeting, a Taser upgrade also was approved, allowing the department to have 70 new Axon T7 Tasers for patrol operations. The $252,000 cost for the purchase will come from the Police Department ammunition account and be paid through a payment plan through 2026.
The purchase includes the Tasers, holsters, necessary licenses, cartridges, targets and batteries. Axon is the single source provider of this type of law enforcement tool so a bid process wasn’t needed, Meyers said.
The department is updating its tasers to the T7 model from the Axon Taser X26 which is at its end of its life cycle. Meyers said Axon doesn’t make the X26 model anymore and the department is paying high rates to try to have them repaired when needed.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)