The Port Orchard Police Department is expanding its use of body-worn cameras after staff increases necessitated a new contract.

The POPD began to phase in the new system in 2022 under a contract that supplied body cameras, tasers, associated technology and a five-year maintenance agreement. The contract has been amended four times to account for increased staffing, police chief Matt Brown said.

“We already have these, and we needed another group of them to equip the additional officers we’ve hired and future officers we hire,” Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu added.

The City Council authorized a new five-year, $408,000 contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. from 2025-2029 at its meeting Aug. 13. The city will pay just shy of $89,000 in the contract’s first year, but the annual price will fall to approximately $79,700 for the final four years. Components of the contract include tasers, licenses for all staff, redaction software and virtual-reality training.

Brown spoke highly of the program. “This system allows us to manage officer behavior much better as well as community expectations,” he said. “A number of peer review studies have shown that not only uses of force but complaints about officer behavior have gone down.”

Having footage from the cameras also allows the department to easily refute or deal with claims of misconduct.

The POPD is budgeted for 27 officers. The purchase of 31 cameras, as written by Brown in city documents, was recommended to account for the effects of wear and tear or damage and to account for anticipated staffing growth.