Title
An Ordinance Amending Section 201 (General Penalty) of Part 2 (General Penalty) of Article 1 (Administration) of Chapter 1 (Administration, Personnel And Finance) of the Code of the City of Colorado Springs 2001, as amended, pertaining to a Police Department Technology Surcharge
Presenter:
Charae McDaniel, Chief Financial Officer
Deputy Chief John Koch, Colorado Springs Police Department
Frederick Stein, Senior Attorney, City Attorney's Office
Body
Summary:
Amendments to the City's Code sections to update the General Penalty to add a surcharge for certain criminal and traffic code violations, for the purpose of funding increasing technology expenses annually incurred by the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Background:
The Colorado Springs Police Department ("CSPD") seeks to improve funding for police technology through the implementation of a police technology surcharge for all convictions of non-AVIS and non-parking municipal traffic and criminal ordinance violations in Colorado Springs Municipal Court. This is due to the significant increase in police technology & electrical weapons system costs, many of which are either mandated by law or critical for law enforcement operations.
Over the previous five years, the Colorado legislature passed multiple 'police reform' statutes that mandated body worn camera technology for all police officers in Colorado. Additionally, CSPD continues facing staffing challenges due to national police recruiting and retention issues that have necessitated the implementation of additional technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness of police service.
In 2024, to provide increased public transparency, better address and defend lawsuits against the City regarding police conduct, and to comply with Colorado law mandating issuance/use of body worn cameras to all sworn police officers, CSPD signed a $25 million ten-year contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc. of Scottsdale, Arizona.
Axon provided CSPD with mar...
Click here for full text