The Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation has pledged $798,000 over a three-year period to help the town’s police department expand public and officer safety technology and initiatives.
On Tuesday, the Town Council awarded a $2.1 million, five-year contract to Axon Enterprises for replacement of the department’s Taser platform, expansion of its Real Time Crime Center capabilities, and advancement of artificial intelligence and drone and counter-drone technology.
Police Chief Nicholas Caristo said the department’s current Tasers are 10 years old and enable officers to fire only once before reloading. Under the new contract, the town will receive upgraded Tasers that can be fired 10 times before reloading.
Tasers are weapons that transmit electroshocks, via close contact or through projectiles, to incapacitate targeted personnel. Town Manager Kirk Blouin said they are generally a good de-escalation tool for preventing serious injury during confrontations between police officers and persons who are being arrested.
“The one-shot Tasers sometimes do not deploy correctly,” Blouin said. “The new ones can handle multiple offenders.”
Technological upgrades will enable the department to automatically deploy an officer’s body camera whenever he or she draws a Taser or firearm, Caristo said.
The department’s drone system will be expanded through the acquisition of three additional Axon drones to support patrol operations and the department’s Drone as First Responder program.
Other enhancements include installation of 10 Axon license-plate recognition cameras, implementation of virtual reality training equipment to support scenario-based de-escalation training, and replacement of body cameras with new models equipped with artificial intelligence. The new cameras will directly provide real-time translation in almost any language, Caristo said.
Council members said the new, more advanced equipment will keep the town at the edge of technological innovation.
“This program positions us to be well in front of other communities,” Council Member Bridget Moran said.
“I think this will make our community far safer,” said Council Member Julie Araskog.
Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Ogrodnick said the department is always looking for the best technology, and the police & fire foundation is constantly finding ways to support it.
“This is another way they are showing their commitment to keeping the community safe,” Ogrodnick told the Palm Beach Civic Association.
Rebecca Godwin, the foundation’s president and COO, said it is committed to strategic investments that strengthen operational readiness and enhance public and officer safety.
The foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 with the mission of supporting the town’s first responders and the community at large. It is led by its two co-founders – Chairman John F. Scarpa and Vice Chairman Tim Moran.
Scarpa has been a Civic Association director since 2013 and is a member of the non-profit organization’s Executive Committee.
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