Green Bay, WI, officers are now equipped with Axon body cameras, with the assistance of the NFL's Packers. (Photo: Green Bay Packers)
The Green Bay Packers have teamed with their home city of Green Bay, WI, to support the Green Bay Police Department's purchase of body cameras and software from Axon.
Green Bay's five-year agreement with Axon is for the hardware, software and training included in the company's Officer Safety Plan. Total value is $3.6 million. The Packers' contributions, at a combined value of more than $926,000, include more than $757,000 in direct support to the city of Green Bay, as well as an additional $170,000 in discounts based on the team's involvement in this important initiative. After additional savings realized through bundled services and additional discounts, the cost to Green Bay is approximately $1.95 million, with the bulk of those payments made in the latter four years of the agreement.
Axon's Officer Safety Plan includes body cameras, in-car cameras, TASER devices, and a five-year subscription to several products and software features on the Axon network, including secure cloud-based digital evidence and records management, as well as de-escalation tools and training
"As an organization, we are committed to using our platform and providing resources to help achieve racial equity and social justice," said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. "In conversations with our players, community partners and elected officials, we determined that supporting this purchase would complement our many other efforts to address injustices in our communities of color. The cameras will also help the police perform their duties more effectively and benefit the local community. We are proud to be working with Green Bay and Axon to bring this technology to our city in order to enhance public safety and affect meaningful change."
The Green Bay Police Department will also roll out Axon's Replay Coaching feature to help officers learn and improve from real experiences in the field the same way an athlete or medical practitioner would. Developed as a part of Axon's Sprint for Justice initiative, the coaching tool enables officers to request feedback on any incident captured on their body-worn camera from agency-designated coaches. Supervisors are then prompted to review the footage with the officer to provide feedback or recommend additional coaching such as empathy or mental health response training, to help promote a culture of ongoing learning and development.
"We are immensely grateful to the Green Bay Packers for again demonstrating their commitment to this community and for supporting our efforts to bring greater transparency and accountability to policing," said Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich. "This is a major step towards strengthening public safety, and I am honored to lead a community where organizations like ours can come together for the greater good of Green Bay."
"I am confident that Axon's technology will help our department better serve Green Bay, not only by helping increase our efficiency and performance, but also by letting community members know they are protected with livestream body cameras that alert our agency of escalated incidents," said Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith. "We serve to build trust, safety and a higher quality of life for everyone here in Green Bay and we're thankful for the Packers' contribution."
"We're excited to work with the Packers and the Green Bay Police Department to reach one common goal – protecting life," said Axon CEO and founder Rick Smith. "It's inspiring to partner with organizations across industries to make a real change when it comes to racial equity, diversity, and inclusion in our society. Body cameras are a critical component of transparency and performance in law enforcement and we believe this technology can help bridge the relationship between police and communities."
The Packers continue to work with Brown County and the village of Ashwaubenon as they evaluate similar purchases.
