Twin Falls Police | The city's body cameras
Sixty Axon body cameras, in service since spring 2017, bought with a Department of Justice matching grant and a competitive bid. One of the few camera purchases in this county that went to open competition.
At a glance
- How many cameras
- 60 Axon Body 2 cameras [1]
- How it was bought
- A competitive bidding process during 2016, which Axon won [1]
- Who paid
- A Department of Justice matching funds grant, awarded October 2015 [1]
- In service
- Full implementation completed in spring 2017 [1]
- A written policy
- Yes. Twin Falls PD Policy 450, published, updated 15 March 2025 [1]
- Price
- No figure appears on the city page that records the program
How it happened
- Decision
An open bid, won by Axon
The city runs a competitive bidding process during 2016 to meet the department's needs. Axon is awarded the bid. [1]
- Decision
A federal matching grant
The department is awarded a matching funds grant from the Department of Justice for the implementation of body worn cameras. The city records that it sought insight from the community and from strategic partners to help develop policy and procedures. [1]
- Deployment
Sixty cameras in service
Full implementation of the 60 Axon Body 2 cameras is completed in spring 2017. [1]
The oldest documented camera program in this county is also the one that went to open competition.
The Twin Falls Police Department was awarded a Department of Justice matching funds grant in October 2015. The city ran a competitive bid through 2016, Axon won it, and 60 Axon Body 2 cameras were fully in service by spring 2017. The city records that it sought insight from the community and from strategic partners while developing the policy and procedures, and it publishes the resulting policy, last updated in March 2025.
Set that beside the two larger systems documented here. The plate readers arrived on a vendor’s order form. The Sheriff’s in-car cameras arrived on a sole source finding. The body cameras, the oldest of the three, arrived on a bid.
Nothing follows from that about anyone’s motives. It is simply the case that the procurement rules loosened as the technology moved from recording officers to recording the public, and the record in this county shows it happening in that order.
What we do not know
- What did the cameras cost, and what does the city pay now to store the footage?
- How long is the footage kept? The city's page records the program and the policy but no retention figure.
What you can do
Show up
Systems like this one are approved by boards, councils and committees that meet in public. We have confirmed where each of them meets in Twin Falls County and how public comment works there.
How to show up in Twin Falls County →Protect yourself
Practical steps to shrink your personal data trail. Our guides publish at launch; until then, EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense is the best starting point.
Surveillance Self-Defense →Sources
- 1. City of Twin Falls Body Worn Cameras page · Primary document · accessed
- 2. Twin Falls Police Department Body Worn Camera Policy 450 · Primary document · · accessed
Get the digest
A regular digest of what changed in the world of surveillance: the counties we published, the devices that appeared on the map, and the public meetings where these decisions get made. We send it when there is enough to report.
One click to unsubscribe. What we do with your address is on the newsletter page.