Louisiana officials want to award Motorola a $54 million, no-bid contract for police technology including body cameras, dashcams and radios, but some lawmakers are raising concerns about a lack of public scrutiny on the deal.
“It shines a bad light that we’re rushing through something that is so important,” said state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette.
He said lawmakers should “hit the brakes” on the contract approval and instead hold a special hearing to review the details and give the public and other vendors a chance to weigh in.
That would bring more credibility to the deal and avoid the perception that state leaders are trying to “slide something in for Motorola,” Boudreaux said.
During a budget committee meeting Thursday, officials from and the Office of Technology Services, the statewide IT agency, told legislators that Motorola is offering big savings for the technology and that having one company provide all of the equipment will improve its functionality and public safety.
“What it’s gonna allow us to do is get much deeper discounts for state agencies, local sheriffs’ departments and local police departments for the same equipment that we all use, and it’s gonna lock us in at those discounts for 10 years,” said Evelina Broussard, chief information officer for the state.
What the contract is for
The is asking for permission from legislators to enter into a 10-year “sole source” contract with Motorola for portable radios, body cameras, dashcams, software that manages video streams and other data, and the statewide radio system used by various law enforcement agencies, according to a document provided to lawmakers summarizing the request.
The two-page document says Motorola is the only company that can offer all of the policing equipment together as one unified system, and Motorola’s “guaranteed discounts would result in approximately $40 million in savings.”
Several state agencies would be covered by the contract, including State Police, the Office of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Corrections, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and others, the summary says.
Broussard said the total value of the contract over 10 years is $54 million.
Her office is working toward finalizing the proposed contract, which should be ready for review by lawmakers next month, Broussard said.
Lt. Col. Robert Burns, chief administrative officer for Louisiana State Police, said the proposal would result in big savings for the state, technology that works better, and improvements to public safety.
Local police departments and sheriffs’ offices would not be required to use the Motorola equipment, though they would have the option, Burns said.
Lawmakers raise questions
Lawmakers pressed for more details on the rationale for the no-bid contract, however.
Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, said state officials should present options from other companies, provide a cost comparison, and detail why they are choosing to go with Motorola instead of other companies.
“I think it’s a valid question,” he said. “The public needs to know the answer.”
In the meantime, Burns acknowledged that state officials were essentially asking legislators to “take our word for it” that Motorola has the best offer.
The budget committee is allowed to vote as soon as next month to approve the deal, though it isn’t required to, said chairman Rep. Jack McFarland. He said whether they take a vote is contingent on first seeing a draft of the contract proposal and state officials’ addressing lawmakers’ concerns.
Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, said she is “definitely not inclined” to vote on the costly 10-year contract until they have more details.
A day earlier on Wednesday, a separate legislative committee that handles technology matters authorized the no-bid contract negotiations to proceed, a requirement under state law. That committee gave one day’s notice that it was taking up the Motorola contract.
Motorola’s current contract for the statewide radio system, the Louisiana Wireless Information Networks, is up in 2030.
However, a separate state contract for Axon body cameras and dashcams expired this year, and that gives officials a chance right now to negotiate a deal with Motorola to provide the radio system, cameras, and other software, which will save the state money, Burns said.