Tumwater Police Department to select vendor for body cameras 

The Tumwater Police Department is going to select a vendor for its body camera program this week, according to an update by police staff to the Tumwater Public Health and Safety Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 14. 

Sergeant John Kenderesi, who handles procurement for the department, said only two companies are being considered.

The department initially reviewed proposals from six companies, but trimmed its options after conducting a needs assessment involving union members, the Information Technology  Department and front office staff.  

Kenderesi said the department is currently consulting with other police agencies and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office to learn about the challenges they have encountered with the two systems before finalizing its pick. 

A presentation by Tumwater Police Department Chief Jay Mason to the committee outlined the department’s timeline following the selection of the vendor. 

By the end of October, the department plans to hold a final demonstration with command staff and conduct field testing.  

In November, police leadership should begin negotiating with the union on issues related to body camera use and start drafting a camera policy.  

The department aims to complete negotiations with the union by December, before finalizing a purchase contract in January. 

Procurement is expected to take 60 to 90 days before installation begins. While that moves forward, Mason said the department plans to hold public presentations and community open houses to discuss body cameras and gather feedback. 

Dahlhoff displeased with timeline 

The timeline envisions the department deploying the cameras after June 2026, which City Council member Leatta Dahlhoff was not content with. Dahlhoff represents the council on the committee.

Dahlhoff questioned why the department was not using a state-endorsed contract to speed up procurement, especially since neighboring jurisdictions are already using that contract. 

Mason said one of the two vendors they are considering comes from the statewide cooperative contract with contractors, but emphasized the need to identify the best system for the community.  

He added the contract was bid around two years ago, and new technology has since become available. 

“We just think, when we're going to spend well over a million dollars of our taxpayer money, that we want to make sure we do our due diligence and make sure we're doing the right thing,” Mason said. 

Dahlhoff maintained her stance, saying she wasn’t happy with the department’s timeline. 

“I'm not understanding why we're not using the one vendor that went through and met all their criteria,” Dahlhoff said. “I hear what you're saying — I get it. I'm just not happy with the timeline, but it is what it is.”