How Oklahoma City Police Department transformed records management with Axon Records

At a glance

• Agency size: 1,200+ sworn

• Population served: 700,000+ citizens over 620 square miles

• Challenge: Legacy RMS that operated separately from other systems creating silos and fragmented workflows

• Solution: Implemented Axon Records, the next-generation RMS built for the AI era that connects reports, digital evidence, case management, and more in one connected platform

• Results:

  • Report-writing time cut from hours to minutes, giving officers more time in the community

  • Connected data across reports, digital evidence, and cases, enabling faster case closure and more informed decisions

  • Customizable workflows tailored to agency needs, providing technology that adapts to unique processes and remains future-ready

  • Greater efficiency, accuracy, and confidence across reporting workflows, reducing administrative burden and empowering agency-wide collaboration

A unified, intelligent RMS built for the scale and speed of modern policing

For any law enforcement agency, technology should never stand in the way of the mission to protect and serve. It should strengthen it. When Oklahoma City Police Department (OKC PD) realized its legacy records management system could no longer keep up with the evolving demands of modern policing, leaders began searching for a solution that could bring every report, workflow, and piece of digital evidence together in one place, making technology easier to use and giving officers more time back to serve their community.

The challenge

As OKC PD advanced its digital transformation, one challenge became clear: too many systems and not enough connection. Records, property, evidence, and other key data lived in separate tools that did not communicate, creating barriers to collaboration and slowing the flow of information across the agency.

Captain Jason Bussert, who oversees IT for the department, knew how disconnected systems could affect both efficiency and morale. “My worst fear is officers getting frustrated with what they’re using, and that carries over into how they interact with citizens,” he said. “I want them to not even think about technology. It should just work so they can focus on helping people.”

To make that vision a reality, Captain Bussert and his team began the search for a records management system that could unify everything the department relied on. “We were looking for something that didn’t really exist yet,” he said. “We needed a platform that could integrate every system so our officers could focus on serving the community instead of fighting technology.”

Most vendors offered siloed systems that did not work together as one. “Axon was the only one building everything on top of digital evidence,” Captain Bussert said. “In today’s age, digital evidence is so critical it has to seamlessly interact with all the software we use every day.”

The solution

After an extensive search, OKC PD selected Axon Records, a next-generation RMS built from the ground up around digital evidence. The decision reflected more than a need for a new software. It was a commitment to create one connected foundation for reporting, case management, and evidence across the entire agency.

Axon Records immediately became the hub of the department’s ecosystem, integrating directly with Axon Evidence to connect reports with video, photos and other digital files so officers can link evidence directly to a case without switching between tools.

Homicide Detective Lauren Cunningham saw the impact immediately. “In old systems that didn’t communicate with one another, we had to go into each system and hope we could find what we needed,” she said. “Now it’s all integrated. I can find more information quickly, and I don’t have to rely on someone else to pull it.”

Axon’s hands-on approach also stood out to the department. Captain Bussert described the deployment as “the smoothest go-live we’ve ever had with any software product.” His team worked side by side with Axon to configure workflows, convert tens of millions of records, and make sure the system was ready from day one without disruption. “We had zero downtime, and Axon was in the trenches with us every step of the way,” he said.

The new platform unified every major system OKC PD relied on, from body-worn and in-car video to property and evidence and so much more, all built on top of Axon’s secure, cloud-based architecture. It marked the first time all of the department’s systems worked together seamlessly.

The results

With Axon Records deployed, OKC PD has transformed how officers, detectives, analysts, and leadership work. The connected system now simplifies reporting, strengthens investigations, and saves officers valuable time every shift.

For officers: less time on paperwork, more time in the community

• Connected records: Reports are easier to complete with dynamic reporting that helps reduce duplicative data entry. “It’s intuitive and easy to use,” said Officer Zach Lucas. “When I collect information on someone, we are able to hold those records and continue to compile information under the same individual so we can have patterns and track things.”

• AI-powered efficiency: Tools like Draft One generate first-draft narratives directly from body-worn camera transcripts, cutting report-writing time from hours to minutes. “What used to take our officers an hour and a half or two hours now takes about fifteen minutes; it’s a game changer,” said Captain Bussert.

For detectives: surface more information for faster case closure

• Seamless access to evidence: Native integration with Axon Evidence gives detectives instant visibility into case evidence. “When I first get a case, I can pull it up and all this evidence that I would’ve originally had to go search for is just there,” said Detective Cunningham. “It is naturally there in the system.”

• Collaborative case management: Case tasks and notifications help keep everyone aligned and accountable throughout an investigation. “I get notifications when someone does work on my case or adds new evidence, so I’m not missing out on things,” Detective Cunningham said. “That is a really great feature that allows everybody to communicate effectively about how cases are being managed.”

For analysts: connected systems that simplify insight and access

• Real-time visibility: With reports and case data connected in one system, analysts can surface insights faster to support officers in the field. “It’s helpful for officers to have additional context. We can look up call history by address or phone number to see if there’s anything relevant the officer might need to know,” said Senior Crime Analyst Hailey Stroud.

• Unified infrastructure: “From the officer who creates a body-worn camera recording, that recording goes into his report in Records, and evidence captured with the mobile app, all that ties together,” says IT Analyst Aaron Bacon. “It makes life so much easier because officers have one login to access everything and don’t have to go to a different place to get records.”

For leadership: adaptable technology and connected operations

• Configurable for any need: Axon Records gives agencies the flexibility to configure their system as reporting requirements continuously evolve. “With every department there are unique forms, processes, and workflows,” said Captain Bussert. “Axon has given us the ability to create whatever form we need and design the workflows that go with it. And they did a great job of getting it to work like we wanted it to work.”

• Integrations across systems: Axon Records integrates with CAD systems to push information both ways, pushing incident details from CAD to Records and sending information stored in Records back to CAD. “We wanted critical information of what’s going on at an address so we are dispatching the right resources and officers are prepared as they approach that address,” said Captain Bussert. “That way, with the right information, we get the best outcome for the call.”

The future

For OKC PD, adopting Axon Records was never just about replacing an old system. It was about building a foundation that could evolve with new technology, new data, and the growing demands of modern policing. That foundation is already paying off.

The biggest impact Axon Records has had for us is efficiency. We’ve been able to do things considerably faster, more effectively, and more accurately than we ever have in the past.

— Captain Bussert, Oklahoma City Police Department

With AI-powered tools like Draft One already transforming how officers complete reports, OKC PD sees a future where technology continues to simplify paperwork, connect information across teams, and strengthen outcomes for the entire agency.

The same vision is guiding the future of Axon Records. As more agencies modernize their operations, Axon Records will continue to serve as the next-generation RMS at the center of the Axon ecosystem to unite digital evidence and records management. The goal is to give every user, from patrol to command, faster access to the information they need to make more informed decisions and close cases with confidence.

Captain Bussert believes the next phase of innovation will come from intelligent systems that bring data together faster than ever before. “Axon has done their due diligence to create AI tools, and AI will be able to do things that we can only imagine,” he said. “The next five years is going to be a really exciting time to be in law enforcement.”

For Axon and forward-thinking agencies like OKC PD, the future of records management is intelligent, integrated, and built to keep officers focused on what matters most: protecting and serving their communities.

Build your foundation for the future

To learn more about Axon Records, the first RMS born in the AI era, register for our webinar here. Join to hear from Axon leaders how Axon Records is redefining what is possible. Learn how a connected, cloud-native system built in the AI era helps agencies streamline reporting, accelerate investigations, and strengthen the outcomes across every stage of justice.