Rialto Expands Police Surveillance Network With $1.25M Axon Deal, 100+ Intersection Cameras

More than 100 cameras are expected to be installed across Rialto’s intersections following the City Council’s July 28 approval of a $1.25 million amendment to the police department’s existing Axon contract. The amendment adds body-worn and patrol vehicle cameras and over 100 hardware devices to integrate publicly and privately owned security systems with the department’s “real-time intelligence network,” allowing officers access to participating camera feeds. 

Connect Rialto, a voluntary program that allows residents and businesses to share private security camera feeds with police through Fusus — Axon’s cloud-based real-time public safety and intelligence platform — drew late-night media mockery from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. However, while Oliver’s satirical segment claimed that Rialto mandates Fusus integration for new businesses, city officials said the program has always been opt-in. Even so, the city is in the process of clarifying its language. 

Last November, the council approved a nine-year $14 million contract with Axon Enterprise Inc., formerly TASER International, for the Officer Safety Plan 10 (OSP 10). That initial contract included AI-assisted upgrades, including the Drone-as-First-Responder (DFR) program through Axon Air, license plate readers, body-worn and in-car cameras, video analysis and digital evidence tools.

The $1,248,835.06 amendment expands the city’s existing agreement with Axon under its OSP 10 package, enhancing the department’s Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC), adding 30 Axon Body 4 cameras, 20 Axon Fleet 3 cameras and 115 Axon Fusus Core devices, along with related hardware, software licenses, storage and warranties. 

Rialto recently approved 113 safety cameras for key intersections across the city. According to Rialto Chief of Police Mark Kling, the majority of the 115 incoming Fusus Core devices will power these intersection cameras.

 “They’re going to be used primarily . . . for the integration of these intersection cameras,” Kling said in a follow-up interview with Inland Empire Community News (IECN). “They are not Flock cameras. They are not [automatic license plate readers].”

During the July 28 meeting, Kling told the council the additional equipment is needed to replace aging units and outfit a growing department. 

IECN emailed Kling for additional details. 

He said the 30 additional body-worn cameras reflect “current staffing needs and the Department’s existing equipment requirements,” clarifying that departmental policy requires “field personnel — including sworn personnel and designated professional staff,” to wear body cameras. He added that five staff positions were added to accommodate the city’s expanded jail services and that the remaining body-worn cameras will replace the department’s older “Axon Body 3 camera system.”

“The 20 additional fleet cameras similarly address both existing and anticipated needs,” Kling wrote. “Five of the cameras will outfit vehicles purchased during the prior fiscal year that have not yet been equipped. The remaining cameras are intended for additional vehicles anticipated in upcoming fleet purchases during the current 2026-27 fiscal year.”

To date, 75 local businesses participate in the Fusus network, 38 of which joined through outreach, with another 37 joining through the city’s “developmental review process.”

“Initially, participating businesses purchased their own Fusus Core devices,” Kling said. “As the program developed, the Department recognized that many smaller businesses wanted to participate but could not easily afford the equipment,” prompting the department to secure funding to provide the devices at no cost to voluntary participants. 

Following equipment- and program-specific details, Kling elaborated on the Fusus system’s effectiveness, citing a May 15 armed robbery at the Ampm at 1916 N. Riverside Ave. 

“Three suspects entered the business, one of whom was armed with a handgun,” Kling said. “Because the business was integrated with Fusus, Department personnel were able to immediately access available camera feeds and distribute suspect images and information to responding officers and investigators. All three suspects were apprehended approximately 15 minutes after the robbery.”

Kling added that while the “Department does not view Fusus as a replacement for traditional police work,” this “type of efficiency is difficult to capture through arrest statistics alone.”

When speaking to the council, Kling described Fusus as the “21st century edition of neighborhood and business watch,” saying participating businesses decide which cameras they allow officers access to.  

The Fusus Core purchase would expand the department’s ability to integrate participating publicly and privately owned cameras into the department’s RTCC. 

Privacy advocates have raised concerns about police departments integrating privately owned cameras into real-time surveillance networks. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil liberties organization, has argued that Fusus expands police access to people videoed by private cameras who have not consented to that access. They have called for audits and clear restrictions on when officers can access footage and for how long footage can be retained. 

According to the staff report, “businesses, schools, houses of worship, critical infrastructure locations, and other community stakeholders” can voluntarily integrate their cameras into the department’s “real-time intelligence” system while retaining control over their cameras and choosing their level of participation. Rialto has used the Fusus platform since 2020.

However, a recent segment on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver explored police surveillance technology in Rialto and claimed that the city has tied commercial permit approvals to Fusus integration. 

“Rialto, California, has made starting a business contingent on signing up with Fusus . . .” Oliver said. 

He cited the city’s Certificate of Occupancy guidelines, which state that “Exterior security cameras shall be accessible to the Rialto Police Department through Fusus hardware and application.”

In a follow-up interview, IECN spoke with Kling about Oliver’s claim and the city’s commercial permitting policy. 

According to Kling, the city’s municipal code requires that certain industrial, commercial or conditional use properties install exterior cameras, although Fusus integration is wholly voluntary. 

“We have never denied a business from opening who refused to install a Fusus device,” Kling said. 

No residents spoke on the item during the July 28 meeting. 

Council Member Karla Perez moved to approve the amendment, saying she had seen how the technology “has benefited the community as well as our officers throughout the years.” Mayor Joe Baca Sr. seconded the motion, which passed without opposition. 

IECN later spoke with Mayor Joe Baca Sr. about the city’s security advancements. 

“Fusus, I think, is very important,” Baca said. “It’s a new direction, and I believe that our police officers should be equipped with the best kind of equipment and technology that’s available,” adding that the system increases efficiency. 

“It’s a way of keeping our community a lot safer, but it’s optional,” Baca said. 

Despite the language in the city’s Certificate of Occupancy guidelines, Baca’s claim mirrors the police department’s position that Fusus integration is voluntary. Kling acknowledged the confusion. 

“I can see how people can get confused,” Kling said, “but there is no mandatory requirement that [states] businesses are not going to be able to open up in the city of Rialto if they do not go with Fusus.”

Kling said the city is in the process of clarifying its language, adding that while partnering with Connect Rialto will remain opt-in, businesses will soon be required to learn about the system.