From Triple-A to the Major League: How West Sacramento scaled real-time public safety with Axon Fusus

The challenge

When the City of West Sacramento learned that Sutter Health Park, home of the Sacramento River Cats, would be temporarily hosting the Athletics Major League Baseball (MLB) team for the next several seasons, public safety operations had to scale quickly. West Sacramento was going to be an MLB city — and that meant stepping up to the plate when it came to public safety technology.

What had been a beloved minor league venue for the Triple-A-affiliate baseball team of the San Francisco Giants would now become a shared stage for more than 150 MLB games in a six-month stretch, bringing in thousands of fans, increased traffic and elevated public safety risks. With more events and more people, the West Sacramento Police Department needed a quick way to scale up coordination and response.

Adding to the challenge was the geographical location of the stadium. Sutter Health Park sits along the riverfront of West Sacramento, directly across from Sacramento. Criminals often exploit this seamless jurisdictional flow by fleeing across city lines and committing crimes that involve both cities. Managing large-scale, high-profile events in an area where criminal activity could cross city boundaries was a unique challenge that necessitated a scalable solution.

[Hosting the Athletics] reemphasized the importance of using technology to protect that area

- Lieutenant Jason Winger, West Sacramento Police Dept.

The solution: A real-time ecosystem powered by Axon Fusus

Even before the Athletics came to town, the West Sacramento Police Department had already taken an innovative approach to gaining realtime situational awareness through technology. Instead of building a traditional centralized real-time crime center (RTCC), the team used Axon Fusus in a distributed model to give staff real-time visibility without needing to be in a command center. “We empower our staff to use [Fusus] in the field or at their desk,” said Lieutenant Jason Winger. This allowed staff to review feeds from trusted sources in a unified real-time view from wherever they were, ultimately enabling the agency to address areas of concern more quickly and support officers out in the field.

Axon Fusus provides the department with a holistic, real-time operational picture. From patrol vehicles to command desks, the platform connects license plate reader (LPR) data, body-worn and dash camera feeds (Axon-integrated), drone video, tip lines and public and private camera feeds, and enables all of this data to be managed in one place.

Following the announcement that the Athletics would be playing in West Sacramento, the department decided to supplement its decentralized RTCC model with a physical space near the stadium. An area in a nearby residential complex was easily converted into a real-time operations center to support game-day needs. This mini command center enables live monitoring of the stadium, surrounding areas and key intersections, while allowing for collaboration with River Cats and Athletics security teams. “This allows us to maximize our resources...Fusus gives us a holistic view of all aspects related to traffic and public safety in and around the stadium,” Lt. Winger explained.

By partnering with local organizations and agencies to bring more camera feeds into their operating picture, the West Sacramento Police Department expanded visibility and accelerated investigations. With Fusus’ interagency collaboration workflows and integrations, the agency could also draw on the City of Sacramento’s nearby camera network during events. This mutual trust and collaboration has yielded positive results for both cities, especially during cross-jurisdictional events like Ironman California or races that use the Tower Bridge corridor.

Having those relationships helps [create] a shared vision of a safer community

- Lieutenant Jason Winger, West Sacramento Police Dept.

Public safety benefits when agencies can combine their resources to create outsized impact.

The results: Safer games, smarter responses

Thanks to Axon Fusus, the West Sacramento Police Department can now:

• Rapidly identify threats or suspicious vehicles before, during and after games

• Empower staff across ranks to act as real-time operators from the field or their desks

• Streamline evidence collection into Axon Evidence, saving hours of redundant administrative work

• Leverage community partnerships through a secure, auditable camera registry program

• Deploy resources dynamically based on traffic overlays and live incident feeds

Even during routine incidents like hit-and-runs, community service officers who aren’t on scene can still identify suspect vehicles, track direction of travel and pull footage from nearby cameras. That data routes directly into Axon Evidence, helping resolve cases faster without tying up patrol resources.

Privacy remains front and center. Third-party camera access is controlled through clear usage agreements and audit logs, giving the community confidence that footage is used responsibly and transparently.

Looking ahead: Building a big-league tech future

For Lt. Winger, this isn’t just a short-term solution — it’s the beginning of a smarter, more connected future.

“Fusus has been easy for our staff to learn. I’m excited to continue to grow [our] technology assets… it will minimize workload on our staff and provide a more expedient response to any situation that develops,” he explained.

The West Sacramento Police Department is building a model that can scale, that respects privacy and that helps create a safer, more responsive public safety environment — not just for game days, but for every day. As West Sacramento continues to grow and host major events, Axon Fusus will remain central to its strategy of turning complexity into clarity and delivering big-league safety, no matter the setting.

For agencies facing similar challenges, West Sacramento PD’s playbook is worth following. Real-time clarity is something departments can achieve today.

To learn more about how your agency can protect more lives in more places with Axon Fusus, visit axon.com/fusus or contact your Axon representative.