Knoxville council approves $27.6 million Axon contract for cameras, records system and real‑time center

Knoxville City Council on Jan. 14 approved a contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. to provide body‑worn cameras, in‑car video, cloud management, a modern records management system and software to operationalize a real‑time information center at a cost not to exceed $27,582,300.18.

The contract was presented as a five‑year base agreement with an option to renew for an additional roughly 6½ years (an 11½‑year maximum). Boyce Evans, the city chief financial officer, told council the total figure is approximately $27.6 million rolled across the full contract term and equates to roughly $2.39 million per year after accounting for expected grant offsets.

Why it matters: Councilmembers and members of the public debated privacy, oversight and cost. Supporters including downtown business leaders and the police department said the bundled contract would modernize aging systems (the city’s records management system dates to 2010), improve evidence handling and speed investigators’ access to footage. Opponents — community advocates and civil‑liberties groups — urged caution, asked for…