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Gilroy council approves eight-year contract for Axon AI report-writing tool
Summary
The Gilroy City Council voted unanimously to authorize an eight-year, $499,233 master services and purchasing agreement with Axon Enterprises for Draft1, an AI tool that generates draft police reports from body-worn camera audio and video.
The Gilroy City Council on a 6-0 vote authorized the city administrator to enter an eight-year master services and purchasing agreement with Axon Enterprises Inc. for $499,233 to add Axon’s Draft1 report-writing software to the department’s existing evidence platform.
Council members said the tool, already piloted locally, could reduce time officers spend writing reports and increase time available for patrol and community engagement.
Acting Captain Brian Dutton, who presented the item, said Draft1 “offers a secure law-enforcement-specific solution” and is integrated with the department’s existing evidence.com platform. Dutton told the council a pilot with 23 patrol officers produced about 370 draft reports and that officers estimated saving “approximately 24 minutes per report.” He said the proposed contract is amortized over eight years at roughly $62,000 per year and that the annual cost is already included in the current two-year budget.
The council’s motion to approve the agreement was made by Councilmember Fugazi and seconded by Councilmember Bracco. The roll call tally was unanimous: Bracco, Klein, Fugazi, Hilton, Marks and Mayor Bozzo all voted yes.
Dutton and staff said officers remain responsible for reviewing and approving any Draft1 output; the system provides a first draft, not a final report. Dutton said training and implementation burdens should be low because staff already use the Axon platform and the system meets FBI CJIS security standards.
Council members asked about rollout timing, potential efficiency gains and fiscal impact. Dutton said the department is already using Draft1 and intends to expand its use soon. Staff estimated conservative annual labor savings of roughly $114,000 to $155,000 on the conservative scenario that 50–60% of eligible reports are generated with Draft1; that estimate factors payroll and related costs and was presented as an operational savings comparison, not as a personnel reduction guarantee.
The contract locks current pricing for eight years, staff told council, noting Axon’s costs have risen since the department first signed with the vendor. Councilmembers emphasized that officers and supervisors must continue to review all reports for accuracy.
The council approved the authorization and related purchasing documents by unanimous roll call. The city will proceed with contract execution and phased implementation under the police department’s direction.
