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Commission approves 10-year Axon contract for cameras, software and drones
Summary
The commission approved a decade-long contract with Axon Enterprise for body cameras, tasers, evidence-management software and 10 Skydio drones; staff said the package includes software upgrades, unlimited cloud storage and drone docks to be staged at selected fire stations.
The Brownsville City Commission on July 1 approved a 10-year contract with Axon Enterprise for body-worn cameras, taser units, cloud-based evidence management software, and 10 Skydio drones with docking stations.
City staff described the agreement as a continuation and expansion of existing equipment: the department has used Axon body cameras and Tasers previously and has integrated the Fusus platform for camera aggregation and its real-time crime center. The contract, as presented in meeting materials, includes hardware, software, unlimited cloud storage and access to future Axon AI products released during the contract term. The cost listed in the meeting packet is $12,574,049.53; the first-year payment was noted as budgeted at $990,000.
Police staff said the 10 drones are proposed to be stationed at several fire stations to maximize citywide coverage and allow quicker scene assessments; they described anticipated improvements in response time for drone-supported calls and a plan to use a mix of automated and piloted flights tied into dispatch. The presentation said the department currently has certified drone operators and that officers and dispatch would be able to request drone support for major incidents and collisions.
Commission discussion touched on operator staffing, deployment protocols, data storage and upgrades. An Axon representative explained the drones can operate autonomously to a pinned location and then be piloted on scene; staff said the department will implement policies and training as it deploys the technology.
Commissioner Pedro Cardenas moved to approve the contract and Commissioner Linda Macias seconded; the motion carried on a voice vote. City staff will bring a deployment and training schedule to the commission as part of implementation reporting.
