Muskego police seek decade-long Axon deal and other 2026 capital items; council reviews Old Town Hall repairs

MUSKEGO, Wis. ' Police department leadership presented several capital requests for the 2026 budget and the Committee of the Whole reviewed a separate capital item for Old Town Hall repairs at the Sept. 9 meeting.

Axon and digital evidence Chief asked the committee to approve a multi-year approach to the department's contract with Axon, which provides body cameras, in-car (squad) cameras, Tasers and Evidence.com cloud storage. The chief described Axon as the department's primary vendor for these services and asked to renegotiate a consolidated 5- or 10-year agreement to achieve economies of scale and to lock renewal pricing and refresh cycles for cameras and evidence storage.

Chief emphasized the operational and liability benefits of cameras: "It's actually saved us a lot of money in the long run... every single citizen complaint we've been able to negate based upon the use of our either squad cameras or body cameras," he said.

Dispatch consoles and radios The department asked for earmarked funds to replace dispatch consoles running on legacy Windows 7 after a recent console failure required reimaging and temporary fixes. The chief described the request as an earmark to allow rapid replacement if another failure occurs.

Flock cameras and license-plate readers The chief proposed increasing the city's Flock camera footprint from seven cameras to nine; he described the cameras as investigative tools that have led to arrests and that the department has used in partnership with community donors in prior years. He noted an annual operating cost of approximately $3,000 per camera.

Forensics and specialized equipment - GreyKey and Faraday box: the department asked for funds to support phone-forensics capacity (GreyKey) and Faraday storage boxes to prevent remote wipes and radio transmission from seized phones. - Drones: the chief presented a request for interior/miniaturized drones intended for use in high-risk or hard-to-access indoor environments; he noted the department currently leverages the Suburban Critical Incident Team's drone resources but wanted more internal capacity for faster response. - Replacement rifles: the department proposed replacing specialty rifles purchased in 2013 that saw heavy use by the Suburban Critical Incident Team; the chief said weapons can be transitioned to patrol once replaced.

Old Town Hall repairs and PD demolition quotes Public works staff presented a capital item for Old Town Hall repairs including front steps, landing, handrails and masonry/paving bricks; the item was discussed as a safety and long-term maintenance issue with an estimated scope presented in the capital packet. During the capital discussion Alderman made a motion requesting staff provide demolition bids/quotes for the old police department at the Oct. 14 meeting; staff said prior estimates and a Phase I environmental review had already been prepared and would be resent on request. The Oct. 14 meeting is the committee's next scheduled Committee of the Whole session for continued budget discussion.

Procurement and timing Staff and alderpersons discussed procurement timing, the need to scope the Old Town Hall work (possible permanent paving vs. reusing memorial bricks) and how to sequence hazard surveys and formal bids for potential demolition of the old police station. No final contract awards or spending approvals were made; the items were submitted for capital budgeting and follow-up.

Ending: The committee received multiple department capital requests and directed staff to return with bids/quotes and budget-ready line items at future meetings. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.