County approves 10‑year replacement and expansion plan for sheriff’s tasers; contract totals $3.1 million

Durham County commissioners approved, as part of the consent agenda, a 10‑year contract with Axon (listed as Accent Enterprise Inc. in the agenda materials) for replacement and additional taser equipment for the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. Manager Hager described the item (25‑05‑24) as a renewal and expansion of the department’s current lease/replacement program; the total 10‑year value presented to the board was $3,100,000.

What staff and the vendor said: Assistant County Manager Dwayne Brinson and sheriff’s staff said the county’s existing taser lease is coming to an end and the new agreement both provides device replacement and an increase in the number of devices (staff and the vendor cited an approximately 30 percent increase in device counts to support deputy and detention needs). Julian Brown, Axon’s senior regional manager, said the company structured a 10‑year renewal to lock current discounts and pricing, to provide a five‑year device refresh and to include new training products such as virtual‑reality modules for crisis intervention and use‑of‑force scenarios. Brown said the vendor’s pricing reflects inflation, higher production costs and a larger device count; he offered vendor calculations that locking pricing could yield multi‑year savings versus repeatedly renegotiating or re‑leasing equipment.

Questions from the board: Commissioner Jacobs asked for local and national data on when tasers reduce higher‑level force use and also asked for risk data and any local use‑of‑force metrics. She emphasized concerns about overuse and harm and asked staff to supply available local data and relevant national studies before the board completes final payment or implementation steps. The Axon representative offered to provide safety and training statistics and described VR training modules intended to increase de‑escalation skills. "We've built a plan to save your agency and your county money in the future by assuring today's discounts ... and provide a refresh after five years," Brown said.

Budget and timing: Staff said the county will appropriate annual payments; the presentation noted that the contract includes lease/financing elements and that the first year is included in this fiscal year’s budget. Assistant County Manager Dwayne Brinson identified the first‑year payment amount in the current budget as the amount that will be counted as year one of the contract (discussion referenced the annual appropriation line but not a single overall one‑time cash appropriation). Commissioners requested follow‑up on the county’s historical payment schedule for the current lease and asked staff to supply usage and safety data ahead of the next board meeting.

Outcome and follow‑up: The contract was included on the consent agenda and the consent agenda was approved by the board. Staff committed to provide additional information on prior usage, local safety and use‑of‑force outcomes, and national research on taser effects and risks.

Why it matters: The five‑ to ten‑year replacement plan updates devices used by deputies and detention staff, adds training components that the vendor says reduce risk, and increases the county’s device inventory. Commissioners requested clear local data about outcomes and attendant risk mitigation before additional implementation steps are taken.