Evanston committee advances seven-year Axon contract to council amid cost and data-control questions

The Evanston Finance & Budget Committee voted 7–0 on Nov. 11 to advance a proposed seven-year contract renewal with Axon for body-worn cameras, tasers and evidence-management services to the full City Council with a neutral recommendation.

Deputy Chief Jody Wright and Louis Gurrieth, the police department’s manager of budget and finance, told the committee the renewal would begin in 2026 and was quoted at roughly $5.8–$5.9 million over seven years. Staff said the proposal raises the department’s average annual cost to about $850,000 from about $500,000 under the current arrangement, and that the 2026 payment would be budget-neutral because that year’s funding had already been accounted for.

Why it matters: the contract covers technology and services that the department and state law increasingly expect — including body-worn cameras — but the proposed term and price drew sustained questions over vendor lock-in, the pace of technological change, and how the city controls access to stored evidence.

Wright described the department’s history with Axon, saying the city began piloting body-worn cameras in 2017 and completed full implementation in 2018. He told the committee the Axon suite includes body-worn…