The Kenosha County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 5 approved a 10‑year contract with Axon Enterprise totaling $12,283,125 to modernize the sheriff’s office technology platform, including body and squad cameras, Taser devices, AI report‑drafting software, automated license‑plate recognition and cloud‑based digital evidence storage and management.

Supervisor Balsky, who presented the resolution, said the package would consolidate cameras, Tasers, evidence management and AI tools on “one integrated platform,” and noted finance had reviewed the fiscal structure: “hardware can be capitalized, software treated as an operating expense, and payments begin in 2027,” with no 2026 budget modification required. The board voted unanimously to approve the contract.

During discussion Supervisor Grady asked how long footage and evidence would be retained in Axon’s cloud. Chief Deputy Miller responded that, under the county’s contract, data would be retained throughout the term of the agreement and that the county is the owner of the data and would migrate records at contract end if needed. An Axon representative added, “The data would be retained throughout the term of the agreement. If you do terminate at the end of the agreement, we would hold that for roughly 30 days and work with you to transfer it.”

The county said the upgrade is intended to improve reliability, officer safety, evidence handling, interoperability with regional partners and crime‑solving capability. The contract description presented to the board also cited improved accountability and a reduced risk of litigation due to higher‑quality recordings.

The board recorded the contract total as $12,283,125 over ten years. Supervisor Balsky asked the board to approve the resolution; after discussion the motion passed unanimously. Payments are scheduled to begin in 2027; the county indicated hardware purchases could be capitalized while software costs would be treated as operating expenditures.

The board took no further action beyond approving the contract; no conditions or amendments were recorded in the meeting minutes.