Gardner council approves multi-year Axon agreement to replace body and in-car cameras, tasers and drone systems

The Gardner City Council approved a multi-year agreement with Axon that will replace and upgrade the city’s police technology, including body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, interview-room cameras, Taser 10 devices and drone software.

City police leaders told the council the proposal goes beyond a device-only upgrade offered by other vendors and includes interoperability with neighboring agencies, scheduled equipment refreshes and ongoing software and technical support under a five-year payment plan. “They’re no longer being covered under warranty,” the police chief said of the current devices, describing them as past end of life and prone to failure in critical encounters. He added the Axon system would allow Gardner officers to view shared GPS and camera feeds with neighboring departments during multi-agency responses.

The chief explained the Axon package covers roughly 40 officer body cameras and 13 in‑car units in the initial contract and includes replacement Tasers and an interview-room camera system. Ongoing annual support and software services are part of the agreement and staff said upgrades are scheduled during the five-year cycle. Council members pressed staff on cost comparisons and scope during questions, asking whether the city had solicited competitive bids and what the difference was between a Motorola-only upgrade and Axon’s full package; staff said the Motorola option would only replace body-worn devices and would not include in‑car cameras, interview rooms, taser replacements or a drone package.

Supporters on the council cited safety and liability considerations; a councilmember said the technology could improve officer oversight and coordination during pursuits or large incidents. The council approved the contract as part of the consent agenda.

The contract includes equipment replacements, software and support; council members asked staff to confirm how additional officers or patrol cars would be accommodated under the pricing if the force or fleet grows. The chief said the vendor would honor contract pricing for additions and that the city has some headroom in staffing counts but would add units as personnel increase. The city clerk recorded the consent motion and vote approving the agreement.

Staff said the project was budgeted previously and will be administered by the police department and city administration. The council did not set a separate implementation date during the meeting; staff will return with procurement paperwork and final contract documents as required by city purchasing rules.