Renton police present 10-year Axon contract plan, outline drones, AI and records changes

Renton Police presented a proposal to the City Council Committee of the Whole to extend and enhance the department’s Axon enterprise agreement for 10 years, through 2036, describing hardware and software upgrades the department says will modernize evidence, training and response workflows.

Deputy Chief Ryan Rutledge said the extension would lock in pricing and bring a suite of products including TASER 10 devices, expanded virtual-reality training, AI-assisted report drafting and transcription, a drone-as-first-responder program with Skydio docks, and integration of camera systems using the Fusus platform and Avigilon cameras. “We had the opportunity to extend and enhance our current Axon enterprise agreement, for 10 years,” Rutledge said. He added the plan emphasizes a “human in the loop” approach to AI and supervisory review of auto-generated reports.

The Nut Graf: City staff framed the package as a multi-year, cross-departmental procurement intended to increase officer efficiency, improve evidence-handling and expand real-time intelligence for incident response. Rutledge said the goal is faster investigations, better translations for multi-language interactions and improved training, while starting new tools slowly and with policy guardrails.

Key details and timing - Term: Deputy Chief Rutledge said the proposed extension would run through 2036 and include upgrades and enhancements during the contract term. - TASER 10: The department described the TASER 10 as having greater range (Rutledge cited up to about 45 feet) and multiple-shot capability intended to improve effectiveness and reduce injuries. - Training: The presentation included expanded virtual-reality training tied to the TASER 10, aiming for more repetitions and scenario practice focused on de-escalation, trauma and mental-health responses. - AI and transcription: The contract would add unlimited transcription of body-worn-camera audio and an AI tool (described as RAPT/auto-draft) to generate incident-report drafts from those transcriptions; Rutledge stressed officers must review and attest to AI-generated content. “It’s their written word,” he said of reports based on AI drafts. - Drones and detection: The department detailed a Drone-First-Responder program with Skydio X10 drones stored in nine docks at four city locations, plus a counter-drone detection trailer to identify unauthorized pilots. Staff said current capabilities allow detection and contact but not active mitigation (such as disabling a drone) without additional training, certification and legal authority. - Evidence systems and camera registry: Staff described using Fusus to present a consolidated “pane of glass” linking body cams, drone video, city cameras and (with agreements) private cameras; a QR-code camera registry would let residents register cameras to share evidence. - Records management: Axon records management is planned for 2027 with staged IT integration; the city’s current records system is supported through 2030, giving time for migration.

Council questions and staff responses Council members pressed staff on several items: bias and accountability with AI, retention and ownership of body-camera footage, facial-recognition limits, public-records access during rollout, and community engagement plans. Rutledge and staff said: - AI safeguards and oversight: Axon has built-in safeguards and the city will use supervisory review and slow, limited rollout (starting with simpler property reports) to reduce risks of automation bias. “If there was something that they saw odd, then they wouldn’t accept the report, and they would have to regenerate it,” Rutledge said. - Retention and storage: Staff stated the retention period for body-camera footage is 60 days for non-investigative material and that recorded evidence is stored in Axon’s cloud; they emphasized the city owns the data and that Axon’s system is CJIS-compliant. - Facial recognition and proactive surveillance: Staff said drones will be reactive to 911 call inputs and will not be flown proactively to search for crimes; the presenters indicated the program is not designed as a proactive facial-recognition sweep. - Public-records access: Staff assured the council they plan the rollout to avoid disruptions to public-records requests and to comply with state law.

What the meeting did not record The transcript of this committee meeting records a full presentation and multiple council questions but does not include a formal motion, mover/second or a recorded vote on the contract extension.

Next steps Staff outlined a phased implementation timeline with Drone-First-Responder setup and policy work in the first quarter, TASER 10 trainer certifications and initial rollouts in mid-year, broader AI and Fusus integration later in the year, and a records-management migration targeted in 2027. Staff said they will continue community engagement and coordinate with the King County Prosecutor’s Office and municipal prosecutors as the department pilots AI features for admissibility and operational use.

The committee adjourned after the presentation; no vote on the contract appears in the meeting transcript.