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New Castle County Council approves Axon contract amid questions on costs and body-camera policy
Summary
Council adopted a resolution and an appropriation to proceed with a long-term contract with Axon Enterprise for police equipment, while one council member warned of large costs and asked for a clear public-release policy; the police chief said officers will not be terminated and that the department has a posted policy.
New Castle County Council on Dec. 9 voted to authorize the county executive to execute an agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc. for police hardware and software and to appropriate the first payment for the contract, despite vocal objections from at least one member.
The council adopted Resolution R25-203 authorizing the agreement and later approved Ordinance 25-158 to appropriate $750,000 for the first payment on the renegotiated 10-year contract; the R25-203 vote was recorded as 11 yes, 1 no and 1 absent. Council later recorded the appropriation vote with the same tally.
Councilman John Street (speaker 9) objected sharply to the purchase and questioned the long-term cost. "This is the most fiscally irresponsible crap I've ever seen," he said, adding that earlier presentations implied a multiyear cost in the tens of millions and that the county lacked an adequate public‑release policy for body-camera footage.
"I'm not going to repeat my opposition," Street said, citing the absence of a clear policy on "when, where, how body camera footage is gonna be released." He said that uncertainty was a second reason for his no vote.
Jamie Leonard, chief of police (speaker 8), responded directly from the podium. "Unequivocally, we will not be terminating police officers," he said in reply to a concern voiced in the meeting. Leonard also said the division of police maintains a forward‑facing policy on cameras and that it has been updated to comport with recent law changes. "It's on the website. I will forward it to the members of council so that you all have it," Leonard said.
Other council members said the package and pricing had been discussed in committee and that staff and the administration had negotiated discounts. Councilman Toole (speaker 15) summarized committee information, saying the program presented a 10‑year (120‑month) payment schedule with a total cost of roughly $50,566,405.15 after a $21 million discount from an initial higher figure.
Public commenters raised related accountability questions. Rob Bullock (speaker 5), president of the Community Alliance Coalition, asked whether the Police Accountability Board's recommendations about footage and policy had been forwarded to council and whether the public had received the board’s formal suggestions; Chief Leonard said recommendations had been replied to within the 90‑day window and that a second recommendation was under consideration.
The council majority voted to proceed with the Axon agreement and funding appropriation. The ordinance and the resolution require administrative follow‑through — including circulation of the department’s policy and any additional steps the Police Accountability Board and council request — before procurement and the first payments proceed.
Next steps: council members asked staff to circulate the existing recording and release policy by email and indicated follow‑up meetings with the Police Accountability Board may occur in the coming weeks.
