Asheville briefing: $1.1M community project would fund a real-time intelligence center; council presses for transparency on Flock/Axon contracts

City staff said on May 7 that a $1.1 million congressional community project funding award (item B1) would support a city-owned real-time intelligence center and that a second item (B2) would bundle several current services and authorize staff to negotiate a single contract with Axon.

Council members pressed staff to post the existing agreements publicly and to explain differences between the current Flock arrangements and the proposed Axon agreement. Councilwoman Romani asked why the Axon materials were not included with the staff report and asked that the public have fair access to any contracts the city is relying on; staff said all current agreements are public records and would be attached to the agenda or posted to the transparency page.

Interim Police Chief (on the call) explained why staff proposed keeping access to the Flock database during a migration to Axon: it provides a searchable database that many agencies use and has been useful in cross-jurisdictional investigations. The chief described a past case (cited as an example) in which Flock cameras assisted in intercepting a suspect moving between jurisdictions and said that retaining access to the system is important for ongoing investigations.

Privacy and process concerns: Council members framed several concerns as both privacy and procurement issues: whether the Axon agreement would create new data-sharing terms, whether facial recognition or AI would be used (the resolution some members proposed would affirm city values opposing facial recognition and AI usage), and whether purchase orders previously used for equipment had adequately defined software/service terms. The chief asked the council to remain focused on the agenda items but said he would be prepared to answer questions at the May 12 meeting.

Access to documents and next steps: Staff confirmed the documents provided in follow-up materials are the current agreements with Flock and Axon and said they would work with the chief and the city attorney to post them publicly. The council asked staff to ensure transparency before Tuesday's meeting so the public can review the agreements prior to any authorization to negotiate a comprehensive Axon contract.

Quotations: Councilwoman Romani said: "I think that we should include the contract in the staff report" and asked the administration to ensure public access. Interim Chief said: "If you take the example of the Chapel Hill shooting where he drove down to Florida, that was intercepted by flock cameras" to explain the investigatory value of retaining Flock access.

Outcome and follow-up: Item B1 (acceptance of the community-project award) and B2 (authorization to negotiate a comprehensive Axon agreement) remained on the May 12 council agenda for consideration; staff committed to posting available contracts and to brief the council and public more fully at the May 12 meeting.