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Warwick police propose five-year Axon Taser 10 agreement as council presses on price jump
Summary
Major Robert Hart told the Finance Committee the police want to replace Taser 7s with the Taser 10 platform and expand VR training; council members pressed for justification of a large year-over-year cost increase and sole-source procurement before the item moved on to later agenda votes.
The Warwick Police Department asked the Finance Committee to approve a five‑year contract with Axon to replace the department's Taser 7 devices with the Taser 10 platform and expand related training and licensing.
Major Robert Hart told the committee the proposed agreement would begin Oct. 1, 2026, upgrade officers to the Taser 10 platform and expand virtual‑reality scenarios for de‑escalation and use‑of‑force training. "The contract will upgrade our officers to the latest Taser 10 platform," Hart said during the presentation, and he summarized the package as covering devices, holsters, charging equipment, licensing fees and instructor certification.
Council members focused on cost and procurement. The packet listed a five‑year total in the presentation materials; Hart and staff said the department's earlier contract averaged about $40,000 per year while current and projected pricing had risen sharply. Hart told the committee that Taser 7s are at end of life and that Axon's pricing has increased since the last contract cycle. He also described Axon as a sole‑source provider that offers integrated evidence and training services. The major said the new system offers extended standoff (reported as 45 ft for Taser 10 versus 25 ft for Taser 7), greater deployment capacity per device, and tighter integration with body‑worn cameras and evidence software.
Council members pressed staff to explain the apparent jump from roughly $40,000 per year under the prior contract to the mid‑hundreds of thousands per year figures shown in the packet; Hart said the city is experiencing Axon's current pricing model and that annual fees and licensing drive the higher totals. Committee members also asked whether recurring licensing and consumables could be paid from forfeiture or grants; staff replied those sources are not guaranteed and recurring operational fees are budgeted in service‑contract lines.
No final vote on the Axon package was recorded in committee discussion; staff confirmed devices would arrive in early September 2026 if awarded and that warranty coverage runs for the life of the five‑year contract. The item was discussed at the Finance Committee and later included in the council's wider consent/agenda process.
