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Council authorizes 10-year Axon services agreement for body and fleet cameras
Summary
The council authorized a 10-year technology services agreement with Axon for body-worn and fleet cameras, cloud evidence storage and licensing at a quoted total of $700,990.69; council required final contract form approved by the city attorney and discussed data ownership, retention and liability limits.
Grandville’s City Council voted to authorize a 10-year services agreement with Axon Enterprises for body-worn cameras, vehicle camera systems, cloud-based evidence storage and related software and services, after questions about data access, retention and contract protections.
Staff presented the proposal and a 10-year quote totaling $700,990.69, which staff estimated equates to roughly $70,100 per year. The contract would include hardware-refresh cycles, warranty coverage, connectivity services, and cloud evidence storage.
Council members asked whether the city could terminate the contract during the 10-year term. Staff said the contract allows cancellation for breach of contract or for non-appropriation of funds but does not include a unilateral convenience-termination clause. Staff recommended that if the council does not intend to complete the full contract term, it should consider whether entering a decade-long agreement is in the city’s best interest.
On data access and privacy, staff said the city would own its footage and would control who can access material; Axon would not have independent access to unredacted footage. Audit trails would record viewing time and user identity. Staff and the city attorney recommended opting out of a contract provision that would allow Axon to use de-identified data for product-development or AI training.
Council also discussed the vendor's limitation of liability provision, which would cap damages generally at the amount the city pays for services (with some limitations tied to the last year of fees paid). The council asked whether a data breach would constitute a breach of contract; staff said it would likely give rise to contract or negligence claims but remedies would be subject to the contract’s liability limits.
Retention: staff explained that evidence flagged for investigations will be retained according to departmental and legal requirements; the standard cloud retention was described as 90 days in the vendor system under certain conditions, and the city would need to export and preserve footage it must retain beyond termination of the agreement.
The council voted to authorize the city to enter into the Axon agreement in the amount of $700,990.69, subject to final form approval by the city attorney.
Next steps: staff will secure final contract language, including any opt-out language regarding use of de-identified data and agreed-upon protections for data retention and breach response.
