Madison365 reported that the Fitchburg Common Council will vote Tuesday, Nov. 10, on whether to amend the city's operating budget to set up a real-time information center. The center would run through a $1.8 million contract with Axon that covers body cameras, drones and automated license plate readers.
The police department says it needs the system because its staffing has not kept up with growth. Critics say the Axon system still raises privacy concerns, and they object to a discount that expires if the deal is not signed by Dec. 1.
What is in the Fitchburg contract?
- Total cost: $1.8 million over seven years, from April 2027 through March 2034
- Discount: more than $710,000 if signed before Dec. 1
- First year: four solar-powered plate reader cameras, 28 Tasers, a drone dock and an indoor drone
- 2029 additions: 60 body cameras, 17 squad car cameras and two more drone docks
- Costs: $224,480 in the first year, rising to about $357,000 a year starting in 2029
Axon's proposal says the 2029 items can be moved up, delayed or removed at no cost before they ship. A separate Peregrine software contract, at roughly $50,000 a year, would link dispatch, records and evidence systems.
What changes for drivers if the council approves?
If the council approves the contract, Fitchburg police would add four plate reader cameras in the first year. Those cameras would belong to the city's police department. Madison365 reports that the draft policy would bar using the data, or sharing it with federal agencies, for immigration enforcement. The draft also says officers would not need reasonable suspicion or probable cause to use the system, and the data would not be open to public review.
Plate readers run by a neighboring city, a county, the state, a business or an HOA are not part of this vote and would stay where they are. If you want to see where readers are already mapped, check the camera map, and read how plate readers work before the meeting.
Is Axon the same as Flock?
No, according to the people quoted. Ald. Jake Lepper said the city ended its Flock contract because it did not think that company was using data correctly, and that Axon has shown it is different. Ald. Joe Maldonado disagrees, saying Axon and Motorola have ties to federal law enforcement that he finds problematic.
What happens next?
The council meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. Because the resolution changes the city's total revenues and expenditures, it needs a two-thirds vote of the full council to pass. Both contracts also depend on the city receiving a $150,000 donation from the Fitchburg Law Enforcement Foundation. If the council rejects the proposal, Capt. Andrew McCarthy said the department has no backup plan.