Knoxville City Council unanimously approves contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. for police body cameras

Posted: Jul 22, 2020 / 10:01 AM EDT

Updated: Apr 16, 2021 / 07:15 PM EDT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – UPDATE: Knoxville City Council has unanimously approved a contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. for police body cameras Tuesday night.

This will authorize Mayor Indya Kincannon to enter into a five-year contract with the Arizona-based company for roughly $4.9M.

Knoxville Police Chief Eve Thomas released a statement Tuesday night regarding the city council’s approval of the body cameras contract:

“We are excited to reach this point in the process of equipping our officers with body-worn cameras and upgrading our in-car camera system. I am proud of the diligent and efficient efforts that went into identifying and selecting a vendor, and we look forward to our partnership with Axon Enterprise, Inc. We will continue to work with haste to get body-worn cameras in the field as quickly as possible. As an organization, we view body-worn cameras as another tool to improve transparency and accountability while increasing the trust of the community we serve. We also believe that body-worn cameras will highlight the volume of positive interactions our officers have in the community and the magnitude of the tense situations they diffuse on a daily basis.”
Chief Eve Thomas

EARLIER STORY:

Knoxville City Council to vote on police body cameras contract; rollout in fall if approved

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A proposed contract with Arizona-based Axon Enterprise Inc. for 350 new body cameras and 350 upgraded police cruiser cameras will be considered by City Council on Tuesday.

City Council is being asked to authorize Mayor Indya Kincannon to enter into a five-year contract with Axon Enterprise of Scottsdale, Ariz., for roughly $4.9 million, with an option to extend the contract. In addition to cameras, the contract includes operational costs.

“The community wants this, the Knoxville Police Department wants this, and we’re working hard to get this implemented as soon as possible,” Mayor Kincannon said.

The City of Knoxville evaluated proposals from seven vendors for upgraded in-car police vehicle cameras and new body cameras for officers. An evaluation team recommended Axon Enterprise’s proposal.

If approved by City Council, camera installation would begin this fall – possibly as early as September.