Reno City Council approves $21.8 million Axon deal to replace Flock license plate readers, adding new privacy limits

What happened

The Reno City Council voted 5-2 on Wednesday to approve an eight-year, $21.8 million agreement with Axon Enterprise, The Nevada Independent reported. The deal includes license plate readers that will replace the city's Flock Safety cameras, along with body cameras, Tasers, drones and AI software that helps police write reports.

Mayor Hillary Schieve and Councilmember Meghan Ebert voted no. The vote came less than two weeks after the city confirmed it would not renew its Flock contract, according to the Independent. Flock has faced privacy and civil rights concerns nationwide.

What the Axon contract covers

Equipment and software

According to the city staff report cited by the Independent, most of the contract's value pays for Axon equipment Reno police already use, including body-worn cameras, Tasers, in-car cameras and the cloud system that stores digital evidence. New pieces include plate readers on fixed poles and in patrol cars, drones that can reach a call before officers, and software that drafts police reports from body camera audio for officers to review.

Who controls the data

City staff described the deal as a way to keep plate data on the same system as other police evidence, under city control. The staff report says the city will own its data and that Axon cannot train AI models on it without written consent. Police Chief Corey Solferino told the council federal agencies would not have access to the city's database and that the city would decide case by case whom to share data with.

Conditions the council attached

The approval came with conditions proposed by Councilmember Devon Reese. License plate data not tied to an investigation must be deleted after 15 days, rather than the 30 days under department policy. The conditions also require quarterly audits, public reports from the police chief every three months and council approval for any new surveillance technology.

The city can also end the contract on 30 days' notice without penalty. According to the city attorney's office, if Axon does not accept the conditions there would be no deal and the item would return to the council. Solferino said every plate search will require a case number and be logged and audited, and misuse could bring discipline up to termination.

Public pushback and support

Comment totals

Of 79 written comments submitted ahead of the meeting, 71 opposed the item, five supported it and three were neutral or concerned, according to city records cited by the Independent. Dozens of people spoke against the contract, and many asked for a delay. Assm. Selena La Rue Hatch (D-Reno) submitted a written comment in opposition.

Ward 2 resident John Helmreich said he first heard of the contract this week, though police said they had worked on it for seven months. Harrison Emery of the Flock Off Coalition said many vendor claims are the same, and Ward 5 resident Josh Hebert argued a shorter retention period would work.

Supporters

Bill Thomas, executive director of the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, supported the deal. He wrote that RTC security worked with Reno police using these tools to locate and apprehend a person seen as a serious potential threat to public transit.

How council members explained their votes

Councilmember Naomi Duerr, who voted yes, suggested keeping data for seven to 14 days and told the council, "I do think that Axon, right now, based on what I know, is better than Flock." Reese said he sought a middle ground and that residents persuaded him a much shorter limit was needed. Schieve said the city should have done more outreach and questioned why the contract was not put out for competitive bids.

Background in Sparks and Reno

Sparks made a similar move in June, unanimously approving a five-year, nearly $1 million Axon plate reader contract to replace Flock. Reno first approved Flock in November 2024 using $450,000 in pandemic relief funds and operates at least 40 such cameras, the Independent reported. More public safety coverage is available on our section page.

What to watch next

• Whether Axon accepts the council's conditions; if not, the item returns to the Reno City Council.
• The Axon agreement is set to take effect Jan. 1.
• Reno's existing Flock contract runs through mid-March.
• Quarterly audits and police chief reports every three months are required under the conditions.