Reno approves $21.8M Axon deal, keeps plate readers

Reno’s City Council voted 5-2 on October 21, 2026, to approve an eight-year agreement with Axon for police equipment, cameras, software and related services. The agreement runs from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2034, and has a stated amount of $21,776,231.26, funded through the General Fund.

Dividing that amount by the eight-year term gives a simple average of about $2.72 million a year. That is an arithmetic average, not an itemized annual spending schedule.

Local reporting describes the agreement as consolidating existing Axon arrangements while adding equipment and services for Reno Police Department personnel. Reported additions include more than 200 automated license-plate readers, response drones, software that uses body-camera audio to draft police reports, and translation tools.

Plate-reader use continues under a new provider i

The agreement changes the plate-reader hardware provider, not Reno’s use of the technology. Axon equipment is set to replace Flock Safety hardware, and the city’s use of automated license-plate readers will continue.

2 News Nevada reported conditions on data handling and oversight: data must be deleted after 15 days unless it is part of an active, lawful investigation, and outside-agency sharing requires prior approval. The reported terms also call for at least quarterly audits and quarterly police-chief reports to the council. New surveillance technology or expansions beyond the agreement would require council approval.

The reported terms allow the city to terminate the agreement with at least 30 days’ written notice, with or without cause.

Residents raised privacy concerns i

Residents who opposed the agreement raised privacy concerns. Local coverage also described objections involving transparency, data security and environmental impacts from AI-powered technology. Police Chief Corey Solferino defended the tools’ potential policing and efficiency benefits; those are his assessments, not established outcomes.

Mayor Hillary Schieve and Councilmember Meghan Ebert were the two members who voted against the agreement. After the vote, Solferino said the city would work with Axon on amendments and draft resolutions before moving toward the transition.