U.S. Cities Turn to Axon for License-Plate Reader Technology

A growing number of municipalities are installing automated license-plate readers (ALPRs) supplied by Axon, the Scottsdale, Arizona, firm best known for Tasers and body-camera equipment. Recent city-council records and police announcements show several jurisdictions either replacing Flock Safety systems or expanding existing Axon contracts. Notable deployments include 55 fixed Axon ALPR sites in Antioch, California, a transition announced by the Durango, Colorado police on September 1, and new cameras added in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Additional communities—Denver, Colorado; Ferndale, Michigan; Grand Chute, Wisconsin; Knoxville, Tennessee; Longmont, Colorado; Syracuse, New York; and Douglas County, Colorado—have also approved Axon installations.

Newsweek

Axon’s long-standing relationships with thousands of law-enforcement agencies allow departments to integrate body cameras, in-car video, evidence-management software and Tasers into a single platform. Analysts at 404 Media argue that this ecosystem is helping Axon win business as local governments reassess ties with Flock Safety, whose network of cameras has faced heightened scrutiny.

Newsweek

Axon’s leadership has emphasized that its ALPRs can be managed through the same evidence-management system used for other Axon tools, promising streamlined oversight for agencies already using the brand.

Newsweek

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) warned that swapping one vendor for another does not resolve the fundamental civil-liberties issues posed by mass-surveillance ALPR technology.

Newsweek

• “I would say we're seeing a significant number of agencies want to come over to Axon and convert from existing license plate readers to us, specifically because of the controls and privacy work that we've done around this space,” — Rick Smith, axon CEO

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