Disregarding a warning by Motorola Solutions that the city is buying high-tech police equipment that is overpriced by at least $50 million, appointees for Mayor Brandon Scott went ahead and approved one of the most expensive sole-source contracts in recent history.

The $153.2 million award to Axon Enterprise today came over the objections of City Council President Zeke Cohen and “concerns” expressed by Comptroller Bill Henry.

Cohen voted “no” and Henry abstained, but they were overruled by affirmative votes from Public Works Director Matthew Garbark, Deputy City Solicitor Stephen Salsbury and City Administrator Faith Leach (substituting for Scott, who left the meeting early).

As a result, Axon will exclusively supply tasers, body-worn cameras (BWCs) and a slew of virtual reality and AI-powered products to the Baltimore Police Department for the next 10 years.

The city says it is investing in new technology to meet the demands of the federal consent decree and improve productivity so police can spend more time on the streets.

As noted by The Brew yesterday, the contract was drawn up by the Scott administration without a formal request for proposals and without competitive bidding.

• Baltimore to spend a record amount on new police technology via single-source contract (5/5/26)

Today, police and procurement officials said that they did not even look at the products or prices of rival companies. The admission led Comptroller Henry to wonder, “Why wouldn’t we out of principle go to the market and reassure ourselves that Axon is the best.”

Instead, Axon was picked as the preferred vendor because it has supplied tasers and cloud-based storage software to the police for the last few years, said Chief Technology Officer Derek Canton.

Integrating its products and services with those of another company would entail significant administrative time and prohibitive costs, Canton said.

A Competitor Speaks

Mitchell Novak, a vice president at Motorola Solutions, begged to differ.

In a vigorous presentation to the board, Novak said the administration should halt action on the contract and throw the process open to competitive bidding.

“By bypassing a formal bid process, the city has overlooked a proven opportunity to achieve a minimum of 50% in savings, amounting to over $50 million,” he asserted.

“We possess the technical capabilities . . . and we will meet and exceed the city’s requirements,” he vowed, adding that whenever Axon becomes aware that Motorola plans to bid on a law enforcement contract, “they slash initial quotes by more than 65% [because] their pricing is 50-100% higher than Motorola’s.”

Motorola’s remarks made no difference to the three Scott appointees.

A longtime municipal vendor, Motorola currently maintains the city’s 911 emergency services.

Novak’s remarks made no difference to the three Scott appointees. Moments after his presentation, they approved, without comment or explaining their vote, the $153 million contract to Axon.

Earlier, City Administrator Leach said she was confident that the city’s interests were protected.

“I worked closely with the Police Department on the contract, raising some of the same concerns that [Cohen and Henry] raised. I typically am not a fan of long-term contracts, so a period of 10 years you have to really convince me why I would pass something down to administrations after ours.”

“If we don’t have the funds 10 years down the line, we can back out”  – City Administrator Faith Leach.

But, she said, “we were able to negotiate with Axon to do off-ramps so that if we don’t have the funds 10 years down the line, we can back out.”

The contract starts on July 1, 2026 with a $10.1 million annual cost for Axon’s “Premium Officer Safety Plan.”

The bundled plan is about 2½ times what BPD is currently paying for Axon tasers and body-worn cameras. It will feature new computer-equipped interview rooms, virtual reality training and other products.

Beginning in June 2028, the price will jump to $16.6 million a year – or four times the current cost – as Axon introduces a suite of AI products aimed at reducing police office work.

Such equipment will purportedly transcribe interview recordings, write police reports, answer questions from the public and direct Axon drones as first responders in crisis situations.

A Tangled Contract in St. Louis

The original maker of tasers, Axon has rapidly expanded, becoming one of the hottest stocks on Wall Street by selling software and AI-powered services to law enforcement agencies. Canton today stressed that nearly all the nation’s 25 largest police departments now rely on Axon products.

The company’s pricing and interactions with city officials have come under scrutiny in several cities, most notably in St. Louis.

For years, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department contracted with a company called Utility to provide body cameras and other technology at a cost of about $6 million. In 2024, Police Chief Robert J. Tracy entered into a sole-source contract with Axon. That deal amounted to nearly $26 million.

St. Louis Police entered into the contract by piggybacking on an existing state agreement. The move raised questions, and the city opted to launch a formal bid process. Both Axon and Utility submitted proposals. Axon again received the contract.

That decision led to more controversy. Utility launched a formal appeal, and a whistleblower came forward, alleging that the bids were rigged.

Since then, the state of Missouri has taken over control of St. Louis Police. A new oversight committee re-approved the Axon contract that was under federal investigation, according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch and others.