Image Credit: Axon & Canva.
Article by Olivia Lupia, Tennessee Conservative News –
Chattanooga City Council members advanced a technology package proposal by Axon which includes providing the city with over 30 AI-driven license plate reader cameras (LPRs), though the council said the contract will require further review down the line and the city is under no obligation to purchase or deploy the cameras.
It was confirmed by Mayor Tim Kelly’s chief of staff, Kevin Roig, that inclusion of 36 LPRs in the proposed 5-year contract was not requested by anyone in the city government, but officials decided to keep the line item to allow for the possibility of future study and use.
Roig also said the that before the LPRs would be deployed city staff would need a better understanding of the technology’s capabilities and risks and that any such proposal to use the Axon cameras would first go before the city council.
The Axon LPR system operates very differently from the Motorola system the city currently uses, with one notable change allowing police to search for cars or trucks based on vehicle appearance alone, not just license plate images.
“We don’t have to accept it. We don’t have to deploy it, but we want to learn more, because we might end up wanting to, so long as we can all get comfortable about how it’s leveraged. We will come back, and we’ll continue this conversation once we get a little bit smarter about the technology,” Roig told council members.
Chief Information Officer Jerele Neeld also reiterated to the council that the resolution does not put the cameras in the city’s possession right away and that the LPRs were included by Axon, not the city.
The proposal, which authorizes the city to spend up to $15 million over five years with Axon Enterprise, includes purchases of other law enforcement equipment like tasers and body cams, audio-visual hardware for interview rooms, and an AI-enhanced translation assistant to help officers communicate with non-English speaking individuals.
But there are numerous other technology tools in the proposal besides the requests from the police department and the LPRs, including software that allows authorities to precisely locate drone pilots through a combination of AI, radio frequencies, and hundreds of streaming licenses that would give many already existing cameras access to the company’s AI software.
According to Axon, that software, called Dedrone, “helps enterprises secure their airspace with early detection, real-time alerts and actionable threat intelligence… Dedrone can detect, identify, and track unauthorized drones, and even help locate the pilot, so security teams can respond quicky and reduce risk.”
The Dedrone program can reportedly identify people based on clothing size or color and cars by their color or even a bumper sticker.
Only one council member voted against advancing the resolution, Councilman Cody Harvey, though several others voiced concerns and proposed a contingency that the council would have a say in any future consideration of the use of the LPR technology.
“In my opinion, I think we need to pump the breaks a little bit on these and listen to folks’ concerns before we go full steam ahead with these,” Harvey said. “I’m comfortable with the license plate readers we currently have. There are guardrails on those, you know, I think there’s some safety. It’s not controlled by AI, but this I do have some concerns about.”
Councilman Ron Elliot said, “Please don’t put up any of these cameras in my district without telling me.”
Others were more supportive, with Councilman Dennis Clark saying over half the residents in his district say they don’t feel safe and that he has a more welcoming attitude toward the enhanced system.
“I think there is value in having these cameras in places where it has been shown to reduce crime, like in Atlanta. We have been working really hard to get our crime rate down,” he said.
Roig further assured the council that the inclusion of all the AI tools and software in the proposal does not commit the city to purchasing it but simply gives the city the opportunity to explore adopting the technology down the line.
After adding amended language that would ensure further review before the city could accept or use the Axon LPRs, the council passed the resolution, and the proposal will move forward.
Sources:
Axon.
Axon.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
