Denver City Council Health and Safety Committee: Axon Contract Approval and GAIN Briefing - December 3, 2025

The Health and Safety Committee, chaired by Councilmember Daryl Watson, met on December 3, 2025. The meeting included two main items: an action item to approve amendments and a new contract with Axon Enterprises for law enforcement technology, and a briefing on the Gun Violence Awareness and Intervention Network (GAIN) pilot program. The committee voted to advance the Axon contracts to full council. The GAIN briefing prompted significant discussion about community trust, data practices, and the need for earlier collaboration with council.

Action Item: Axon Contract (Items 25-1967 & 25-1968)

Presentation

• Emily Locke (Legislation & Policy Director, Department of Public Safety) presented two items: a $450,000 increase to the current Axon contract (to close out 2025 invoices for Sheriff’s Department body-worn camera licenses and storage), and a new five-year contract with a maximum spend of $27 million (2026-2030) covering police, sheriff, and fire departments. The scope includes body-worn cameras, Taser devices, docking stations, interview room technology, and digital evidence management.
• Commander Cliff Barnes (DPD) highlighted operational needs: individual docking stations to reduce overtime ($80,000–$100,000/year) and ensure firmware updates; interview rooms (used for tens of thousands of interviews since 2018); increased Taser count from 1,000 to 4,000 to equip all patrol and line officers; and body-worn camera count (1,637 sworn plus 19 civilians plus 69 spares).
• Major Kelly Bruning (Sheriff’s Department) explained needs for 730 body-worn cameras and 400 Taser 10 devices (330 outside jails, 70 inside), replacing outdated equipment.
• Fire Department will receive 13 body-worn cameras for arson investigators (best practice, not legally required).

Councilmember Questions and Discussion

• Councilmember Parady questioned the justification for overtime costs for off-duty employment and the cost-effectiveness of single-bay docking stations ($1M total) versus overtime savings. She also expressed concern about Axon’s monopoly and the quadrupling of annual DPD costs from $1M to $4M.
• Councilmember Torres asked about Denver International Airport’s contribution to the contract; CFO Sine Cummings explained it is handled through formulaic cost allocation based on officers assigned to DEN. Torres also inquired about the use of a national cooperative (NASPO) for the RFP; Emily Locke confirmed it was authorized under DRMC and that the city plans to move to a local competitive process for the next contract.
• Councilmember Gonzalez Gutierrez asked about the Axon Customer Experience Improvement Program (opt-in/opt-out) and the Ring camera integration. Axon’s Ben Rubke explained the opt-out is easy and Ring footage integration is solicitation-based and voluntary. She also clarified that DPD will treat Ring footage as raw digital evidence, not using any facial recognition features.
• Councilmember Sawyer confirmed the funds were already appropriated in the 2026 budget and that the national cooperative process has been used elsewhere (e.g., cell phone contracts, office supplies, fleet vehicles).
• Councilmember Flynn noted the city received a 19% discount off NASPO list price and supported the docking stations as a tool for accountability.

Motion and Vote

• Councilmember Flynn made a motion to move both items (25-1967 and 25-1968) to the full council floor. Councilmember Torres seconded. The committee approved by voice vote with no opposition.

Briefing: Gun Violence Awareness and Intervention Network (GAIN) Pilot Program

Presentation

• Megan Rohr (Director of Mural Initiatives), Kristen Jacobi (Interim Director, DPD Data Analysis Bureau), Lynn Sanders (Executive Director, Office of Social Equity and Innovation), and Commander Herrera presented the GAIN pilot, a year-long focused deterrence program concluded in October 2025. The program aimed to identify high-risk individuals via a data model (using offense points, role points, and time decay) and offer them services through Community Violence Solutions. Key findings: 222 individuals screened, 51 selected for the program, 30 contacted, 9 accepted services. The program had no arrests, no sentencing, and no measurable impact on shootings. The pilot was wound down due to resource intensity, difficulty contacting individuals, and reputational risk to community programs.

Councilmember Questions and Discussion

• Councilmember Cashman asked about the satisfaction with the data model; Commander Herrera noted the model was objective but resource-intensive and suggested a Denver-specific model could be better.
• Councilmember Torres emphasized the need for community trust and connection, noting letters from DPD and DA could be intimidating. She mentioned the upcoming community-led safety grants and the need for alignment.
• Councilmember Parady questioned the use of federal partners (ATF, FBI) in the “mothership” meetings and the letter sent to individuals. She clarified that the data model includes about 7,500 people with gun crime scores over three years, but analysts only pull the top 10 highest scores at a time. She pressed on the mismatch between community concerns and the presentation.
• Councilmember Gonzalez Gutierrez criticized the letter’s tone (including DA involvement) and noted the lack of community partnership. She questioned why the city would continue with a program that showed no impact when other strategies are working. She urged looking at existing programs like Denver Collaborative Partnership and community-led safety grants.
• Councilmember Flynn requested a comparison of GAIN to Boston’s Operation Ceasefire to understand differences.
• Council President Sandoval highlighted the absence of the Office of Children’s Affairs from the mothership meetings and the lack of city council involvement. She noted her own experience with gun violence and stressed that councilmembers are community experts who should be partners, not just briefed. She urged better collaboration in 2026.

No vote taken – this was a briefing only.

Key Outcomes

• Axon Contracts: Approved to move to full council with a vote (unanimous). The amendment (25-1967) and new contract (25-1968) will be on the December 8 council agenda and will skip mayor-council review.
• GAIN Pilot: No decisions made. The program is paused; the city intends to redesign it in 2026, incorporating lessons learned and improving communication and partnership with council and community.
• Future Actions: The committee and presenters agreed to share additional data (DEN cost allocation, Taser deployment numbers, comparison with Operation Ceasefire) and to include council earlier in program design.