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This fall, the City Commission will consider a proposal by the Lakeland Police Department (LPD) to expand the city’s contract with Axon Enterprises Inc., the company that provides Lakeland’s body cameras, in-car cameras, and tasers.
Assistant Chief of Police Hans Lehman made the 10-year, $21.3 million proposal at the city’s strategic planning workshop on April 23.
If approved, the new contract will refresh all current Axon hardware and software, give LPD access to tools like instant translation and AI-generated incident reports, add more drones to the department’s fleet, and provide an advanced database that would streamline searchable information in one platform.
If the city moves forward with all or parts of this contract, it will replace the previous Axon contract signed in 2021.
Lehman calls this technology a game changer and a force multiplier — words we’ve heard before — but what could this proposal actually mean for Lakeland? We dug into effects on staffing, budget, privacy concerns, and how it works.
Proactive patrol, trust, transparency
Lehman said he did not make the proposal because LPD is understaffed or because they are looking to replace human officers with AI tools. Models indicate that LPD could use 10 to 15 more officers, but Lehman was clear: “I’m not saying that we have 15 vacancies.”
“Our authorized strength is 278, and we’re full,” he said, noting that some of those 278 are still in training. “That’s the first time that’s happened in several years.”
“We’re looking to make the current positions we have better and more efficient,” Lehman said.
Lehman sees the technology as part of the department’s commitment to transparency. “We’re an open book,” he said. “We don’t hide anything we’re doing — the body cams have done that.”
He says this technology will free up officers to conduct more proactive patrol, more traffic enforcement, and more community engagement.
“We’re there for a purpose — protect and serve — but … you only build trust by establishing relationships and rapport. So when your folks are going call-to-call-to-call, they don’t have that ability to stop and get a coffee or a soda at the convenience store.”
He says officers get to know citizens and build relationships when they have time to make those stops, and “then indirectly, that can help solve crimes down the road.”
The dollars and sense
The city’s first 10-year Axon contract, signed in 2021, cost $938,000 a year.
The new proposal would require an additional $1.2 million annually — totaling $21.3 million over 10 years. Signing as an “AI Plan Era Early Adopter,” locks in 2025 prices. Lehman told commissioners in April that prices had already gone up.
“I know that’s a big ask,” Lehman said. However, he estimates that “for a million a year, I get four or five police officers, or I get all this technology that 278 officers can use.” He thinks better-equipping current officers is a more efficient use of funds.
“The combined estimated savings, we believe, is going to be equal to approximately five to six police officers’ time of availability a year.”
To offset the costs, LPD has applied for several grants through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE):
- $780,000 for five years of crime analytics software by Peregrine that would be used in conjunction with Axon
- $9.66 million for the department’s portion of a police radio replacement
- $10.67 million toward the Axon upgrade
Lehman said grant decisions will be released in June.
Data security
As AI-driven technology becomes more prevalent in law enforcement, questions remain about data security and the risk of misuse — fears that continue to stoke the on-going debate about Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras.
Over the past few months, several cities — Syracuse, N.Y., Denver, Tempe, Ariz. — have or are considering ending their ALPR contracts with Flock Safety after concerns emerged over privacy, mass surveillance, and potential misuse of the Flock database.
All of these cities have turned to Axon.
The City of Lakeland has an on-going contract with Flock to operate its ALPRs. LPD said it is too soon to speculate on how an expanded Axon contract might impact the Flock agreement. Some critics see problems with any large-scale company that provides this kind of monitoring and database.
Also read our companion article
Axon stores data on Evidence.com. In a statement, Rasleen Krupp, senior specialist, public relations and communications with Axon, wrote, “Axon customers retain full ownership and control of all evidence captured by Axon devices and hosted on Evidence.com. Evidence sharing happens at the customer’s direction.”
Lehman said the company’s systems comply with Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) requirements — the FBI’s standards for safeguarding sensitive law enforcement and justice data.
“We invest continuously in security infrastructure, conduct regular independent audits, and maintain strict access controls. Our security posture is something we evaluate and strengthen on an ongoing basis,” Krupp wrote.
Axon says it operates with a “Responsible Innovation Framework,” which is an “integral part of our commitment to protect life.” Information about the company’s security and compliance practices is available online.
Managing access
Agencies have long wrestled with how to manage confidential database misuse. Both Krupp and Lehman point to Axon’s audit logs as a valuable tool to enforce ethical usage.
“Data managed within Axon systems is protected through encryption in transit and at rest, permission-based access controls, audit logs, and agency-defined retention policies,” Krupp wrote. “Axon platforms maintain immutable audit logs showing who accessed data, when, and why, ensuring accountability.”
“Everything in these systems has audit trails for us to see usage,” Lehman said. He said there are department policies and criminal statutes in place regarding the security and appropriate usage of these kinds of databases.
“We will have a zero tolerance policy,” he said. “Any system we have has guardrails and are to be used for work purposes only. Anything dealing with CJIS information is also under the umbrella of FDLE and the FBI for compliance purposes.”
The ‘Connected Officer’
Although questions about surveillance, data collection, and security remain, Axon continues to expand the capabilities of their system and tools.
If adopted in full, LPD’s proposed contract would add:
Instant Translation
Translation of more than 50 languages happens through body cameras, meaning officers won’t need wait on a translator. The camera detects the language and translates immediately.
Translation technology can be used by officers and 911 operators. This feature was successfully implemented by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in December 2025.
AI-generated incident reports
Officers will be trained to narrate to their body cameras while on scene. AI then uses this narration to generate a report, shortening time officers spend behind a computer.
“We believe we can get a report writing reduction time of 30% to 50%,” Lehman said.
He said the reports have guardrails, including a requirement that officers attest to their accuracy. He said LPD has already shared demos of this capability with the State Attorney’s office, and they’re on board.
“We look forward to working with the Lakeland Police Department as it continues to utilize new tools to better serve the public,” State Attorney Brian Haas wrote in an email. “As with any new investigative technique, we must ensure that the constitutional rights of all involved are protected and that the end product contributes to a fair and efficient criminal justice system.”
He said accuracy and thoroughness are key components of a properly investigated criminal case.
“As we learn more about the new technologies embraced by law enforcement, our focus will continue to be ensuring that no corners are cut and our prosecutors have as much information as possible to do their job,” Haas wrote.
Drone as First Responder
Lakeland currently has four patrol-led drones, “which means the officer has to drive the drone to the scene, keep visual eyes on it, and fly it,” Lehman told the commission.
The new contract would add three Drones as First Responders (DFR). DFRs can be dispatched to a scene when a call comes in. They are governed by FAA rules, and officers will be trained and certified. They will not fly on patrol.
“The first 120 seconds on a call is the most important,” Lehman said. “And if we can get some eyes on that call that quick, then we have a better chance for resolution on it.”
LPD will operate the drones, but every department in the city could request to use them, Lehman told the commission. He said the drones can also be used to assess fires, arriving before trucks make it to the scene, and to view issues like downed power lines or water main breaks in remote areas.
Axon 911
“We typically receive around 200,000 calls a year,” Lehman told commissioners. He said that’s around 350 calls each day.
Lehman said about half the yearly calls to 911 are non-emergency related. Axon 911 provides assistive AI to help handle non-emergency calls, reducing dispatcher stress, workload, and mandatory overtime.
The LPD Public Safety Communications Center has had 5 to 7 persistent vacancies since 2018. Dispatchers are hard to hire, train, and retain, Lehman said.
Among other capabilities, Axon 911 would also allow dispatchers to access a caller’s phone camera with permission.
“And now we are watching, immediately, what’s happening on scene through their cell phone camera. So we’re getting real time information immediately within seconds of the 911 call to figure out who and what we need to send.”
Axon Fusus
In conjunction with Polk County 911, LPD recently completed a renovation of the communications center, installing most of the hardware for a Real Time Information Center (RTIC)
Axon Fusus software would help run that center.
“We have a lot of systems right now,” Lehman said. “When a dispatcher comes on duty, they may have to log on to six or seven or eight systems, just to be ready for when that officer requests something.”
The Axon upgrade would combine many of those systems into a single database with Google-like search capabilities. “We need this integrated software and the AI layers to help us connect a lot of these systems … from call to closure,” Lehman said.
“We would be able to search for different vehicles, clothing, and suspect descriptions,” he said. It would also establish Lakeland Connect, modeled after Orlando Connect, a camera registry between law enforcement, residents, and private businesses.
A transformational era
“We’re entering a transformational era in public safety, and we’re not trying to replace people,” Lehman told commissioners. “We’re trying to make better and faster decisions at every step.”
He said additional tools will allow officers to respond and solve cases more quickly.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Lehman said, “to reduce the time on calls so our sworn members have more time for proactive patrol, community engagement, and solving crime.”
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