Richmond City Council 10/6/2026

At the October 6, 2026 Richmond City Council meeting, the council discussed a proposed Axon Enterprise contract amendment covering police technology, including ALPR cameras, CCTV, and drones, alongside a separate city-facilities CCTV contract with Asure MSP/Verkada. The Axon amendment was proposed to increase the contract by $3.5 million, to a total not-to-exceed amount of $12 million, for October 1, 2026–September 30, 2029, with two one-year extension options; the separate Asure/Verkada contract was proposed at up to $500,000 for the same initial term. After an Electronic Frontier Foundation presentation and public comment on ALPR effectiveness, privacy, and data access, the council passed a motion to approve the item except for the ALPR portion, adjust the contract amount accordingly, and return the ALPR contract portion for further council consideration rather than finalizing it at this meeting. Council members Wilson and Mayor Martinez voted no. The police chief described proposed safeguards, including a closed-by-default system, 30-day data purging, monthly audits, and no automatic cross-agency access. The council also heard that a separate Police Strategies LLC contract amendment had been removed from the consent calendar; it was not considered before adjournment.

In other business, closed session included negotiations concerning city property at 1689 Regatta Boulevard with Daikon Fiber Optics, Inc., with price and payment terms under discussion; the city attorney reported that no final decisions were made. A motion to place the proposed disaster preparedness commission on the consent calendar failed, and a proposal to seek grant funding for an armored rescue vehicle did not receive a second to move to consent. The council unanimously approved the consent calendar, which included a request for a city financial report and an item to identify venues for Richmond minority cultural groups.