The Fitchburg Common Council on Tuesday night rejected a budget amendment that would have funded a seven-year, roughly $1.8 million police technology package that includes automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, drones and a camera-sharing program with local businesses. However, they left money in the 2027 budget to fund a “real-time information center” for police, so the issue could come up again in the coming months.
Also Tuesday night, the Dane County Board’s Public Protection and Judiciary Committee rejected a smaller, $331,400, five-year contract between Axon and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office for ALPRs only.
Committee members said they heard from many residents, none in favor of adding more ALPRs.
Supervisor Amy Larson cited privacy concerns.
“We can craft the perfect contract with the best litigation-proof terms, but if we don’t have the public confidence and the actors on the other side of the contract, I can’t support having these in place,” Larson said.
Both Dane County and the City of Fitchburg recently canceled contracts with Flock Safety, a controversial company that has raised privacy concerns related to its ALPRs.
In Fitchburg, alders voted 5-3 in favor of the Axon contract, but it needed a two-thirds majority – six votes – because it would have amended the 2026 budget. Alders Gabriella Gerhardt, Bill Jetzer and Joe Maldonado voted against it.
Less than an hour later, the council voted 5-3 along the same lines to place funding for the police department’s proposed Real-Time Information Center in the 2027 capital budget. City staff told alders that vote sets aside money but does not approve a contract, which would have to come back to the council.
The package centered on a contract with Axon, a maker of Taser stun guns, police body cameras and other law-enforcement technology. It included Axon’s Outpost license plate reader cameras, body and squad cameras, drones that launch from fixed stations to respond to calls, and Fusus, a system that lets businesses and property owners share their security cameras with police. A separate contract with Peregrine would have provided data analytics software.
Alder Micah LaDousa, who chairs the finance committee, said the package would be paid for with $400,000 in donations and by converting a budgeted police officer position, worth about $1.15 million over seven years. Speakers noted the city faced a December 1 deadline to lock in Axon’s discounted pricing.
The proposal returned to the council after it was postponed October 27. Earlier this year, the city ended its license plate reader contract with controversial Flock Safety, and the council directed police to find another vendor.
Police: technology fills a staffing gap
Deputy Chief Matt Laha said the department’s presentation would focus on limits rather than capabilities.
“Our presentation focuses not simply on what the technology can do, but more importantly what we will allow it to do, who is accountable for its use, and how we protect the public’s trust,” Laha said.
Police Captain Andrew McCarthy said the city has grown faster than the department over the past five to seven years.
“We have seen a rapidly growing city and a staffing level at the police department that has not kept pace with that,” he said.
Police said license plate reader data would be deleted after 30 days, searches would be limited to detectives and supervisors, and use would be audited twice a year. Officers said they would report audit results to the council and would not initially share data with other agencies.
“We do not provide immigration authorities with access to our data for the purposes of immigration,” McCarthy, citing department policy. Mayor Julia Arata-Fratta has said she opposes any use of the technology to aid in federal immigration enforcement.
McCarthy described a December 2024 call reporting an armed robbery at a KwikTrip that drew all on-duty officers to the west side while a robbery took place at a Chase Bank on the other side of town. He said camera sharing and drones could have changed that response.
“Our most recent attempted homicide, it took us nearly three days to get video,” he said. “I don’t feel like that’s providing a good service to our community or the victims of crime.”
City Attorney Valerie Zisman said she negotiated the contracts’ liability limits up to $4 million for Axon and $1.5 million for Peregrine. An Axon representative said the company cannot access the city’s data unless police request support, and that the data is encrypted “from the time it’s captured.”
Jetzer pressed him on that point. “I basically have to take your word for it, right?” he asked.
Residents speak against the plan
Twenty people spoke during public comment, two in favor of and 18 opposed to the package. Mayor Julia Arata-Fernández said 18 more people registered in opposition without speaking.
Many speakers raised concerns that data could reach federal immigration authorities, despite assurances to the contrary. Others questioned Axon’s business practices or the timing of the vote.
“When you look at the actual contract that you’re being asked to sign, in a rush, apparently, to get a discount, I would note that there’s no specific language actually limiting Axon from selling, sharing, or independently using the data,” said Bowen Vance.
“We’re being asked to approve a seven-year, $1.8 million surveillance system first and write the safeguards later. That’s backwards,” said Brandon Isaacs. “I understand the police department is short-staffed, but the answer to that shouldn’t be watching everyone.”
Ari Lo, who chairs the city’s Healthy Neighborhood Advisory Committee but said she spoke for herself, said the city should invest in residents. “We’ve invested in the police. I’d like to see our investments in our residents catch up,” she said.
Two residents spoke in support. “I want criminals to be deterred from committing crime in Fitchburg,” said Tom O’Day, a member of the Fitchburg Police and Fire Commission.
“If we don’t think there’s a camera on every corner and every Ring doorbell and everything, we’re nuts. They’re already there,” said Rita Hendricks).
Council splits
Arata-Fratta said she has worked with police on the department’s immigration policy.
“When ICE comes to Fitchburg, they don’t communicate with our police department,” she said.
Jetzer moved to remove the four permanent license plate reader cameras from the contract.
“I don’t mind you using technology to respond to a call for service, but I don’t want mass surveillance. I don’t want any 24/7 surveillance in our city,” he said.
That amendment tied 4-4. Gearhart, Jetzer, Lisay and Maldonado voted for it, and Arata-Frata broke the tie against it.
“I support ALPR technology,” the mayor said. “I think that our police department has shown that they have used this technology for many years and they have used it correctly.”
Maldonado said the city should wait for courts to rule on the technology.
“This is not about you all. This is about a company that I highly distrust,” he told police.
Alder Jake Leper disagreed. “I don’t think saying the courts haven’t caught up to specific technology yet is a reason to not use it altogether,” he said.
Alder Dave Herbst supported the package. “The genie’s out of the bottle and I feel the benefit of this far outweighs the perceived intrusions on privacy,” he said.
Alder Donald Dantzler said approving the technology could be a chance to allow police to rebuild trust. “If the mistrust is there, if these bonds are broken, at what point do we give the opportunity for them to be repaired and move forward as a community?” he said.
Gerhardt said she trusts the department but understands why residents do not. “We are asking people to trust us that we’ll do the policies,” she said. “I remain conflicted.”
Before the final vote, the council adopted three amendments. One requiring outside fundraising before a second and third drone could be deployed passed unanimously. Another that delayed the license plate cameras until they return to the council, with a target of June 1, passed 7-1. A third that required the council to approve all related police policies before any technology is used passed unanimously.
A motion by Maldonado to postpone the resolution indefinitely tied 4-4, and the mayor voted against it.
Those conditions were attached to the resolution and therefore fell with it.
Funding moves to 2027
During the 2027 budget deliberations, Leper moved to amend the budget to consolidate funding for the Real-Time Information Center into one capital project and apply $150,000 in expected donations and a grant. City staff clarified that the amendment would only move funding, not approve a contract.
Finance Director Misty Dodge said the money would remain set aside if a contract fails, and could be redirected to hire a police officer with a two-thirds vote.
Gerhardt, who voted no on the contract, said parts of the contract could still win support later. “I’m not a no forever, but I’m a no right now,” she said.
The council then voted 6-2 to remove the additional police officer position from the 2027 budget, since that money now goes to the technology project.
The council adopted the 2027 budget in a unanimous vote just after midnight.
