The Hartford City Council was scheduled on Monday, October 26, 2026, to take up a five-year, $6.44 million police technology agreement with Axon Enterprise. The deal would merge the Hartford Police Department’s three Axon contracts into one and add 100 TASER devices and drone technology. Mayor Arunan Arulampalam’s office says the merger would save the city about $1 million.
The council agenda for the 7 p.m. hybrid meeting at City Hall, 550 Main Street, also listed six city-owned lots to go to the Hartford Land Bank and a ground lease for a 20-unit mixed-income building on Edwards Street. As of this report, the city had not posted the results of Monday’s votes.
The Hartford Axon deal at a glance
- Total cost: $6,440,038.58 over five years.
- Year 1: $850,165.71. Year 2: $991,255.13. These match what the city already owes under its current Axon contracts in fiscal 2027 and 2028, so the mayor’s letter calls those two years “budget neutral.”
- Years 3 through 5: $1,532,872.58 a year.
- What is covered: body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, TASER devices, the Fusus real-time camera platform and patrol drones, plus virtual reality de-escalation training for officers.
- Savings claimed: about $1 million, according to the mayor’s October 13 letter to the council.
Why Hartford police use body and dash cameras
Some of the equipment in the package is required by state law. The mayor’s letter cites Connecticut General Statutes Section 29-6d, which requires every sworn police officer in Connecticut to use a body-worn recording device and requires every marked police vehicle to have a dashboard camera.
The 100 extra TASERs would double the department’s supply. The letter says they would “increase their less-lethal options deployed in the field.” A deputy chief told the council’s Operations, Management, Budget and Government Accountability Committee at a special virtual meeting on October 19 that the order would take officers from 100 TASERs to 200, Patch reported. The added drone technology is meant for enforcement against illegal ATV riding and street takeovers.
Land Bank lots and Edwards Street housing
The same agenda listed the transfer of six city-owned properties to the Hartford Land Bank for redevelopment. The city acquired them through tax deed sales or blight lien foreclosures. The addresses are:
- 25 Edgewood St.
- 99 Dart St.
- 83 Mansfield St.
- 262 Palm St.
- 331 Capen St.
- 128 Kent St.
The council was also set to consider a development agreement and ground lease with VASE Management LLC for 98 and 104 Edwards St. The company has proposed a 20-unit mixed-income apartment building there. Another item would send $200,000 in surplus funds to Connecticut Children’s hospital-based violence intervention program.
What else is happening in Hartford this week
The city’s 2026 milling and paving program continues through November 15, with daytime and overnight work on streets in the city’s paving plan. Schedules can change because of weather, traffic and utility work. Residents with questions can call Hartford 311.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission meets Tuesday, October 27, at 6 p.m. at 50 Jennings Road to discuss health and safety in city parks. The council’s Public Works, Parks, Recreation and Environment Committee meets Wednesday, October 28, at 6 p.m. at City Hall and online.
Council meetings stream on Hartford Public Access Television (HPATV) and Comcast Channel 96. Agendas and packets are posted on the city’s meeting portal.
For a regional economic picture, see The Boston Report’s coverage of the October 2026 Beige Book for New England. Connecticut voters also head to the polls November 3; read our Connecticut early voting guide for Hartford voters.
What to watch next
- Whether the council approves the Axon agreement as written, amends it, or sends it back to committee.
- Timing for deployment of the added TASERs and drones, and any policy the department publishes on drone use.
- What the Hartford Land Bank plans for the six lots once transferred.
Sources
- City of Hartford: Oct. 19, 2026 committee agenda and Mayor Arulampalam’s Oct. 13 letter and resolution on the Axon agreement: contract cost by year, equipment covered, the $1 million savings estimate and the state-law citation.
- Connecticut General Assembly: Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 29-6d: body camera and dashboard camera requirements.
- Patch: 5 Things To Know In Hartford (Oct. 25, 2026): the deputy chief’s TASER figures, Land Bank addresses, the Edwards Street lease, the violence intervention funding and this week’s meetings and paving.
Additional sources
- City of Hartford: Court of Common Council meeting portal: agendas, packets and future vote results.
- Hartford Public Access Television: HPATV: live and archived council meeting video.
- Wikimedia Commons: Hartford Municipal Building (City Hall): photo credit and license.
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