Nashville Council rejects contract for upgraded Tasers; says police got new tech in 2022

Nashville's Council rejected an agreement that would have supplied upgraded Tasers to the Metro Nashville Police Department on Tuesday, citing frustration with the proposed deal's steep cost increase and short decision timeline — especially considering police received new Tasers as recently as summer 2022.

The failed bill outlined a contract renewal between Metro and Axon Enterprise that would cost the city up to $24.8 million over the course of 10 years. The current contract with Axon is valued at $6.5 million and doesn’t expire until February of 2027.

Metro Council voted down the bill 14-24, with one abstention.

It's a notable move for the Council body, around half of which is comprised of first-term members who began serving this fall. Historically, the council has questioned funding for police initiatives and equipment but rarely voted against it.

The bill was co-sponsored by Council Members Courtney Johnston (District 26), Jordan Huffman (District 14), Erin Evans (District 12) and Council Member At-large Delishia Porterfield.

Porterfield submitted an amendment to the bill to require additional demographic data and reporting from the police department regarding Taser deployment in support of heightened transparency. She said she was concerned to see that Tasers have been used on several children under the age of 18 over the past year, but there was no data available identifying the exact ages of those children.

Council Member Kyonzte Toombs, District 2, also submitted legislation to amend the bill to require more frequent reports from the police department about the use of Tasers.

Discussion in the council chambers centered around the timeline of the contract renewal and the proposed cost. Several council members said they felt rushed by MNPD’s request for new equipment.

Porterfield was vocal about her opposition to the bill as written, arguing it was fiscally irresponsible to throw out a contract that still has a 60-month lifespan.

“I take issue with the fact that we are even considering replacing these Tasers,” she said. “Teachers don’t get new computers every two years, students don’t get textbooks every two years, and two years ago fire trucks in my district were being held together by duct tape and they definitely don’t get new fire trucks every two years.”

The existing contract between Axon and the city supplies police with “Taser 7,” a model first released in 2018. It was approved by the city in February 2022. The new contract proposed acquiring Taser model 10, which was released at the beginning of this year. The proposed contract would have increased the number of Taser devices from 1,400 to 1,658 and extend the contract from five years to 10.

MNPD Deputy Chief Chris Gilder told Council members on Monday that although the department began acquiring the Taser 7 last year and it was a "definite improvement" over the outdated model they were previously using, the Taser 10 represents a "huge progression in safety between these two models."

Tasers deploy probes, and two have to make good contact with the body to achieve neuromuscular incapacitation. The Taser 7 model features two cartridges, meaning officers have two chances to fire the Taser should the first pair of probes not connect. It has a 25-foot maximum range. The Taser 10 is pre-loaded with 10 probes that fire individually, with a 45-foot maximum range.

Gilder compared the Tasers to cell phones. "Eventually they come out with a new device and then they eventually stop support on older models," he said. "I don't know when Taser plans to phase out support for the Taser 7. … I would suspect here at some point in the near future."

Council Member Johnston said she understood the frustration of her colleagues. She said she shares that frustration when it comes to the slower pace of procurement, but she still supported the increased contract because she said it locked in 2023 pricing for upgraded equipment.

“We need more Tasers because we have more officers,” she said. “Do you want the old Taser or the new Taser?”

The failed bill featured a sole-source contract, meaning there was no bidding competition from other companies. The police department and Metro administration said this is because Axon is the only company offering this level of Taser technology. Sole-source contracts typically attract more scrutiny, and require Council approval if the contract in question tops $250,000.

During a Budget and Finance Committee meeting Monday, Porterfield said she has concerns about Axon. Nine of the company's 12 ethics board members stepped down last year due to ethical concerns after the company announced its development of a Taser-deploying drone. Axon paused work on the project after backlash ensued.

"I do have concerns that the life of this product is five years," Porterfield added. "We are looking at one year and 10 months into a 5-year contract, and now this technology is antiquated. There's nothing that says that if we buy these new Tasers that that's not going to happen again."

Council Member Quin Evans-Segall brought a visual aid to the discussion — potentially marking the first use of a visual aid on the Council floor, as noted by Vice Mayor Angie Henderson.

On a dry erase board, Evans-Segall wrote out some quick math showing the increase in price per use for each Taser deployment under the new contract proposal.

She compared the rushed nature of the bill to her own children asking for products on limited-time sale.

"I have kids, so this time of the month is a whole lot of what I would call 'limited time offers,'" she said. "This causes them to feel something called 'anticipatory regret.' What we heard tonight is this deal won't be here tomorrow."

Vote breakdown

Voted for: Burkley Allen, Kyontze Toombs, Jennifer Gamble, Mike Cortese, Tonya Hancock, Jennifer Webb, Jeff Eslick, Sheri Weiner, Thom Druffel, Courtney Johnston, Bob Nash, David Benton, John Rutherford and Joy Styles.

Voted against: Zulfat Suara, Delishia Porterfield, Quin Evans-Segall, Olivia Hill, Joy Smith Kimbrough, Sean Parker, Clay Capp, Emily Benedict, Deonte Harrell, Erin Evans, Russ Bradford, Jordan Huffman, Jeff Gregg, Ginny Welsch, Terry Vo, Tom Cash, Jacob Kupin, Rollin Horton, Brandon Taylor, Brenda Gadd, Jeff Preptit, Sandra Sepulveda, Antionette Lee and Jason Spain.

Tasha Ellis abstained.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Council rejects new contract for upgraded police Tasers