TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2026

EYES ON ARVADA

A nonpartisan read on what your city council actually did this week.

LEAD STORY

Arvada approves Axon surveillance contract 6-1 over public objections

The Arvada City Council meeting on April 21, 2026 opened with several proclamations and recognitions, including National Crime Victims' Rights Week, Earth Day, Arbor Day, and a certificate of recognition for the Sharpenberg family's 22-year Trees Across Arvada program. Communications Director Rachel Kirawa was also recognized for a state-level award from the Colorado City and County Management Association for her community conversations on homelessness program.

The most contentious item of the night was a resolution authorizing a five-year, $5.4 million contract with Axon Enterprise for police department technology upgrades, including body cameras, tasers, AI-assisted report writing (Draft 1), drones, and a new Arvada Real-Time Information Center (ARCTIC). More than a dozen members of the public spoke against the contract, citing concerns about surveillance overreach, Fourth Amendment rights, Axon's relationships with ICE and Israeli government agencies, data security, unproven AI technology, and pending state legislation (the SAFE Act). Council ultimately approved the contract 6-1, with Councilmember Ambrose dissenting, after amending the motion to require a community engagement report back in 12 months.

The council also unanimously approved a budget carryover ordinance, annexed a 1.17-acre parcel at 5044 Carr Street (Martinez Annexation) so the property owner could access city water, and heard a lengthy presentation and public hearing on a conditional use permit for Avalon Arvada — a proposed 435-unit apartment and townhome development on the former Welby Gardens nursery site at 17201 West 64th Avenue. Councilmember Davis recused herself from the Avalon Arvada hearing. The transcript for that hearing was truncated before any vote was recorded.

THE MOTION

R26-032: Authorizing agreement with Axon Enterprise for police technology improvements (body cameras, tasers, drones, AI report writing, ARCTIC), not to exceed $1,180,369.75 in year one, amended to require a community engagement report back to council in 12 months

YES · 6 Simpson · Moorman · Lovisone · Fifer · Davis · Griffith

NO · 1 Ambrose

Authorizes a five-year, $5.4 million contract for significant police surveillance and AI technology upgrades, including drone first responders and an AI-assisted report writing tool, despite substantial public opposition and pending state legislation that could affect the contract.

“I would ask that my fellow council members vote to reject the motions for three reasons. One is that I think that there needs to be significant amount of community engagement... I think we need to do engagement first and then bring up a contract that is more community informed.”

— Shawna Ambrose

WHIP COUNT

Where each member landed

Reach out — they answer to constituents.

COUNCILMEMBER		VOTE
	Lauren Simpson Mayor 720-961-3779	Yes
	Randy Moorman Mayor Pro Tem · District 1 720-772-6651	Yes
	Shawna Ambrose Councilmember · District 2 970-425-3060	No
	Rebecka Lovisone Councilmember · District 3 720-898-7000	Yes
	Bob Fifer Councilmember · District 4 303-929-4278	Yes
	Sharon Davis Councilmember · At-Large 720-450-4825	Yes
	Michael Griffith Councilmember · At-Large 720-898-7000	Yes

MORE QUOTES

“The majority of the contract is a legal obligation set by the state... How much is a helicopter? Couple million. Five, six, seven, eight million. Police helicopters have been around for decades and decades and decades. Um they're just too expensive to operate for the limited use. And you know, now, you know, they're looking at drones, which in a place I kind of look at as being like our own little personal helicopter.”

— Bob Fifer

Fifer explaining his support for the Axon contract, drawing an analogy between police drones and police helicopters to normalize the technology.

“I appreciate the education that the police department has provided to council and I think to Council Member Ambrose's point though and to the public comments this evening, I think we needed to continue to do a very robust public education on this because there's a lot of confusion and maybe some misunderstandings.”

— Randy Moorman

Moorman voted yes on the Axon contract while simultaneously acknowledging the public's concerns were not fully resolved, supporting the amendment requiring a community engagement report.

“Giving a contract to Axon is not a moral decision. It is an immoral act. Axon supplies Israel with technology to maintain its apartheid state.”

— Carol Napier (public commenter)

One of many public commenters opposing the Axon contract; several speakers raised Axon's alleged ties to Israeli military operations and ICE as moral objections.

“I really feel that should have happened prior to us signing off this resolution... this technology is moving far faster than our legislation and our courts can manage.”

— Douglas Bates (public commenter)

A cybersecurity professional and Arvada resident who volunteers with the police department argued that community meetings should precede, not follow, a contract vote.

“Community engagement isn't about one person. It's about creating a process that makes space for better listening, deeper understanding, and informed decision-making.”

— Rachel Kirawa (Communications Director)

Kirawa accepted a statewide CCMA excellence award for her community conversations on homelessness program, deflecting personal credit to the broader team and process.

“This year is a milestone for us. We will be celebrating our 40th Arbor Day as a community. We received our Tree City USA designation for the 35th year and we received our 10th growth award.”

— Ian (City Forester, first name only used)

The city forester's Arbor Day remarks highlighted program milestones and paid tribute to two community members, Dudley Wyland and Gene Sharpenberg, who recently passed away after decades of tree-planting contributions.

“The garden center will not be reopening. The land will be sold. The site will soon be redeveloped regardless of what happens here this evening.”

— Todd Nicotra (Avalon Bay applicant)

The developer made a pointed argument that the Welby Gardens nursery site will be developed no matter what, and that residential use is more compatible with the surrounding neighborhood than many by-right commercial uses allowed under current zoning.

WHAT'S NEXT

On the calendar

The Arvada Climate and Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP/KAP) is expected to come before council for a vote next month, with multiple public commenters and sustainability committee members urging unanimous approval and calling for greater ambition in its emissions targets. The council rules of procedure overhaul (R26-009) and a public hearing on the sidewalk ordinance (CB26-016) are both scheduled for May 5. The Avalon Arvada conditional use permit hearing (435 multifamily units at the former Welby Gardens site) was ongoing at the time the transcript was truncated and a vote outcome was not captured in the available record.

WORTH WATCHING

Randy Moorman

Moorman voted yes on the Axon contract while explicitly acknowledging that community education was insufficient and that 'there's a lot of confusion and maybe some misunderstandings' among the public. He supported the amendment requiring future engagement reporting, but his yes vote preceded the community meetings he said were needed, which could be seen as inconsistent with the concern he expressed.

Sharon Davis

Davis expressed a desire to delay the Axon vote to allow the scheduled town halls to occur first, and asked procedurally whether the contract 'needs to be approved tonight.' However, after staff indicated existing compliance obligations, she ultimately voted yes on the amended motion rather than seeking a continuance, which may conflict with her stated preference for waiting.

FROM THE EDITOR

AXON AX-OFF

• The community meetings on the Axon/ARCTIC contract are scheduled for April 23, 29, and 30 — after the contract was already approved. Worth following up: what comes out of those sessions and whether any concerns raised will actually influence the program, given the contract is already signed. • Multiple speakers referenced a specific March 31 ICE incident in Arvada involving a reportedly legal resident with two citizen children. Only two council members (Moorman and Ambrose) publicly signed a statement on the issue. Worth asking the other five council members directly where they stand, and whether the city has or will adopt any formal policy on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. • The Axon contract includes Draft 1, an AI wrapper around ChatGPT for police report writing. Chief Brady said the tool has been trial-tested for 8 months. Consider a deeper look at how those trial reports have been used, whether any have been submitted in court proceedings, and what the city's policy is on disclosure of AI-generated content in legal documents. • Councilmember Davis recused herself from the Avalon Arvada hearing with no stated reason in the transcript. Editors should clarify the basis for her recusal, as this is a significant land use decision affecting hundreds of housing units. • The Sharpenberg family's Trees Across Arvada program is concluding after 22 years. The city says it will continue the program — worth a follow-up on how and with what resources. • The transcript was truncated before the Avalon Arvada conditional use permit vote. Editors should obtain and report the outcome of that vote.

— RW

DELIVERED AFTER EVERY MEETING

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EYES ON ARVADA · TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2026

Independent, AI-assisted civic journalism. Not affiliated with the City of Arvada.

April 21: Arvada approves Axon surveillance contract 6-1 over public objections

Arvada approves Axon surveillance contract 6-1 over public objections

Where each member landed

On the calendar

AXON AX-OFF

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Eyes On Arvada