Police Department News
November 2026
Industry / Vendor News
Axon Unveils Body 5 Camera and "Guardian" Real-Time AI Alerts
Axon announced the Axon Body 5 body-worn camera on October 24, 2026. The company says it has 25 times the AI processing power of earlier-generation Axon body cameras, 20% more battery life than the previous generation, better low-light video and improved connectivity. For the first time Axon is offering two versions. The Body 5 Pro adds a near-focus lens that lets officers scan a driver's license to check status and wants or warrants without returning to the patrol car, plus four front-facing speakers to carry Axon Assistant's real-time translations over street noise. Axon also introduced Guardian, a set of AI features for field devices. Escalation Detection flags potential conflicts on a recording Body 4 or Body 5 camera and sends an alert to Axon Fusus, where a person reviews the livestream and decides whether more support is needed. Approach Alert on Fleet 3 in-car systems warns the officer if a stopped vehicle's door opens. Axon says general availability dates will be announced soon.
DOJ Picks Four "Model Cities" to Share Nearly $300 Million in Public Safety Funding
On October 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice selected Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office); East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and the St. Louis (MO) Police Department to share nearly $300 million through its Model Cities Initiative, announced in June. DOJ says the money can fund sworn and non-sworn hiring, new technology, equipment purchases or leases, forensic capacity, and mental health, substance use and recidivism services. DOJ will work with each jurisdiction to finalize its plan. Jackson says it will receive $100 million over three years, including a new forensic lab and a unified network linking its real-time command center, gunshot detection and ballistic imaging. St. Louis police listed recruitment, real-time crime center renovations, replacement cameras and license plate readers, a radio tower, more drones, replacement vehicles and ballistic shields for every patrol unit.
North Liberty, Iowa, Votes to End Its Flock Plate-Reader Contract
On October 27, 2026, the North Liberty (IA) City Council voted 3-1 to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety and turn off its 12 license plate reader cameras. The contract had auto-renewed in July 2026 and runs to July 2028, at $77,800 for two years. It does not allow immediate termination, but it can end without penalty if the city leaves the funding out of its next budget. The city's first annual payment, $41,800, was already made, and the council chose to absorb that cost and shut the cameras off right away. The cameras will stay in place for several months because Flock owns the hardware and is responsible for removing it. Police Chief Diane Venenga said that once the cameras are dark, no data will be shared.
Earlier this month
Reno Approves $21.8M Axon Deal, With Conditions, Replacing Flock Plate Readers
On October 21, 2026, the Reno (NV) City Council voted 5-2 to approve an eight-year, $21.8 million agreement with Axon that consolidates the Reno Police Department's existing Axon contracts and adds new technology. The deal brings more than 200 automated license plate readers, replacing the city's Flock Safety hardware, along with response drones, AI software that drafts police reports from body-camera audio, and translation tools. Council attached conditions: data not tied to an active investigation must be deleted after 15 days, outside-agency sharing needs prior approval, the department must run audits at least quarterly and report to the council every three months, and any expansion needs council approval. The city attorney said the deal depends on Axon accepting those conditions. Mayor Hillary Schieve and Councilmember Meghan Ebert voted no.
Motorola Solutions Launches "Insights" AI Analytics Platform for Public Safety Agencies
Motorola Solutions has introduced Insights, a cloud-native analytics platform that pulls an agency's 911 call, CAD, case and body-camera data into customizable dashboards. It uses Motorola's Assist AI so supervisors can ask questions about their data in plain language. The platform sends real-time alerts on anomalies such as high call-abandonment rates or disabled body cameras. It also tracks month-over-month trends like response times, schedules automated reports, and lets agencies anonymously benchmark their performance against peer departments of similar size or region. Motorola cites industry research that public safety analysts can spend upwards of 40% of their time extracting data from spreadsheets and calculating metrics by hand.
Florida Poly Police Add a Piloted eVTOL Aircraft, Pending FAA Approval
The Florida Polytechnic University Police Department has added a manned electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to its operations, the university announced October 20. The aircraft is a Jetson ONE named Astro, and the university calls it a first for a U.S. law enforcement agency. The department is in the final stages of seeking FAA approval to fly it on patrol. Chief Aaron Murray said Astro will help monitor campus and surrounding acreage, reach areas that are hard to access by ground, support post-storm recovery and deliver emergency supplies. The department also plans to make it available to regional agencies for emergency response. Jetson said it moved Florida Poly's order ahead despite a three-year waiting list.
Caldwell Swaps Flock for $6.7M Axon Contract Covering Drones, Cameras and LPRs
On October 5, 2026, the Caldwell (ID) City Council voted 4-1 to approve a $6.7 million contract with Axon for drones, body cameras, Tasers, AI software and license plate readers, replacing the city's Flock cameras. Police Sgt. Andrew Heitzman told the council the department currently has 112 devices and plans 65 fixed LPRs under the 10-year contract. Mayor Eric Phillips raised privacy concerns, citing 405,661 vehicles logged on the city's transparency portal in the prior 30 days, and called for public input. Council member Diana Register cast the lone no vote.
Michigan State Police Adds Silverado Pickups to Preliminary 2027 Patrol Vehicle Test Results
Michigan State Police has added Chevrolet's Silverado Z71 and Z7X PPV pickups to its preliminary 2027 model-year Police Vehicle Evaluation Program results, which now cover 13 patrol vehicles and four motorcycles. Ford's 3.0L EcoBoost Police Interceptor Utility led the full test in top speed (148 mph) and road-course lap average (1:34.69), while the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT was quickest to 60 mph (4.01 seconds) and posted the shortest projected stop from 60 mph (123.12 feet). Among pickups, the Ford F-150 Police Responder was quickest to 60 (5.94 seconds), while both Silverados stopped shorter. Results are preliminary, lap averages are calculated by Modern Public Fleet, and MSP has not announced a date for the full test book.
Bellingham Police Launch Drone as First Responder Program on $475K State Grant
Bellingham (WA) Police are running a new Drone as First Responder program funded through 2028 by a $475,417 state grant, one line of a $3.7 million Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission award. The drones are based at the police station, the city's Pacific Street Operations Center and Bellis Fair mall. The program's public flight dashboard, which runs on Skydio's cloud, logged 23 flights from Aug. 19 through Oct. 6, most of them training. The city says the drones carry no license plate readers, always fly with a human pilot, and that vendor agreements bar Skydio from accessing video. The council agenda bill does not say who pays after 2028.
Closed Auction Results
Earlier this month
Closing Soon Auctions
Earlier this month
Featured Project
Noblesville, IN — Ground Broken on $50M Police Headquarters
On October 29, 2026, the City of Noblesville broke ground on a $50 million headquarters for the Noblesville Police Department at 1715 Division Street, a former factory site about half a mile from the current downtown station. The two-story building will have nearly 59,000 square feet, about 230% larger than the existing facility. The department now shares a 1992 building with the Noblesville Fire Department and City Courts. Chief Brad Arnold said its 125 staff no longer fit, and one entire division works from a separate location across town. The site went through health and safety testing before the project was approved. The city says the headquarters has been in the works for nearly 20 years.
What made it work
Noblesville is moving its police department out of a building it shares with fire and courts and pulling its scattered divisions under one roof, using city funds and bonds to pay for it. Mayor Chris Jensen tied the project to growth and noted that public safety takes a record 57% of the city's $143 million budget.
Earlier this month
Change order
Casper, WY — $23.8M Phase 3 Locks In Price for Downtown Police HQ Conversion
The Casper City Council has approved a $23,783,655.35 change order with Sampson Construction Company Inc. for Phase 3 of the Casper Business Center Police remodeling project. The change order sets a guaranteed maximum price for the third phase under a Construction Manager at Risk contract. The city bought the eight-story 1st Street building to consolidate the Casper Police Department and its Information Technology division in one location. Earlier phases covered hazardous materials abatement, structural utility upgrades, exterior window replacements and roof repairs. Phase 3 builds out the interiors of six of the building's eight levels: interior walls, finished electrical and plumbing, fire suppression, elevator modernization, detention furnishings, bulletproof windows and a new sally port. The city expects substantial completion in October 2028.
What made it work
Casper is turning an existing downtown high-rise into a police headquarters instead of building new, and it is phasing the work under a CMAR contract so each phase's price is set as its scope is defined. Phase 3 is funded from several sources: $17.5 million in Certificates of Participation, $2 million in direct distribution funds for furniture, fixtures and equipment, $1.97 million in One Cent #17 sales tax, $1.65 million in general fund excess, and $656,135 in excess tax revenues and interest set aside for the public safety communications center.
Approved
Portsmouth, NH — $58.6M Police Station and City Hall Renovation Approved
On October 13, 2026, the Portsmouth City Council approved a $58.6 million plan to renovate and expand the police station and City Hall on the city's Junkins Avenue municipal campus, adopting the Municipal Building Blue Ribbon Committee's preferred "Concept C." The police department has never operated in a building designed as a police facility; it works out of a building originally designed as a hospital. Concept C adds about 9,410 square feet of new construction, including a one-story sally port in front of the existing police station, and captures usable lower-level space beneath the additions. Design runs from November 2026 into early 2028, with construction planned from June 2028 through 2032, funded through six annual borrowings from fiscal 2028 through 2033, each repaid over 20 years.
What made it work
Portsmouth started with a police-only plan. City documents put expanding and renovating the police department on the existing campus at about $42 million and a new police facility elsewhere at nearly twice that, while City Hall needed $10–11 million in HVAC work either way. Folding both into one phased project added roughly $5.6–6.6 million and avoided disrupting the building twice.
Featured Chief
Art D. Littlejohn / Spartanburg Police Department (SC)
On Friday, October 30, 2026, Art D. Littlejohn was sworn in as Spartanburg's chief of police before a large crowd of family, friends, law enforcement officials and residents at the Spartanburg County Public Libraries headquarters. City Manager Chris Story said the city ran a nationwide search, conducted by Developmental Associates, and Littlejohn "came out on top." He succeeds Chief Alonzo Thompson, who led the department from 2014 and retired after more than 40 years in policing and public service.
Littlejohn joined the department in 1988 as a patrol officer. Over 38 years he served as a D.A.R.E. instructor, community relations and crime prevention officer, patrol lieutenant, community-oriented policing coordinator and lieutenant over the Office of Professional Standards. He was promoted to captain in 2009 and major in 2015, most recently leading the Patrol Services Bureau. He was one of the original members of the department's tactical team in 1989 and has been its public information officer since 2009. He founded the Spartanburg Citizens Police Academy in 2003 and a junior academy for middle schoolers in 2004, and created "Front Porch Roll Calls," which moves pre-shift briefings into neighborhoods. He is an FBI National Academy graduate with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Columbia College. In 2022 he received the statewide Strom Thurmond Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement. He has said he will meet with every member of the department in his first 30 days.
"Today, I accept the responsibility of Chief of Police with gratitude, humility, and a clear understanding that the position is not about a title, it's about people."
"Policing is not about making arrests, it's not about taking calls for service. It's about making those relationships, building partnerships with those people in the community."
Earlier this month
Edward "Ed" Turner / Independence Police Department (MO)
On Friday, October 23, 2026, the City of Independence swore in Ed Turner as its police chief at the Independence Uptown Market, with Mayor Kevin King and City Manager Troy Anderson speaking before the oath and badge pinning. The city selected him after a nationwide search that began in June. According to the city, Turner drew strong support at a community open house and positive feedback from all three interview panels, which represented city staff, community members and law enforcement professionals. His first day leading the department is October 26.
For Turner it is a homecoming. He joined the Independence Police Department in 1998 and spent 25 years there, rising to the rank of major with leadership roles over investigations, patrol, special operations and support services. Along the way he helped establish the department's Community Police Advisory Board and its peer support programs. In February 2023 he became police chief in neighboring Grain Valley, where he served until taking the Independence job. In all he has more than 30 years in law enforcement. He holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Missouri and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
"I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as Chief of Police and look forward to working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Independence Police Department, City leadership, and our community to build on our strengths and continue earning the trust of those we serve."
Dr. Anita Allen / Mableton Police Department (GA)
On October 6, 2026, the Mableton City Council voted 7-0 to appoint Allen as the city's first police chief, and she was sworn in that night. Her job is to design, staff and launch a department from scratch. Cobb County provides police service under an agreement that runs through June 1, 2027, when Mableton PD is set to take over. The new department is hiring 70 officers and 10 civilian staff, and city officials said it drew more than 1,500 applicants after applications opened Oct. 1.
Allen brings more than 25 years in law enforcement. Most recently she was police chief at Albany State University, overseeing public safety operations, emergency management, E911 dispatch and criminal investigations across three campuses. Before that she was public safety director and police chief at Fort Valley State University and spent 12 years with the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. She served as the first Black woman president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (2025–2026).
"Building a police department is a profound responsibility, and my priority will be establishing a culture of integrity, transparent communication, and dedicated service."
Hiring
Earlier this month
Celebrating Retirement
John Goodwin / Winthrop Police Department (MA)
32-year career with Revere and Winthrop police · chief since July 2024 · retired Oct. 31, 2026
Winthrop (MA) Police Chief John Goodwin retired October 31, 2026, at the mandatory retirement age of 65, closing a 32-year career with the Revere and Winthrop police departments. He transferred to Winthrop from Revere in 2017, served seven years as deputy chief under Chief Terence Delehanty, and was sworn in as chief in July 2024. As chief he emphasized improving the condition of police headquarters and bringing firearms and active-shooter training in-house.
Successor: Steve Rogers became chief Oct. 1; the two worked side by side through October.
Earlier this month
Craig D. Burnett / Murray City Police Department (UT)
41-year career with the city · chief since 2014 · retired Oct. 16, 2026
Murray City Police Chief Craig D. Burnett retired October 16, 2026, closing a 41-year career with the city. He first served as a Murray police cadet in high school, was sworn in as an officer in 1985, and worked as patrol officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant and assistant chief before becoming chief in 2014. On October 6, the mayor and council proclaimed October 16 Craig D. Burnett Day and renamed the city's police training center the Craig D. Burnett Murray City Police Training Center.
Successor: Chase L. Smith.
Ken Gunsch / Mentor Police Department (OH)
33 years with the department · chief since 2019 · retires Oct. 31, 2026
Mentor Police Chief Ken Gunsch is retiring effective October 31, 2026, after 33 years with the department. Hired in 1993, he rose to sergeant in 2001, lieutenant in 2008, captain in 2012 and chief in 2019. Highlights of his tenure cited in local coverage include renewing the K-9 program, upgrading the department's response capabilities for active-shooter incidents, adding patrol officers, expanding the School Resource Officer program, and launching the department's Open House, Citizens Police Academy and Junior Police Academy. "He served with integrity and professionalism and kept the high standards we keep for the department," City Manager Ken Filipiak told The News-Herald.
Successor: Captain Mike Majernik, a 29-year Mentor veteran and FBI National Academy graduate, is serving as acting chief and officially takes over Nov. 1.