West Fargo police chief says Axon technology will replace Flock, bring new AI features

Forum file photo By Sav Kelly Today at 5:00 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? WEST FARGO — The region's largest user of Flock cameras will transition to another company for surveillance technology in 2027 in a move the police chief feels will greatly benefit his officers. West Fargo Police Chief Pete Nielsen said he wants to use one system rather than multiple for the agency's technology, stay up-to-date with advancements and reap the safety benefits of technology use in law enforcement. ADVERTISEMENT Current technology contracts — including Flock — will be phased out and consolidated into one Axon contract. "We'd like to just let the public know this system is a system that has been (used) throughout the United States," Nielsen said. "Every other agency in the metro has Axon. It's very well-respected, it's very well-maintained, and we just feel that having this type of technology for our officers is something that's needed." Axon will be used for more than just license plate reader cameras, but Nielsen stresses that Axon — and Flock — street cameras in West Fargo only capture photos of the back of vehicles to identify their license plates. The pictures may allow law enforcement to make inferences about the vehicle they're dealing with, but they do not capture any human identifying information. The decision to move away from Flock cameras when the West Fargo Police Department's contract expires next spring is not related to the local and nationwide controversy surrounding the Flock company, according to the police chief. Forum file photo The West Fargo Police Department got approval Monday, Nov. 2, to create a contract with Axon Enterprise. The company is based in Arizona and claims to be the global leader in public safety technology, with more than 30 years in operation and multiple products used by law enforcement, other industries and private residents. A contract will be included in the West Fargo City Commission's Nov. 16 meeting consent agenda, so it won't be discussed further unless commissioners decide to move it to the regular agenda. During the recent meeting, Nielsen explained signing the contract now, rather than waiting until next year, will save the city $1.4 million. The 10-year contract is anticipated to cost around $6.2 million. ADVERTISEMENT The Forum requested the current technology contract cost per year on Thursday evening, but was told the staff members who have that information were out of the office for the weekend. A departmental expenditure document filed by the city in July shows a 72.9% increase in the WFPD's service agreements/contracts budget from $17,700 in 2026 to $30,600 in 2027. It does not specify what contracts are included, but there will likely be overlap between present contracts and the planned Axon contract, so the $12,900 increase may not represent the actual difference. A budget line for furniture and equipment increased from $9,500 in 2026 to $369,100 in 2027. This is a 3,785.3% increase explained in the city's finalized budget as reflecting the transition to Axon hardware and software. New technology As the police department transitions over to Axon, it will implement more artificial intelligence in West Fargo's everyday police work. AI in law enforcement has been another recent controversy. A $10 million civil rights case against the Fargo Police Department alleges an AI error — not caused by Flock license plate cameras, but by AI technology used to study surveillance footage collected in a fraud case — caused the wrongful arrest and months-long incarceration of Angela Lipps. Nielsen asserts that AI won't replace his officers' own judgment in West Fargo. ADVERTISEMENT It will be used to assist with writing reports, reviewing evidence and redacting body camera footage. This will be entirely new technology for the city. After spending hours in the field, it can be difficult to remember all the details of an incident. The AI implemented in officers' body cameras will help West Fargo police officers create more accurate, uniform, detailed and timely reports, Nielsen said. Reports will be reviewed for accuracy by the officer and their supervisor before being submitted. The body cameras will also include AI technology to translate conversations between police officers and non-English-speaking members of the public in real time, as well as answer officers' questions about WFPD policies. Other elements Nielsen feels will increase his officers' safety include the ability for supervisors to watch an officer's body camera footage live and access the built-in GPS to send resources to their location if they need help. Officers will also be able to upload their body camera footage directly from the camera, rather than waiting until they return to the police station. "There are a lot of different safety benefits that we believe are very well-needed for our police officers," Nielsen said. ADVERTISEMENT Axon was built to be compliant with the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) and meets the criteria for all security policies, he said. He is unsure whether Flock has a similar standard. Axon has various safeguards, including audits of officer inquiries into data and allowing agencies to own and store their data. The West Fargo Police Department will be able to set its own data retention periods and control who accesses it. "I think that is what is appealing for the West Fargo Police Department is the security and the safeguards that Axon has in place," Nielsen said. "It's nice to be able to have complete control of the data that is here and available to our police department." Axon also has a platform called Axon Fusus, which allows law enforcement to view all data in one place, which Nielsen feels will make things easier for officers of all ranks. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags WEST FARGO WEST FARGO POLICE DEPARTMENT PUBLIC SAFETY By Sav Kelly Sav Kelly joined The Forum in June 2026. She reports on West Fargo, Horace and Harwood, as well as West Fargo Public Schools. Readers can reach Kelly at (701) 241-5530 or [email protected]. 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