WNC Surveillance Watch.

Asking About the RTIC

13 min read

Every ask on this page names who can answer it and the document it rests on, so an answer or a silence goes on the record. The facts are on The Real-Time Intelligence Center, the contract, as signed, and the city’s page, annotated; the Flock exit has its own list on Getting Flock Out; comment procedure is on Speak at Council.

What was read

The city’s Technology and Public Safety page as of Sept 23, 2026; City of Asheville Contract 92700065 with Axon, the eight pages the city posted; Axon’s master agreement, posted as Exhibit B; the FUSUS appendix; the Flock contract with Flock’s terms attached; Interim Chief Stepp’s Aug 14, 2026 memo; both plate-reader portals; the Connect Asheville registration site; Axon’s and Flock’s product pages as of Sept 24, 2026; the Aug 25, 2026 minutes; APD’s March 2026 committee slides; the Sept 24, 2026 committee agenda and recording.

What the city has done

The city posted the executed Axon contract, Axon’s master agreement and the Fusus appendix, which residents had asked for since the May 12 vote. The Axon portal publishes retention, device counts and hotlist categories. In July 2026 the city attorney’s office flagged Axon’s default data program and asked Axon, by email, to opt the city out. The page also says APD’s Flock accounts are deactivated; no record of the account closure or of data deletion has been published.

What the record shows and does not show

  1. The city page’s plate-reader safeguards (12 authorized officers, a case number for every search, quarterly audits, the narrowed sharing) are the Flock program’s, from the chief’s Aug 14 memo on Flock. For Axon’s in-car readers, in use since April 2024 with 835,194 plate reads retained on Sept 23, 2026, the page states no user count, no sharing rule and no audit (which plate readers the answers describe).
  2. The contract’s scope lists “Lightpost,” Axon’s fixed plate reader, in APD’s current inventory, and the chief’s Aug 14 memo plans “the Axon ALPR infrastructure operational” by February 2027. The mayor said Aug 25 the city has no fixed Axon readers; the portal shows none active. The only barrier to them is the city manager’s verbal assurance of Aug 25; a moratorium motion that night died for lack of a second.
  3. The contract references an itemized quote (Q-808220-46198AS) that is not posted. Products, quantities, the Fusus tier and any drone or video-analytics plan are in it. Kim Roney asked for “Axon’s detailed purchasing lists” on Aug 25. A resident requested the quote on Aug 17, 2026 and it was not provided, as the requester told the Sept 24 committee. Durham attached its Axon quote, every line item priced, to its June 1, 2026 council agenda (What Axon contracts do).
  4. The page’s answer on private cameras is Connect Asheville’s Level 1 text, from the Axon-built site, and omits Level 2, a device that gives APD “direct access to your camera feed.” APD plans to solicit integrations this fall.
  5. The chief told council May 12 that “Axon neither has access to the Fusus or to the system, or retains data.” The master agreement the city posted lets Axon access agency content for troubleshooting and enforcement, use usage data to develop “current and future Axon products,” and enrolls agencies by default in a program that uses their content to build products. The opt-out rests on a sales representative’s email; Axon’s written confirmation is not posted.
  6. Policy 1703 is not posted; its effective date was blank in the last released draft. It sets no retention period, no user cap, no publication duty, and does not mention immigration. The page calls its boundaries “unalterable”; the chief can revise it.
  7. No audit has been published. The first quarterly window under the policy closes about October 2026; the Sept 24 committee meeting had no audit item. The July 2025 audit-log request was refused.
  8. The page says 30-day retention four times; the chief’s memo and the Axon portal say 21 days.
  9. The city’s engagement is scheduled for “late 2026 or early 2027.” Fusus billing starts Dec 1, 2026; integration solicitation is planned for fall 2026; full operation is projected for spring 2027. The ten-item review ordered Aug 25 has no published schedule or reviewer.
  10. The 7.5-year cost is $7,423,161.15, of which $6,955,559 is city money, rising about 5 percent a year through year 6, against the $30,000 a year the city paid before for Fusus access. The mayor described the grant in May as a way to “save the city money.”
  11. The separate contract for 20 Axon Fleet in-car readers, described in July 2026 emails, is not posted and has never been presented to council.

To City Manager D.K. Wesley

She signed the contract Aug 4, 2026, runs the review ordered by Resolution 26-180, and gave the Aug 25 assurance (D.K. Wesley).

  1. Post the Axon quote Q-808220-46198AS beside the contract on the Technology and Public Safety page, with the Fusus tier named. Anchor: Contract 92700065, Exhibit A. A resident requested the quote on Aug 17, 2026 and it was not provided; Durham published its quote before its vote.
  2. Put the Aug 25 assurance in writing: no Axon Outpost or Lightpost reader is installed, activated, or ordered without a separate public council vote; and state whether the Aug 14 memo’s plan for “the Axon ALPR infrastructure operational” by February 2027 stands. Anchor: the Aug 25 minutes; the Aug 14 memo; Getting Flock Out, demand 7.
  3. State in writing what the “Lightpost” line in the contract’s scope of work refers to. Anchor: Contract 92700065, clause 1.
  4. Publish the review’s schedule, the name and engagement terms of the independent civil-liberties reviewer, and the date the review reaches council. Anchor: Resolution 26-180, Section 5.
  5. Sequence the community engagement before the fall 2026 integration solicitation, or state that integration will proceed before engagement. Anchor: the workgroup notes of July 23, 2026; the page’s “Happening Now.”
  6. Post Flock’s written confirmation of account termination and data deletion, and the Section 3 deletion notice to council, on the page. Anchor: Resolution 26-180, Sections 2 and 3; the manager’s Aug 25 commitment to notify council.
  7. Post the 20-camera Axon Fleet contract. Anchor: the July 13 and 16, 2026 emails released Aug 20 (The RTIC Policy).
  8. Post Axon’s written ACEIP withdrawal confirmation, and state in writing what access Axon has to APD’s content and usage data under sections 3 and 6 of the master agreement’s cloud terms. Anchor: Exhibit B, the Cloud Services Terms and the ACEIP appendix; the July 15 and 16, 2026 emails; the chief’s May 12 statement.
  9. Correct the page’s retention figure to 21 days, and state the retention rule for Axon Fusus content. Anchor: the Aug 14 memo; the Axon portal.
  10. Explain the year 7.5 payment of $982,189 for five months. Anchor: Contract 92700065, clause 2.

To Interim Chief Jackie Stepp

She signed as department director July 27, 2026, and owns Policy 1703 and the audits (Jackie Stepp).

  1. Post Policy 1703 in final form with its effective date, as the page promises. Anchor: the page’s August 2026 timeline entry.
  2. Publish the first quarterly audit under Policy 1703, section 4.D, to the Public Safety Committee, with the count of searches reviewed, the count found non-compliant, and the outcomes; or state that it will not be published and why. Anchor: Policy 1703, 4.D; G.S. 20-183.31(a)(7).
  3. Publish for Axon’s in-car plate readers what the page states for Flock’s: the number of people authorized to search, the agencies with access, the search-reason rule, and the audit schedule; and the same for Axon Fusus. Anchor: the page’s “12 authorized officers” line, which is the Flock count; the Axon portal; Policy 1703.
  4. State which APD policy prohibits monitoring lawful demonstrations and political gatherings, and post it. Anchor: the page’s “Usage Bans” line.
  5. Describe Connect Asheville’s Level 2 on the page, with the terms an owner accepts and how many cameras are integrated. Anchor: connectasheville.org, whose Level 1 text the page’s answer reproduces; the workgroup notes.
  6. Reconcile the page’s 162 vehicle readers with the portal’s 139 active devices. Anchor: the Axon portal, Sept 23, 2026.

To council members

The six who authorized the contract May 12, 2026, and Roney (Asheville’s officials).

  1. Second the moratorium next time it is moved, or move it: no fixed plate readers of any vendor during the review. Anchor: the Aug 25 minutes, the motion that failed for lack of a second (2026-08-25 City Council).
  2. Direct the manager, by resolution, to post the quote, the Fleet contract, Policy 1703 and each quarterly audit on the Technology and Public Safety page within 30 days of each existing. Anchor: Resolution 26-180, Section 5, item 8, “transparency and public reporting.”
  3. Set the review’s return date on the council calendar. Anchor: Resolution 26-180, Section 5.
  4. Adopt the facial-recognition ban, the retention period, the user cap and the publication duty as an ordinance, so they cannot change without a public vote. Anchor: Promise Tracker, rows 1, 4 and 5; the CCOPS model.
  5. Ask the city attorney, on the record, whether clause 10’s thirty-day convenience termination survives clause 22 and Section 16 of the Sourcewell agreement. Anchor: Contract 92700065, clauses 10 and 22 (the contract, as signed).
  6. Put the year-by-year schedule ($740,000 in year 1a to $947,211 in year 6) into the FY28 budget discussion beside the “save the city money” statement. Anchor: Contract 92700065, clause 2; BPR, May 28, 2026 (Esther Manheimer); the breakdown on the federal grant and the city’s share of the contract.
  7. Ask the manager for the model behind the chief’s “more than $4 million in total contract value savings,” as a document; the staff report documents $223,022.48. Anchor: the May 12, 2026 minutes; the contract staff report.

To the Public Safety Committee

Bo Hess, chair; Antanette Mosley; Sheneika Smith. Next meeting: Thursday, Sept 24, 1:00 PM: Asheville City Council Public Safety Committee, Remote meeting (virtual, per NC Gen. Stat. 166A-19.24(f)); livestream on Engagement Hub or the City's YouTube Channel, call-in (855) 925-2801 code 11543. Live call-in comments during the public comment period: (855) 925-2801, code 11543, then press * and select option 3. Pre-recorded voicemail comments accepted at the same number/code until 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting. Written comments to publicsafetycommittee@PublicInput.com, also closing 5:00 p.m. the day before..

  1. Add a standing RTIC item: the quarterly audit, the integration count, the device count, and the review’s status, each meeting. Anchor: Policy 1703, 4.D; the committee’s July 2025 briefing (The Committee).
  2. Ask the chief for the G.S. 20-183.31(a)(7) plate-reader audit report for the period since the last one, as a written staff report. Anchor: the statute.
  3. Take up the Resolution 26-180 review as a committee item, with its schedule and a way for the public to follow and comment. Asked by Patrick Conant at the Sept 24 committee (1:11:59); no member responded. Anchor: Resolution 26-180, Section 5.

To the November 3, 2026 candidates

Mayor, three council seats, sheriff. Each answer gets a date and goes on the candidate’s page (Election 2026).

  1. Will you vote for a separate public council vote before any fixed Axon plate reader goes up?
  2. Will you vote to publish the quarterly RTIC audits, in full, to the committee and the public?
  3. Will you vote for a surveillance-oversight ordinance that requires council approval and annual public reporting for each surveillance technology?
  4. The Axon contract costs the city $6,955,559 over 7.5 years, rising about 5 percent a year. Will you fund it in each budget, and what would you cut or tax to do so?
  5. For the sheriff’s race: the city is evaluating consolidating the county RTIC into the city’s. Will you agree to it, and on what terms for the county’s roughly 2,000 cameras? (Quentin Miller · Gary Parris)

At the podium, three minutes

Council comment is three minutes per speaker; the committee’s comment period is 30 minutes total. The procedure and the sign-up rules are on Speak at Council.

  1. Who you are, 15 seconds: name, neighborhood, one line of stake.
  2. What you read, 30 seconds: “I read the city’s new Technology and Public Safety page and the Axon contract the city posted there, all eight pages, and the Axon transparency portal.”
  3. What the city did, 15 seconds: “Thank you for posting the Axon contract and the master agreement. Residents asked for them in May.”
  4. One fact, 45 seconds. Pick one:
    • “The city’s page lists plate-reader safeguards: 12 officers, a case number for every search, quarterly audits. Those are the Flock program’s, and council ended the Flock contract. For the Axon readers in our patrol cars, which held 835,000 plate reads on Sept 23, the page gives no user count, no sharing rule and no audit.”
    • “The contract lists Lightpost, Axon’s fixed plate reader, as part of APD’s current inventory. The mayor said on Aug 25 the city has none. I would like the manager to say in writing what that line means.”
    • “The contract’s schedule runs from $740,000 this year to $947,211 in year six, and $6.96 million of the $7.42 million is city money. Before the RTIC the city paid $30,000 a year for Fusus access.”
    • “The page says the community will be engaged in late 2026 or early 2027. APD’s own notes say it will solicit camera integrations this fall and open the center in spring 2027. The billing for Fusus starts December 1.”
    • “The page says every search requires a case number and a quarterly audit. The city refused to release the audit log in September 2025, and no audit has been published. The first one under the new policy is due about October.”
  5. One ask, 45 seconds, with the owner named: “I ask the city manager to post the itemized Axon quote the contract references, and to put her Aug 25 assurance in writing: no fixed Axon reader without a council vote.”
  6. The alternative, 15 seconds: “The ABC board’s closed camera system, raised at this table on Aug 25, needs a subpoena to open. That conversation has not been had.”
  7. The commitment, 15 seconds: “I will be back at the next meeting for the answer.”

Email the same text to avl-city-council@publicinput.com so it enters the record whether or not the clock reaches you.

The records requests these asks imply

Drafted for Records Center; the city’s portal is JustFOIA.

  1. Axon quote Q-808220-46198AS and any revision, with the Fusus tier and all line items and quantities. Requested by a resident Aug 17, 2026 and not provided; a request should ask for the quote with prices redacted if the city claims an exemption, and for any written response.
  2. The executed contract for 20 Axon Fleet in-car readers, with its quote.
  3. Policy 1703 as issued, with effective date, and any revision since July 9, 2026.
  4. All records describing Lightpost or Outpost devices purchased, delivered, stored, or licensed by APD, 2024 to date.
  5. Axon’s written confirmation of ACEIP withdrawal (Tier 1 and Tier 2).
  6. Flock’s written acknowledgment of termination, the account-deactivation record, and the data-deletion confirmation.
  7. For Axon’s in-car plate readers: the list of APD users authorized to search, the agencies granted search access, and any audit of searches, April 2024 to date.
  8. The April 2024 agreement or quote under which the Axon in-car plate readers were purchased.

Related: The Real-Time Intelligence Center · Getting Flock Out · Speak at Council · Promise Tracker · Records Center · Election 2026

Last verified: September 24, 2026

Backlinks