The Falmouth Town Council approved a 10-year contract with Axon, a law enforcement technology company.

Axon already supplies Falmouth police with body and vehicle cameras, Tasers and software that automatically reads license plates under a five-year contract, as well as a drone acquired last year.

Under the new contract, Axon will continue to provide this technology to Falmouth’s 22 police officers, as well as new mounted traffic cameras that include automated license plate reading software.

The use of Axon’s mounted cameras will effectively end Falmouth’s contract with Flock Safety, which provided similar stationary cameras that used artificial intelligence to read license plates of vehicles on Gray Road and Route 1.

In other Maine communities, particularly South Portland, citizens have pushed back against the use of Flock cameras and similar technology by local police departments.

“I do not believe in having license plate readers. I think that’s an infringement of your privacy,” said Falmouth resident John Winslow during public comment at the June 1 Town Council meeting. “That’s a civil rights violation in my book.”

The data collected from the Axon cameras in Falmouth will be retained for 21 days and searching the database requires a reason, said Deputy Chief Jeffrey Pardue. The cameras are not a Fourth Amendment violation, he said, as they access publicly visible license plates.

Data from the Axon cameras will not be shared with any federal agency, said Pardue.

“We have made thoughtful approaches to try to find a balance between technology, and implementing that technology to the benefit of public safety, without infringing on the privacy rights of our residents and the visitors of our community,” said Pardue.

The contract, which the Falmouth Town Council unanimously voted on June 1 to direct the town manager to execute, will cost Falmouth $140,000 each year. However, the town will only pay $68,000 for the first year, as the municipal budget has already been determined.

Since 2022, much of Falmouth’s law enforcement technology has been funded by an anonymous $300,000 donation. Pardue said that a 10-year contract would lead to the most long-term cost savings, as well as create a consistent line in the town’s budget.

Axon will upgrade the department’s technology at regular intervals across the decadelong contract, he said.