Some 911 calls in Bloomington could soon get a drone overhead before a squad car pulls up. On Oct. 12 the City Council voted 7-0 to expand the police department's agreement with Axon Enterprise. The bigger deal is worth just over $22 million, billed over 10 years. It keeps the body-worn cameras and automated license plate readers the city already gets from Axon, and it adds three things: a drone-as-first-responder program, a fixed-wing drone and language translation technology for the dispatch center. The city said bundling it all into one package saved money compared with the earlier agreement, on top of an extra 39% discount.
Axon and Bloomington have worked together for years, and this isn't a brand-new contract. In January the council approved an Axon quote and statement of work to set up Axon's records and standards program under the master services and purchasing agreement already in place.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNThe council approves Axon's records and standards program under the existing master agreement, an earlier step in the same relationship.01/26
The drone question came up in May, when police tested the technology in a pilot. Over the pilot the drones answered 396 calls and reached the scene before officers or firefighters 47% of the time. They found 52 people and 35 vehicles. The calls included welfare checks, structure fires, assaults, stolen vehicles, K-9 tracks and high-risk traffic stops. At the time, the city said no decision on a permanent program had been made. It also said any permanent program would follow federal and state privacy rules and include community engagement.
The money first appeared in September budget talks. Staff described spending set aside in both 2027 and 2028 for AI and workflow tools, the drone program and an integrated Axon platform. They said the drones are mainly a police investment but could also serve fire, public works and parks.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNBudget staff list the drone program and an integrated Axon platform among planned 2027–2028 spending and say other departments could use the drones too.09/14
The contract was on the Oct. 12 consent agenda, where items usually pass together with no discussion. Council Member Jenna Carter asked to pull it, saying the council had gotten a lot of questions about it from the community. She also noted that the city has had the contract for a long time and that this was really an expansion of services. Police Chief Booker Hodges said that if the department had had the drones, the shooters in the Harriet Avenue incident would not have gotten away. On data, Hodges said the policy states plainly that officers who violate it will be disciplined, up to and including termination. He also explained why he passed on Flock, another vendor: he said he didn't agree with Flock's data-sharing protocols.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNChief Booker Hodges walks the council through what the expanded Axon deal adds, starting with drones as first responders.10/12
Next came the motion to approve the agreement through State of Minnesota/NASPO cooperative contract 247327. That lets the city buy at terms the state has already negotiated instead of putting the deal out to bid itself. It passed 7-0.
City of Bloomington@CityofBloomingtonMNThe motion to piggyback on NASPO contract 247327 is made and seconded, and the vote follows.10/12
No launch date, drone count or further council vote has been announced. Still open are the questions the city itself raised: what the final drone policy says, how flight video is stored and who can see it, and what the promised community engagement will look like now that the program is approved. We'll update this story as those answers come out. If you have questions in the meantime, the police department's number is 952-563-4900.
From the meeting: City Council Meeting, October 12, 2026.
