NYPD Suspends $750,500 FalcoNet Surveillance Contract
The NYPD has halted a sole-source deal with Cognyte and will reopen the procurement as a competitive bidding process.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Law Enforcement
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The New York Police Department suspended a proposed three-year, $750,500 sole-source contract with Cognyte for FalcoNet, a mobile surveillance system. The department says it will reopen procurement as an open, competitive bidding process.
Why it matters
FalcoNet can mimic cellphone towers and force nearby phones to connect to it, drawing criticism from civil liberties advocates and progressive politicians. The suspension shifts the procurement toward open competition, which New York City residents concerned about surveillance practices may weigh in on.
The proposed no-bid contract was valued at $750,500 over three years and has been suspended pending a new procurement round. The NYPD has not announced a winning vendor, and Cognyte remains eligible to submit a bid.
The players
New York Police Department
The NYPD is the municipal police agency of New York City, responsible for law enforcement across its five boroughs.
Cognyte
Cognyte is an Israeli-founded intelligence analytics company that provides investigative and surveillance software to government agencies.
Jessica Tisch
Jessica Tisch is the New York City Police Commissioner who met with Mayor Mamdani before the contract was suspended.
Mamdani
Mamdani is the Mayor of New York City who met with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch before the suspension.
The details
The NYPD had been negotiating with Cognyte since December 2025 to acquire FalcoNet, which can be mounted on police vehicles or drones. An NYPD spokesperson said the purchase did not meet the requirements for a sole-source contract, prompting the switch to open bidding after a meeting between Mayor Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Timeline
December 2025: NYPD begins negotiating with Cognyte for the FalcoNet technology.
November 8, 2026: NYPD suspension of the Cognyte contract is reported.
Legal Context
The suspension reflects the procurement rule that sole-source awards must meet narrow justification criteria, which the NYPD said this purchase did not satisfy. Shifting to competitive bidding places the FalcoNet decision within the city's standard open-procurement process.
Residents of New York City may see the surveillance technology debate return once the reopened bidding process selects a vendor. Anyone concerned about phone-tracking tools used on public streets can follow the procurement as it proceeds.
The takeaway
Procurement rules determine whether surveillance purchases face public competition or proceed without it. Watching how the reopened NYPD bidding process is run shows whether those rules are applied as written.
Further reading
For more on how city police agencies handle surveillance purchases, see Law Enforcement coverage on New York City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Roya News.
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