New York police suspend $750,000 surveillance contract: Cognyte phone-tracking deal goes to open bidding

The New York Police Department has suspended plans for a $750,000 no-bid contract with Israeli surveillance firm Cognyte and will restart procurement to accept competitive proposals, the New York Daily News reported. The department confirmed the restart on Tuesday, October 27, after Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to address growing outrage over the city's plan to acquire AI surveillance technology.

What FalcoNet does

The proposed three-year contract would have equipped police vehicles with Cognyte's "FalcoNet," an AI-driven mobile cell-site simulator, commonly known as a stingray. It acts as a fake cell tower, so nearby phones connect to it as the strongest signal, letting officers identify devices and track targeted individuals. The system is portable: it can ride on a police vehicle, mount on a drone, or travel in a backpack. The NYPD told the Daily News that FalcoNet would not be used to intercept calls or collect text messages from phones not involved in an investigation.

From public notice to suspension

On October 7 the department posted a City Record notice seeking public comment on the sole-source deal; the Daily News first reported the negotiations on October 24. New York privacy group the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) condemned the plan on October 26, calling cell-site simulators highly intrusive dragnet surveillance and urging a statewide ban. Under public pressure, the department has now paused the original contract in favour of a competitive process.

Sources: New York Daily News reporting; NYPD confirmation, October 27, 2026.