The Axon Awards honor the people and teams advancing public safety through courage, leadership, service and innovation. We are proud to recognize the 2026 winners, whose work reflects the many ways our mission comes to life: preserving life in critical moments, strengthening trust in communities, modernizing justice, and building safer, more responsive organizations.

This year’s honorees represent the very best of public safety and adjacent professions. From life-saving acts of bravery to visionary agency leadership, from prosecutor-led innovation to enterprise security transformation, each winner has made a meaningful impact on the people and communities they serve.

Accelerate Justice Award

Michael Fermin, San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, (California)

Behind every successful case that advances public safety is an attorney who leads with integrity, precision, and collaboration. The inaugural Accelerate Justice Award recognizes attorneys who go above and beyond in the communities they serve, while incorporating Axon’s values and accelerating justice. The 2026 Accelerate Justice Award winner is Michael Fermin from San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office in California.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Fermin has helped transform how prosecutors in San Bernardino County manage, analyze and act on digital evidence. Under his leadership, the office integrated Axon Justice as a core platform for digital evidence, improving speed, consistency and transparency in how evidence is reviewed and shared.

One of his most notable accomplishments was championing the creation of the High-Tech Crime Unit, a more than $3 million investment in digital forensics that supports complex investigations using cellphone mapping, vehicle data, body-worn camera footage and advanced chip-off analysis. That work has already contributed to outcomes including the safe recovery of abducted children, the identification of homicide suspects and faster resolution of complex cases.

Apollo Award

Sheriff Robert Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office (California)

The inaugural Apollo Award recognizes agencies that have reduced officer-involved shootings between deputies and the public by at least 50 percent from prior years. This year’s honoree is Sheriff Robert Luna of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, whose agency achieved this goal in 2025.

Sheriff Luna credits this progress to intentional investment in technology, training and culture. He highlighted the role of TASER 10 as a vital bridge for de-escalation, immersive VR training that helps sound decision-making become instinctive under pressure, and body-worn cameras in jail facilities that add deterrence and accountability. Sheriff Luna affirmed this award truly belongs to the thousands of deputies who are committed to protecting the lives of people in the community of Los Angeles county.

Enterprise Security Excellence Awards

Public safety lives in every space where people come together — in hospitals, warehouses, on factory floors and delivery routes, in the everyday work that keeps our communities moving. The inaugural Enterprise Security Excellence Awards honor individuals and teams in retail, healthcare, and other enterprises who are transforming the way safety and efficiency come together. This year, two security leaders in the enterprise sector have been honored as Enterprise Security Excellence Award winners.

Enterprise Impact: Kelly Harrington, RaceTrac

Kelly Harrington is the 2026 Enterprise Impact Award winner for his leadership during a major diesel theft investigation that helped disrupt an organized criminal operation targeting fuel retailers. Recognizing early that the threat extended far beyond isolated loss, Kelly used analytics, operational insight and cross-sector collaboration to help transform scattered indicators into actionable intelligence.

By working closely with law enforcement and supplying critical data and expertise, he helped accelerate an investigation that led to search warrants, arrests and the dismantling of a broader theft ring. His work demonstrates the power of public-private partnership in creating safer, more resilient communities.

Security Trailblazer: Christopher Carr, Texas Children’s Hospital

Christopher Carr is the 2026 Security Trailblazer Award winner for building a clinically integrated, privacy-forward workplace violence prevention program at Texas Children’s Hospital. His work brought together Security, Nursing, Behavioral Health, Social Work, Family Advocacy, Compliance, Risk and Legal to create a scalable, governed model for safer operations in a complex healthcare environment.

Under his leadership, the program reduced workplace violence events by more than 50 percent from peak levels, trained more than 340 staff and expanded governed body-worn camera use into four non-security departments. His work stands as a powerful example of how enterprise safety can be both technologically advanced and deeply human.

Jack Cover “Save of the Year”

Trooper Gabriel Espinoza, Arizona Department of Public Safety

The Jack Cover Medal of Heroism is given out on an ongoing basis to recognize public safety professionals who use a TASER energy weapon to save a life through less-lethal force. Each year, one public safety professional who has earned the Jack Cover Medal of Heroism story is bestowed with the title: “Save of the Year.” The 2026 Jack Cover “Save of the Year” was awarded to Trooper Gabriel Espinoza of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Trooper Espinoza is being recognized for his extraordinary restraint, judgment and commitment to preserving life during a rapidly evolving encounter in Phoenix, Arizona. Faced with a severely injured subject armed with a box cutter and demanding to be shot, Trooper Espinoza stayed focused on de-escalation.

Using his TASER 10 in a highly volatile situation, he was able to stop the threat without resorting to deadly force. He then immediately transitioned to lifesaving care, applying tourniquets and direct pressure until medics arrived. Because of his composure and tactical discipline, the subject survived.

Real-Time Awareness Award

Peoria Police, Fire and Medical RTCC Team (Arizona)

The Real-Time Response Award honors the professional staff, agencies and city leaders building the future of coordinated public safety. From 911 and emergency communication center staff to real-time crime center (RTCC) teams and cross-sector partners, this award recognizes those linking people, platforms, and data to act smarter, faster, and with greater care. The 2026 Real-Time Awareness Award winner is the RTCC team from Peoria Police, Fire and Medical in Arizona.

The Peoria Police, Fire, and Medical Departments’ Real Time Crime Center Team has built one of the most integrated and operationally effective real-time response programs in the region. Through the leadership of Commander Jason Tarrant, Sergeant Michael Lesher, Detective Bryant Hiatt, Detective Julie Smith and Captain Robert Thario, the team created an operational model that connects video, CAD and RMS data, body-worn camera feeds and partner systems into one real-time environment.

Their work has delivered measurable results, including an average virtual on-scene time of just 21 seconds, helping get actionable intelligence to officers almost immediately. The team also expanded the model through fire integration, school partnerships and community camera connections, demonstrating what whole-community real-time awareness can look like in practice.

RISE Awards

The RISE Awards celebrate and reward first responders going above and beyond, accomplishing exemplary actions and demonstrating extraordinary courage, ingenuity and compassion. This year, four law enforcement officers from across the country have been honored as 2026 RISE Award winners.

Professional Staff Member of the Year: Bethany Ciesielski, Boulder Police Department (Colorado)

Bethany Ciesielski is this year’s RISE Professional Staff Member of the Year for her exceptional service, creativity and leadership in strengthening community connection at the Boulder Police Department. Her work has been especially impactful through the Blue Envelope program, which improves accessibility and communication for community members with disabilities.

Bethany helped expand and promote the program, and secured $2,500 in foundation support to launch pedestrian and cyclist resources that made those tools more accessible to the community. Her leadership reflects the critical role professional staff play in building trust, improving service and helping agencies better serve the people around them.

RISE Sworn Officer of the Year: Officer Dakota Berry, Goodyear Police Department (Arizona)

Officer Dakota Berry is also recognized as a 2026 RISE Sworn Officer of the Year for his heroic rescue of a woman trapped inside a burning vehicle after a catastrophic crash. Arriving on scene alone and with no time to spare, Officer Berry broke the vehicle window, pulled the driver from the flames and used his bare hands to extinguish the fire still burning on her body.

He sustained burn injuries in the process, but his actions saved her life. His courage in those moments reflects the very best of service, sacrifice and commitment to protecting others.

RISE Sworn Officers of the Year: Officers Ethan Towell and Dan Kulcsar, New Franklin Police Department (Ohio)

Officers Ethan Towell and Dan Kulcsar are recognized as RISE Sworn Officers of the Year for their heroic rescue of a woman whose vehicle broke through the ice on a frozen lake. Faced with unstable conditions and freezing water, the two officers acted immediately. Officer Kulcsar launched a canoe across the ice while Officer Towell walked onto the unstable surface to help reach the victim.

Their teamwork, courage and willingness to risk their own safety saved a life that day. Their story is a powerful reminder that some of the most extraordinary acts in public safety happen when officers trust one another and move without hesitation toward someone in crisis.

Visionary Leadership Award

Chief Jake Fisher, El Monte Police Department (California)

The Visionary Leadership Award, inspired by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona, recognizes one public safety leader annually who has positively impacted their agency or community through thoughtful leadership. Our 2026 Visionary Leadership Award winner is Chief Jake Fisher of El Monte Police Department in California.

Chief Fisher is being honored for building a more connected, responsive and future-ready model of policing in El Monte, California. Under his leadership, the department expanded its use of drones, strengthened crime analysis capabilities, developed a Real-Time Crime Center, and introduced stronger community feedback channels, all in service of better outcomes for officers and the public.

What sets Chief Fisher apart is his belief that innovation must serve people first. His leadership has not only modernized operations, but also helped create a public safety model that improves situational awareness, strengthens decision-making, and deepens trust between the department and the community it serves.

Celebrating the People Advancing Public Safety

This year’s winners remind us that public safety is shaped by more than a single role, title or setting. It is shaped by the people willing to act with courage, lead with vision, strengthen trust and build systems that better protect others.

We are honored to celebrate the 2026 Axon Award Winners and the example they set for public safety professionals, legal leaders and enterprise teams alike. Their stories reflect what is possible when innovation and service come together in support of safer communities.

To learn more about the Axon Awards Program, visit axon.com/awards.