In 1993, our CEO and Founder, Rick Smith, set out on a mission to protect life. Since then, Axon, formerly TASER International, has grown into a NASDAQ-listed global market leader of life-saving products including TASERs, in-car cameras, body-worn cameras, and more. We decided to turn the cameras inwards to give you a sense of the fascinating, hilarious, and chaotic moments that come with working at a fast-paced tech company like Axon. 

Curious to hear more, and maybe find out where in the world is Uri Sandiego? Check out Episode 2 of “The Ride: Inside Axon” to get a closer look of what it’s like to work at a purpose-driven tech company, and learn more about our mission, vision, and people. Need to catch up? Find Episode 1 here.



Hear our story from our CEO Rick Smith and other employees

The Ride Episode 2

Check out Episode 2 of “The Ride: Inside Axon” to get a closer look of what it’s like to work at a purpose-driven tech company, and learn more about our mission, vision, and people.

ARTICLE: The Ride Episode 2

The state of New York recently passed new discovery laws that will take effect on January 1, 2020, impacting the current process of digital evidence disclosure. Article 245, which is part of a state-wide initiative focused on criminal justice reform, will require prosecutors to provide initial discovery within 15 days of arraignment. In turn, law enforcement agencies are required to proactively submit all forms of digital evidence as soon as possible. Proponents of the law hope it will expedite case processing periods and shorten jail stays for defendants detained before trial. Some law enforcement agencies are expressing concern about the article’s impact on their workloads and processes, which is why we spoke with key experts to learn more about its impact. 

We spoke with Alex Wilson, Esq, Associate Counsel at the New York Sheriffs' Association and Chief Mike Ranalli, JD, former President of the New York Chief's Association to get their perspectives on the new Statute. Read below to see what the new requirements could mean for you and your agency. 


Q: How do you expect agency evidence management and submission to the prosecutor to change after 245? 
Mike Ranalli: The most fundamental change is that it will be a lot faster and therefore more burdensome. Today, the process of discovery is on-demand, meaning the prosecutor asks agencies for specific digital evidence, and agencies package it all together and share it. On January 1st, the process will become automatic—prosecutors will need to provide the defense with all digital evidence related to a case within 15 days of arraignment, meaning the police need to turn it over in less time than that. This will be a huge burden on both the agency and the prosecutor. 

Alex Wilson: This means that all digital evidence will have to be collected, edited, collated, and disclosed within 15 days if it exists at that point. There is a grace period built into the law stating that the district attorney may, on notice, claim another 30 days to disclose the material that they have in their possession without a motion. But after the 30 days, the only further extensions available are at the discretion of the presiding judge. 

Q: How will the changes from 245 impact agencies? 
Mike Ranalli: I'm hearing that agencies may create dedicated discovery units to manage these changes, which could have a taxpayer impact. With smaller agencies, the burden to manage, pack and share data will likely fall on the officer.

Alex Wilson: It will throw a wrench into their current processes, and law enforcement agencies might be triaging cases following the implementation of this law. The scope of the statute is wide-ranging—it applies to every type of digital evidence and to almost every type of case you can conceive of: felonies, misdemeanors, violations, and simplified information cases. This means that all digital evidence from a given case would have to be submitted within 15 days. Imagine the volume of cases generated on a given day by a given agency — it becomes a daunting task for an agency to comply with the new discovery rules. 

Q: What are the impacts of non-compliance with the timeline required by 245 on agencies? 
Mike Ranalli: If there are any delays to the timelines specified in the statute that aren’t otherwise approved by a judge, the impact would depend on the circumstances of the delay and how relevant the material was to the case. It is an area that will have to be developed in new case law pertaining to the new provisions. 

Alex Wilson: The statute does not lay out specific penalties, but I would speculate that it will depend on the severity of non-compliance. If the evidence that is failed to be turned over is relevant but not contributing towards the guilt or innocence of the individual, it could result in an admonishment from the court. If the failure to turn over the material is deliberate, or if itself is very dispositive as to guilt or innocence, the court has to make the decision if it calls for the dismissal of the case. The biggest penalty would be a miscarriage of justice; that is, a case is dismissed because law enforcement and the DA could not comply with the statute. In the case of sheriffs, who are elected officials, if a case is dropped due to the strict timelines, the public may not care why it happened and it could unfortunately impact re-election. 

Q: What steps should agencies take to navigate the new requirements that come with 245?
Mike Ranalli: Agencies should be in active discussions with their district attorney’s offices, and the officer or detective at the time of the arrest should focus on duplicating and tagging evidence immediately. This clearly is the time where everybody should be going digital, as it will make the process so much easier. I like the digital systems because all the evidence is right there in the cloud. You can simply share it with the prosecutor.  

Alex Wilson: The statute directs that district attorneys must maintain an open line of communication with law enforcement agencies. There are talks of centralized repositories for evidence where everything gets dumped into a central server with an identifying code or case number. This way, law enforcement has satisfied its obligation to make it available to the district attorney, who can then turn it over to the relevant defense counsel. This material would need to be scrutinized very carefully before being made available to the defense counsel, with attention to the confidentiality of witnesses by redacting identifying or personal information of non-parties, and chain of custody, which is paramount to the conclusion of prosecution. 

Axon will continue to monitor this issue. If you would like to learn more about how Axon solutions can help, let us know. 

Disclaimer: The above information is made available for educational purposes. It provides general information and understanding of the law, but does not provide any legal advice. The above information should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction, and readers are urged to consult their own legal counsel on any specific legal questions. By using this site, you agree that no attorney-client relationship exists between either you and Axon Enterprise, Inc. or you and any individual identified above. 

The state of New York recently passed new discovery laws that will take effect on January 1, 2020, impacting the current process of digital evidence disclosure. Read to see what the new requirements could mean for you and your agency.

QA on the New York Discovery Laws

Article: Q&A on the New York Discovery Laws

By Brent Berkeley, Mike Ranalli, and Alex Wilson

Q&A on the New York Discovery Laws

At Axon, we’re taking on some of society’s most pressing issues and setting ambitious goals to solve them. We have a futuristic mission that permeates and resonates throughout the organization and our customer base. Keeping law enforcement and community members safe is what drives us, and working towards that can prove for some interesting days on the job. 

On a typical workday, Axon has proven to be just a little bit different from your ordinary office environment. On your way into the office, you could see a drone or two zooming around outside the spaceship-like building. On your way to lunch, you could hear the popping of a TASER being discharged over the shouts of a training group from the rooftop. And on any given day, you could see a group of employees crowded around the atrium, cheering on teammates who have volunteered to take a TASER exposure. We take our mission very seriously, but we also find ways to keep it interesting around the office! 

Since the founding of our Axon Body cameras and Axon Evidence (Evidence.com), we have asked our customers to wear cameras while they work.  We thought it’d be interesting to turn the cameras inward while we work. If you’ve ever been curious to see the inner workings of a fast-paced tech company, we’d like to introduce you to “The Ride: Inside Axon.” 


The Ride: Inside Axon

At Axon, we’re taking on some of society’s most pressing issues and setting ambitious goals to solve them. We have a futuristic mission that permeates and resonates throughout the organization and our customer base.

The Ride

ARTICLE: The Ride

In 1993, when Axon (formerly known as Taser International) was founded, I was just beginning my undergraduate program at New Mexico State studying Electrical Engineering with a focus on Computer Engineering. I had dreamt that one day I would be designing products in which I could apply technical skills to creatively solve problems. Non-technical courses were a drag… “Of what value is MUS101?”, I would ask myself. It did not factor clearly into my career goals of designing high-tech electronics. I had a conscious burning desire to create products. That desire provided direction for my early career choices and it led to my career at Axon.

I am a strong believer that the experiences that life brings us, good or bad, are largely a result of the choices we’ve made in the past. Choices and decision making are inevitable. Whether we choose inaction or action, there are impacts, both positive and negative. I’ve found that over time, the effects of our choices become much more apparent. It is interesting to trace the path that got me from where I was to where I am today; to be part of an awesome company, working with great people, designing cool products that are changing the world. Perhaps I am just lucky, perhaps my choices played a role!

Career choices are pretty big ones. In making these choices, items I considered included: how my abilities fit with the role, will I be challenged to grow in this role, can my skill provide value to the organization, will I be happy working there over the long term, is the business providing value to society?

Sometimes it seems like out of the blue, opportunities come knocking at the door. That is how I felt when my college buddy called to see if I would be interested in interviewing with a medical device startup. I was working on my Masters in Electrical Engineering at the time and had received an offer from IBM to work in their computer chip design group when I was to graduate a year later. The exciting unknown startup, or a large prestigious company- this was my first major career choice (small vs large, highly focused role vs multiple subsystems, risky vs mature and secure). In the summer of 1998, I made the decision to take the startup opportunity, and never looked back.

Fast forward 5 years later to March of 2004, I had accomplished many of the things I wanted to at the startup. We successfully miniaturized the hardware of the medical device, while simultaneously improving the performance. Although improvements were achieved in hardware, the predictive algorithms of the device were still in development, and it seemed like it would be another 10 years before we would have a product that could be used in the field. It felt like the startup no longer aligned with my goals. I wanted to accomplish more. I wanted the products that I developed to have a tangible impact, and I did not want to wait a decade for the algorithm refinement and clinical studies. To avoid being a complacent employee, I decided that it was time to leave. 

I found an article about a local company called TASER International that was developing an interesting law enforcement product. Though I was not experienced in high voltage design, I did have some applicable experience, and most importantly, I felt that a career here would meet my goal of working on products that would have an immediate impact on society. The company at the time had a small engineering team of three full-time guys, one VP of engineering, one Mechanical Engineer and one Electrical Engineering manager, and an additional firmware contractor. What was amazing about the company was the passion of the people that I met; it felt like a startup company at the verge of exponential growth. Everyone at the company, it seemed like, was highly skilled and indispensable; it was fun and contagious. Much of this dynamic is still present today despite having grown quite a bit. We continue to drive ourselves as we evolve as a company, pushing technology even further with every iteration.

Today at Axon, I lead our video engineering team. I am involved in many of the design choices that our team members make, though each engineer is empowered to suggest and make key design decisions every single day. Their choices contribute to the whole. Every circuit component, every line of code, and every mechanical draft angle matters. As we grow, the stakes are higher. We are constantly having to make decisions that impact performance, size, cost, reliability, and time to market; the results of which, in turn, impact our customers and the communities they serve. Because this impact is incredibly important and truly saves lives; our day to day work is rewarding. To help fuel our growth, hiring choices have been critical for us as we look for talented individuals to join our team and drive creation of the next round of revolutionary products. In engineering, details matter. 

Today, we are working on our next-generation in-car system that will be one of the best, if not the best, systems on the market. This is due to the thoughtful decisions that have been made in its definition and design. We continue to learn from the past and challenge our thinking of the future, making impactful choices along the way as we design new technologies that enhance our customers’ experience. We desire to continue designing more compelling products that meet and exceed the needs of the present time. At Axon, we empower the team with the ability to make decisions and strive to create an environment where every engineer can contribute towards and reap the rewards of success of the company as they continue to build up. This is a part of who we are, reflected in several of our core values: “Own It” and “Aim Far.” 


Life is too short to have yet another job, with only so many working years. It’s an opportunity cost, and you should seek to find meaningful careers that align with your goals. The choices you make are key to a fulfilling and rewarding career. I hope that this helps you focus on the importance of your choices, and I would love to hear your thoughts. What critical choices have you made and what are their impacts on you today?


Check out Axon Career Opportunities here

Read about the choices and challenges that led Nache, our Director of Video Engineering, to Axon.

Smart Weapons

Cameras

Software

Accelerate / 2020

Overview

Axon Body 3

Accelerate / 2020

News

The Ride Episode 2

Q&A on the New York Discovery Laws

The Ride

Choices