Axon is a unique place. We have an incredible mission, the greatest customers, and the coolest cutting-edge technology in the market. But I want to take a minute to talk about our people. 

At Axon, our people are our greatest asset. The people who come in day-in, day-out to make Axon such a great place to work. The people who think critically about the world today and ideate about how to make it better. The people who push the lines of innovation to create technology that tackles some of the biggest problems society is facing. The people who spread our message far and wide and bring that technology to market. Each person plays an important part in achieving our goal of getting everyone home safe.  

Through any challenge, big or small, we know that we have a resilient team with a lot of mental toughness to get through it. Even when that challenge happens to be a broken fire alarm and an evacuated building on one of the busiest days of our year. Check out episode 3 of “The Ride” to see how our teams scramble together to get things done, and get them done well. 

The Ride Episode 3

Check out Career Opportunities at Axon here.

Check out Episode 3 of “The Ride: Inside Axon” to learn how each person on our team plays an important part in achieving our goal of getting everyone home safe.

The Ride: Inside Axon Episode 3

ARTICLE: The Ride Episode 3

It’s a parade on a busy street. Armed terrorists suddenly appear and flood a luxury hotel filled with civilians. Law enforcement officers arrive quickly and storm in after them, hoping to end the attack quickly and without any civilian casualties.

Thank goodness this isn’t real, think Axon representatives Jason Laumeyer and Rich Allen, who are observing a simulated exercise at Verizon’s Operation Convergent Response 2019 (#OCR2019). OCR is a unique event that brings together first responders to witness real-world demos of the latest technologies in public safety. The most recent event took place at the Guardian Centers in Perry, Georgia. As shots rang out and helicopters flew overhead, the Guardian Centers was “under attack” by terrorists. And our latest body camera, Axon Body 3, was there to capture the action.

“It was like being on a movie set,” said Axon’s Laumeyer, “only all of the first responder ‘actors’ have to be prepared for this type of situation to happen in real life. It gave us a new appreciation for what public safety deals with and why it’s so important for Axon and Verizon to team up to help.”

Indeed, the partnership between Axon and Verizon is, in part, what makes Axon Body 3 our most impactful device yet. It’s the first body-worn camera for law enforcement on Verizon’s network dedicated to first responders, which offers preemption and priority service. That means the connected features of Body 3, like live maps and live streaming, can remain up and running in critical situations by being prioritized over commercial wireless traffic. In turn, officers and agencies can respond with greater safety and effectiveness.

Building more effective responses is exactly why OCR came to be. As critical incidents become increasingly more complex, technology can be deployed in new ways to help. Alongside other technologies, our cameras were in full effect during the fake-but-chillingly-realistic terror attack, recording clear evidence and audio, and giving remote observers the ability to see officer locations and live streams as the incident unfolded. After the fact, several participants asked if they could use the footage for training purposes to help reinforce the lessons they learned while at OCR. It was an exercise in collaboration across the board.

We hope none of the scenarios from OCR ever manifest in the real world. But if they do, we are glad to partner with companies like Verizon to equip the men and women of public safety with the latest technologies.


To learn more about the connected features of Axon Body 3, click here. For more information on Verizon’s public safety solutions, click here. And for more about #OCR2019, click here.

First responders rush to the rescue of innocent civilians during a mock terrorist attack at Verizon's #OCR2019.

Axon Body 3 Footage

Axon's latest body camera, Axon Body 3, launched recently. Agencies all over the country are already using it to capture clearer evidence than ever before, but today we wanted to cover a unique way that Body 3 was used “out in the wild.”

Axon Body 3 in Action: Taking on “Terrorists” at Verizon’s Operation Convergent Response

ARTICLE: Verizon Joint Blog: AB3 in Action

Our latest body camera, Axon Body 3, launched recently. Agencies all over the country are already using it to capture clearer evidence than ever before, but today we wanted to cover a unique way that Body 3 was used “out in the wild.”

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.

Smart Weapons

Cameras

Software

Accelerate / 2020

Overview

Axon Body 3

Accelerate / 2020

News

The Ride Episode 3

Axon Body 3 in Action: Taking on “Terrorists” at Verizon’s Operation Convergent Response

The Ride Episode 2

Q&A on the New York Discovery Laws