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Eight new features in two weeks for truth, transparency and officer development.

Axon Sprints for Justice

Ronald D. Vitiello

Axon’s mission to protect life includes empowering the nation’s top security, law enforcement agencies and military departments with critical public safety technology. From securing our borders to conducting criminal investigations and carrying out military operations, our government deserves the most secure and efficient technologies to help them protect the American people both domestically and abroad. Over the last year Axon’s Federal team, led by VP and General Manager Richard Coleman, has worked tirelessly to increase Axon’s presence in the Federal Space. 

The growth of any business starts with an all-star team, which is why we brought on Ronald D. Vitiello as Head of DHS Program and Strategy. Ronald dedicated his past 34 years to government service, specializing in national security. 

In 1985, Ronald joined the U.S. Border Patrol, where he quickly rose to leadership positions including special operations Supervisor, and Chief Patrol Agent in Swanton, Vermont and the Rio Grande Valley region in Texas. 

Mr. Vitiello was one of the key contributors to the unification of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

More recently, Ronald served as CBP’s Acting Deputy Commissioner and was ultimately appointed Chief of the Border Patrol in 2017. 

Ronald retired as Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) April 2019 after more than three decades of public service, but his drive to advocate for his former federal colleagues and strengthen border security remains as strong as ever. 

“I’m proud to be part of Axon’s incredible mission-driven team, helping to implement and uphold smart, secure border protection for our country,” said Ronald Vitiello, Axon’s Head of DHS Programs and Strategy. “Our technology has the power to improve efficiency and transparency across government agencies, and I look forward to building on the great accomplishments the Axon Federal team has achieved this past year.”

Given Mr. Vitiello's decades of experience and dedication to the federal space, we have no doubt he will help grow Axon Federal to the next level.

This is an exciting time for Axon, as we grow not only internationally, but into new markets at home. It is our hope that our presence in the Federal space will further our founding goal to protect life.

Axon’s mission to protect life includes empowering the nation’s top security, law enforcement agencies, and military departments with critical public safety technology. From securing our borders to conducting criminal investigations and carrying out military operations, our government deserves the most secure and efficient technologies to help them protect the American people both domestically and abroad.

Axon Welcomes Former ICE Director Ronald D. Vitiello as Head of DHS Program and Strategy

ARTICLE: Ronald D. Vitiello as Head of DHS Program and Strategy

After several “he-said-she-said” encounters, Rowan University Police Department saw the need for body-worn video to help promote transparency on campus. In late 2014, several officers at the Rowan University Police Department came to Lieutenant Craig Shute with a request for body-worn cameras. Lt. Shute presented the case for cameras to administrators, and with their approval, began the search in 2015 for a product that would work best for officers who serve the unique environment of a college campus.

The Rowan University Police Department had several requirements for their body-worn camera program and after testing and evaluating Axon for 60 days, the department determined that Axon met all their needs. They wanted a camera that wasn’t bulky, and found the Axon Body 2 camera to be wearable without affecting an officer’s day-to-day routine. They also saw a need for Axon’s cloud-based data management system Evidence.com, where they could easily upload and manage their videos without worrying about supporting additional infrastructure. They found Axon’s robust audit trails essential for their work, Lt. Shute saying “We live by that audit trail . . . we love it, and it helps us in court.”

Deploying the body-worn camera program has helped the department “build camaraderie” with community members on campus and expedite the process of reviewing complaints and working with university officials, Lt. Shute said. Using Evidence.com has also transformed how the department manages video evidence, eliminating the need to burn CDs and search for them in evidence storage rooms.

“It makes it a lot easier for us to track videos and find videos” - Lt. Shute, Rowan University PD.

Body-worn video has also strengthened the department’s training program. The Lieutenant or Detective Sergeant will typically watch 30 minutes to an hour of an officer’s footage to help review how he or she performed in different scenarios and offer one-on-one feedback. “It helps you to teach them and let them learn, and they can actually see what they did . . . as a training tool, it’s phenomenal.” - Lt. Shute, Rowan University PD


Article: How Body Worn Cameras have helped Rowan University PD

How Body Worn Cameras have helped Rowan University PD

With thousands of students, faculty, and visitors spread across college and university campuses on any given day, it is imperative for officers to understand what transpires on their campus. Preventing crimes like larceny and theft, vandalism, and maintaining general situational awareness can be especially difficult in a campus setting with so many visitors across dozens of entry and exit points. Deploying campus-wide Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR)s can create safer campuses and helps law enforcement solve crimes that occur. Axon partners with Flock Safety to offer a smart, ethically-designed ALPR network with fixed and mobile sensors for campus-wide coverage, providing a safer environment for your community.

Axon and Flock Safety joined forces to give your agency a significantly better understanding of campus activities at all times. Axon’s mobile ALPR feature of the forthcoming Axon Fleet 3 in-car video system optimally combines with Flock Safety’s 24-hour fixed cameras. By monitoring entry and exit points and other vulnerable spots on campus, Flock Safety technology will detect any potential threats as soon as they enter campus and alert your agency so that officers can quickly respond.arrive at the scene to neutralize the threat.Moreover, data shows that the existence of Flock Safety cameras decreases crime [1], which means fewer risks for campus and fewer incidents your agency needs to respond to.

The most powerful features of Flock Safety’s ALPR is its integration with Axon Evidence and thousands of cameras across the country. Flock Safety data can be shared to Axon Evidence creating one central place to manage Flock Safety ALPR records and the rest of your data. For your agency, you gain efficiency by managing your plate read records and alongside all your other evidence, and those efficiencies translate into time that can be given back to investigations that solve crime and exonerate the innocent. Also, as more institutions utilize ALPRs, the network expands and improves to catch suspects and recover stolen vehicles. Any vehicle on NCIC’s Hotlist is flagged under Flock Safety’s network, notifying your agency from hundreds of miles away. Flock Safety also aids in the discovery of stolen vehicles. Using this technology, one agency was able to recover over a half million dollars’ worth of stolen vehicles within months of installation and even reduce crime by 60%. [2]

If your campus has an existing camera system and is not ready to upgrade, the Flock Safety Wing integration transforms existing IP cameras into AI-powered hubs. You can still take advantage of Flock Safety’s patented Vehicle Fingerprint technology on your third-party cameras and use machine vision to find vehicles of interest.

Through Axon and Flock Safety’s partnership, you can ensure a safer campus and quicker investigations.

Want to learn more about the Axon and Flock Safety Integration? Read more here:https://www.axon.com/resources/articles/use-axon-flock-safety-integration

[1]https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/cobb-county-drops-crime-by-60-with-help-of-technology
[2]https://www.kansas.com/news/local/crime/article247922255.html
[3']https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/area-police-look-to-license-plates-readers-as-crime-fighting-tool/ESQLILHQP5HJTCIVJL6IJ6T7VU/


Article: A Safer Campus with Flock Safety

A Safer Campus with Flock Safety

The 2020s were welcomed by tension and challenge after challenge. In the last year, more than most, I've focused on reflecting not on what has gone wrong but what I have to appreciate. Axon is in my top five (in addition to my family, my home, and other things I prioritize). It's unlikely many people would include their job and company in their top five list, but I do because it's an uncommon technology role that directly impacts our society. We are innovating public safety.

“I believe Innovators are responsible for using their clout, technology, and team to impact the world positively.”

At Axon, we're in a unique position to provide transparency using technology to truthfully bridge the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

After getting a Masters in Electrical Engineering, I cut my teeth at General Dynamics, helping grow the organization's public safety programs and law enforcement systems. As an engineer by trade, I've always been passionate about the intersection of innovation and its social impact. It's this passion that drew me to Axon. With our mission to obsolete the bullet, I was all-in on the idea of solving societal problems that we typically don't deploy technology for. When I joined the team in 2018, I was eager to apply my knowledge to expand our reach into the federal market to solve larger-scale transparency issues. Today, I'm just as excited to impact communities across the country positively.

As a leader of Axon's Federal Sector, I've watched the team grow threefold. We've secured a significant contract with the U.S. Customs & Border Protection Agency in the last four months. We've built a strong team of incredibly talented people, and I take great pride in the thriving, inclusive, empathic culture we've cultivated across the company. COVID-19 may have grounded many of us, keeping from regular face-to-face interactions, but it's only made our team stronger. Company and external communications have improved, becoming more personal and informal. Our video meetings have brought another layer of human connection to our interactions.

As we move our mission forward, centering on racial equity, diversity, and inclusion, we're in the right position to influence the Federal Sector. There is an increased demand for the truth to be told. Our diverse team represents the society we seek to serve. We can help uncover the truth. We built a team of talented people who thrive in levels of ambiguity and we share an expectation for excellence. We give each other room to grow, experiment, and execute. Our all-star team is passionate about delivering technology to make a massive societal change. If you or someone you know with government experience truly believes we can make the world better using technology, we have a spot for you. Visit our jobs page to learn more about open positions. 


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Axon Welcomes Former ICE Director Ronald D. Vitiello as Head of DHS Program and Strategy

How Body Worn Cameras have helped Rowan University PD

A Safer Campus with Flock Safety

Enrolling Policy and the Federal Sector to Drive Societal Change