SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 13, 2021 — Axon, the global leader in connected public safety technologies, today announced a partnership with the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the law enforcement community, to help with the design and development of the next generation Use of Force (UoF) training for law enforcement. With this partnership, Axon will leverage NTOA’s training expertise to develop virtual reality content and reality-based scenarios for de-escalation training focused on empathy, critical thinking and threat mitigation for both in-person and VR training platforms.

In an effort to enhance community and police relations in a complex world, Axon will work closely with NTOA and MIRACLE (Mental Illness Response Alternative Center Law Enforcement) to obtain constructive feedback and have Axon’s VR Training content, including VR Community Engagement and VR Simulator scenarios, and Axon Academy web-based trainings endorsed for meeting world-class standards.

“We are excited to further develop our VR Scenarios and bring on NTOA’s world-class expertise to ensure we are equipping agencies with the training and tools aimed to help in de-escalation and deliver the best possible outcome for all involved,” says CEO and Founder, Rick Smith. “This partnership is all about developing quintessential materials, tools and best practices to help deliver mutually beneficial outcomes and measure the effectiveness of these actions.”

“Our partnership with Axon will allow us to join forces in mitigating the use of force in intense situations and ensure first responders have access to the best training and technology possible,” says Thor Eells, NTOA’s Executive Director. “With this partnership, we are looking to make a difference with cutting-edge training and technology to rebuild community trust in law enforcement.”

This week, Axon launched its first wireless Virtual Reality (VR) Simulator Training to provide immersive virtual reality content that can help officers develop critical thinking, de-escalation and tactical skills. Designed to complement Axon’s existing Community Engagement Training, the VR Simulator will enable officers to actually talk and walk through the scenario as they would in the field, with feedback from trainers and supervisors, allowing them to practice more and enhance their skills, better preparing them for the situations they encounter each day.

NTOA and Axon will also partner to outline best practices around data tracking, analysis, and review to create a “gold standard” accreditation for what data should be tracked and how it should be utilized to measure program effectiveness and drive training policy and curriculum based on outcome data.

About the National Tactical Officers Association

The National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the law enforcement community. The NTOA currently has more than 40,000 members from specialities that include patrol, TEMS, crisis negotiations, canine, corrections, sniper, protective operations, explosives, command, tactical dispatchers, behavioral sciences and more. These members take full advantage of the NTOA’s annual training conference, interactive members-only website offerings and eagerly await the arrival of its renowned publication, The Tactical Edge. The NTOA’s dedicated staff members work hand-in-hand with high-quality, real-world public safety experts to provide the best services to the NTOA members. This powerful combination contributes to the overall success of the organization through shared experiences and cutting-edge training. The mission of the National Tactical Officers Association is to enhance the performance and professional status of law enforcement personnel by providing a credible and proven training resource as well as a forum for the development of tactics and information exchange. The Association’s ultimate goal is to improve public safety and domestic security through training, education and tactical excellence. The National Tactical Officers Association operates with Veritas (truth, honesty and integrity) in our relationships. For more information, please visit www.NTOA.org.

About MIRACLE

MIRACLE, an acronym for Mental Illness Response Alternative Center for Law Enforcement, is a tailored system that directly addresses our nation’s current mental health crisis. The system enables first responders to not only better handle the immediate concerns of ensuring community safety when encountering a person with serious mental illness, but also focuses on long-term solutions to reduce the burden on jails, hospitals, transport, call centers and more. Designed not to be a “one size fits all” system, MIRACLE’s services can be customized to meet each organization’s needs based on their current resources and capabilities. For more information, visit https://www.miraclesaves.org/.