Law enforcement and community leaders join Axon in shared commitment
Axon to fund third-party research on gun-related deaths between police and the public to better track data and inform solutions
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Axon (Nasdaq: AXON), the global public safety technology leader, announced this week at the annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in Dallas, that it is joining forces with law enforcement and community leaders in a moonshot goal to cut gun-related deaths between police and the public in half by 2033.
This moonshot goal serves "to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone," as U.S. President John F. Kennedy put it 60 years ago when he rallied the nation behind a mission to put a human on the moon.
Achievement won't be measured in miles traveled, but in lives saved. Last year in the U.S., 1,118 people — 1,054 civilians and 64 officers — lost their lives in gun-related incidents between police and the public, and 2022 is on the same trajectory, according to leading data sources.(1) While these losses reflect a complex set of issues, the impact on families and loved ones, communities, and our country as a whole is felt deeply and daily.
"We are calling on our own employees, leaders of the law enforcement profession, community organizations, technology companies, elected officials and others to support and achieve this goal," Axon CEO and Founder Rick Smith says. "This is not Axon's moonshot. This is our moonshot. And we all have a role to play in achieving this goal."
Recent roundtables and discussions with law enforcement, community and municipal leaders have surfaced broad-based support for this moonshot goal — including the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the African American Mayors Association (AAMA), the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the National Policing Institute among others.
Recognizing that the solution goes beyond technology, Axon will continue to convene roundtables to facilitate open discussions and perspective-sharing, seeking to drive research-based, and responsible solutions.
Axon has also enlisted the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR), a private nonprofit research organization, to track gun-related deaths between police and the public. IIR will thoroughly research, collect, and analyze information related to each incident. Axon is funding the research with the expectation that more data will help provide insights into common contributing factors to gun-related deaths between police and the public, and better inform solutions. Data collection will include all shooting deaths in all U.S. jurisdictions involving officers and civilians, where an officer or a civilian died. IIR will release quarterly and annual reports. The first report featuring data from 2022 will be released in mid-2023.
Axon is committed to investing in better technology, training and data that will help achieve better outcomes and deepen trust between law enforcement and the communities they protect and serve. Axon intends to invest in accelerated advancements in non-lethal and de-escalation tools and training; next-generation cameras and evidence capture devices; real-time response and communications tools; community impact, engagement and feedback solutions; and more comprehensive and actionable use of force and response to resistance reporting.
Those interested in joining the movement by sharing ideas or contributing in ways we have not yet imagined can visit thisisourmoonshot.com or email moonshot@axon.com.
(1) Sources: Officer Down Memorial Page annual fallen officer statistics and Washington Post police shootings database
Axon is a technology leader in global public safety. Our moonshot goal is to cut gun-related deaths between police and the public by 50% before 2033. Axon is building the public safety operating system of the future by integrating a suite of hardware devices and cloud software solutions that lead modern policing. Axon's suite includes TASER energy devices, body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, cloud-hosted digital evidence management solutions, productivity software and real-time operations capabilities. Axon's growing global customer base includes first responders across international, federal, state and local law enforcement, fire, corrections and emergency medical services, as well as the justice sector, commercial enterprises and consumers.
Axon is a technology leader in global public safety. Our moonshot goal is to cut gun-related deaths between police and the public by 50% before 2033. Axon is building the public safety operating system of the future by integrating a suite of hardware devices and cloud software solutions that lead modern policing. Axon's suite includes TASER energy devices, body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, cloud-hosted digital evidence management solutions, productivity software and real-time operations capabilities. Axon's growing global customer base includes first responders across international, federal, state and local law enforcement, fire, corrections and emergency medical services, as well as the justice sector, commercial enterprises and consumers.
Axon, TASER and the Delta Logo are trademarks of Axon Enterprise, Inc., some of which are registered in the US and other countries. For more information, visit www.axon.com/legal. All rights reserved.
Non-Axon trademarks are property of their respective owners. Axon, Axon Air, TASER and the Delta Logo are trademarks of Axon Enterprise, Inc., some of which are registered in the US and other countries. For more information, visit www.axon.com/legal. All rights reserved.
Follow Axon here:
Note to Investors
Please visit http://investor.axon.com, https://www.axon.com/press, www.twitter.com/axon_us and https://www.facebook.com/Axon.ProtectLife/ where Axon discloses information about the company, its financial information and its business.
SOURCE Axon