WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – With tasers, drones, and a couple of virtual reality headsets in tow, the Axon Roadshow made its way to Watertown Thursday.
It gave a glimpse into the future of law enforcement technology
“We show the entire Axon portfolio for them to be able to trial including our taser energy weapons, our Axon body cameras, the software, and our virtual reality training,” said Andy Meaney, Axon Roadshow coordinator for the East Coast.
The company, Axon, used to go by the name TASER until it broadened its scope to include body cameras and database software in 2017. However, it’s still in the conductive energy weapon business.
“It is often cool for agencies small and large to see our newest taser, our TASER 7 weapon device,” said Meaney.
And what makes TASER 7 special is its ability to fire a second shot if the officer misses.
“They are more effective as far as connecting to our target which gives us a better chance to get this target in custody without harm to us or our officers,” said Erik Kleynan, Axon taser senior master instructor.
For practice, officers are able to use a virtual reality program called TASER vs. Zombies.
They also showed off another virtual reality tool that simulates what an officer may encounter in the field.
“You get to make choices along the way. You then get to find out if you have a good ending or bad ending with the choices that you make,” said Derek Disobo, Axon Roadshow coordinator for the East Coast.
Watertown police officials were pleased with the new tech on display.
“It increases the public faith. It protects our officers, protects the public, and gives us the opportunity to better train our officers and make ourselves the best public service we can to better serve the community,” said Detective Sergeant Joseph Giaquinto, Watertown Police Department.
The roadshow finishes up in Florida later this summer.
Copyright 2022 WWNY. All rights reserved.
