TASER® Blog

If you are like me, you have probably seen quite a few news stories that portray TASER devices in a negative light.  It’s unfortunate, especially when you consider that our company’s mission is to Protect Life.  We have the privilege of receiving many stories submitted by officers in the field  that illustrate just how effectively TASER devices can be used to do just that.  I would like to share one that was sent to me by an Officer in North Carolina who used his TASER device in a life-saving capacity. 

A few weeks ago, in Macon County, North Carolina, Trooper Rico Stephens of the North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to a radio call about a child being attacked by a large dog.  Upon arrival, Trooper Stephens found the dog, upwards of 90 pounds, dragging the seven year-old child by the neck.  Assessing the situation, Trooper Stephens realized it would pose undue risk to the child and bystanders to attempt to shoot the dog with a firearm, so instead, he drew his TASER X26.  In one more attempt to free the child, the officer threw objects at the dog to get it to release the child.  That did not work, so Officer Stephens deployed the TASER and the dog was immediately incapacitated.  After the five-second cycle was over, the dog fled, leaving the child behind to be taken in for medical treatment.  In his report, Officer Stephens indicated that without question, the child would have died had he not been able to quickly incapacitate the dog with the TASER.

Stories like these often never make it to mainstream media.  There is a lot of misinformation about our products out there and, some days, it feels like I spend all my time trying to counter the misinformation.  So, I find it particularly refreshing to hear real-life stories from police officers who are using our devices to save lives and create safer communities.

The sale of TASER electronic control devices (ECDs) to the public is perhaps one of the most often misunderstood aspects of TASER International’s sales. Because of our success and visibility in the law enforcement market, many people believe that we hadn’t started selling TASER devices to the public until the launch of the TASER C2 in 2007. The truth is that our company was founded selling ECDs to the public.  

Back in the beginning (1994), our very first sales were to consumers via direct orders, gun stores, catalogs and the Sharper Image. What you got back then was our first model, called the AIR TASER™ Model 34000. It looked something like this (again, back in 1994).

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With all the attention lately focused on TASER 3.0 (AXON and EVIDENCE.com), it’s been easy to overlook the one new TASER product that is actually ready for deployment. It’s called the TASER® Shockwave™ and it’s the latest application of TASER solutions in NeuroMuscular Incapacitation technology.

The TASER Shockwave

The Shockwave is the first generation of TASER Remote Area Denial™ (TRAD) technology. At the push of a button, the Shockwave deploys multiple TASER cartridges across an area arc. The idea is to be able to control multiple targets from one source.

Initially, we see this product as being ideal for law enforcement crowd control, military checkpoints and correctional institutions. We hope to equip these segments with a new tool to deal with response to resistance situations.

The actual unit is not very big (about 3 feet high when fully stacked) and is not very heavy, making the Shockwave easy to transport. Each cartridge is deployed in a 20 degree arc with a distance of 25 feet. It’s capable of being operated  at a distance of up to 330 feet from the device via a Control Box. The NMI lasts for the standard five-seconds and can be reinitiated using the Re-Energize Button if need be.

While it may not be getting as much attention as some of the other TASER products that are coming to market later this year, the Shockwave is an effective new use of  TASER technology that is ready for action.

There’s been a lot of buzz out there lately about some of the new technology that TASER International is introducing this year. Our CEO and founder, Rick Smith, recently introduced the world to the TASER® AXON™ and EVIDENCE.com™ in a series of webcasts (found here).

But that’s not all we’ve got going on. In addition to AXON and EVIDENCE.com, we’ve been hard at work finding new ways to employ the NueroMuscular Incapacitation technology that TASER is best associated with. We’ve been in the process of preparing products like the TASER® Shockwave™ and TASER® XREP™ for market. Even though these products won’t be available until the third or fourth quarter of this year, the buzz is building. Here are few of the highlights:

Don’t Tape Me, Bro! — Aaron Rowe from Wired.com covered AXON and EVIDENCE.com on the day of the announcement. 

TASER enters the data (business) – Lindsey J. Bertomen from PoliceOne gives his perspective on AXON and EVIDENCE.com.

Engadget imagines the effect AXON could have on the television show COPS. 

Scott over at Spartan Cops put together a fantastic breakdown of AXON and EVIDENCE.com.

Mark Wilson from Gizmodo and commenters muse about the possibility of an AXON for consumers.

The New Scientist (a U.K.-based technology publication) caught wind of the XREP and wrote this post.

TASER International is the market leader in advanced electronic control devices (aka ECDs).  In the United States and Canada alone there are approximately 19,000 state/provincial, local and federal law enforcement agencies. And as of December 31, 2008, TASER International has sold approximately 390,000 TASER brand ECDs to more than 13,900 of those law enforcement agencies.  

Perhaps the most telling statistic: more than 5,200 agencies of the 13,900 deploying TASER devices have made the decision to fully deploy these ECDs.  This full deployment means that 5,200 agencies have provided TASER ECDs to all of their patrol officers.

This sea change in law enforcement is not unique to North America, as TASER devices are sold in more than 40 countries.

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