Taser Selling Boatloads of Body Cameras to Police Forces Post-Ferguson
When the Minneapolis Police Department began testing body cameras for its officers the other day, Chief Janee Harteau said that the surveillance equipment, some of it purchased from Taser International, was an “added tool” for her force in a post-Ferguson, Missouri world.
As it turns out, Harteau’s agency isn’t alone. The Arizona-based company is selling its devices like hotcakes—specifically surveillance wearables with names like AXON body cameras and AXON flex camera eyewear. It’s technology that records video of what an officer is seeing. The company’s stock is hovering near a 52-week high, and sales of nearly $44 million for the latest quarter ending in September jumped about $10 million from the same quarter the year prior, according to its latest Form 10-G (PDF). On top of that, Taser announced that camera and digital evidence storage orders nearly tripled from the same period as last year.
“The positive momentum in the law enforcement market toward wearable technologies and cloud solutions is continuing to build, further encouraging our investment in and passion to grow this business. Major cities in the US and abroad are continuing to look to Taser to provide secure and cost-effective solutions,” CEO Patrick Smith said when announcing earnings last week.
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