Axon Announces Enhanced Empathy-Based Officer Training Platform For New TASER 7 Weapon

Axon announced a redesigned Axon Academy and TASER 7 weapon reality-based training program that helps better equip officers to de-escalate situations. Axon Academy, a network of online and in-person training for law enforcement, will now include empathy training for special populations, including the mentally ill, and tools on how to make strategic decisions when in the field. The training is available for TASER 7 customers in the U.S. and will begin rolling out in international markets in the first quarter of 2019.

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference, Axon announced its next generation conducted energy weapon (CEW), the TASER 7. The new training featured on the Axon Academy works in tandem with the TASER 7 to help strengthen a police officer's power to de-escalate. A recent survey of 500 law enforcement professionals across the U.S. found that 80 percent of officers believe there is a need for improved agency tools and resources to more effectively de-escalate dangerous situations. A 2018 study conducted by Wakefield Research found that more than four in five law enforcement personnel say they want better training to de-escalate situations. Nine in ten respondents agree that improved training on less-lethal tools, such as CEWs, would result in reduced uses-of-force in the field. Axon is addressing the need for better training head on with Axon Academy's new features, which include:

• Immersive learning through online and mobile training delivers continual learning to officers in small bites versus blocking off an entire day to sit in a classroom
• Hands-on learning with new and improved TASER scenario-based training suits that utilize a hook-and-loop tactical design and a re-design of the TASER simulation probe
• Emerging technologies include the use of virtual reality training to help officers better interact with special populations and understand how and why people might react negatively in certain situations

"I believe this new Axon Academy training elevates the best training practices in the public safety industry," says Axon CEO and founder, Rick Smith. "We've spent 25 years working alongside education experts, as well as our customers, to develop training methods that are the most effective for de-escalating dangerous situations and ultimately protecting life. We are excited to incorporate virtual reality and insights from the growing field of empathy research into Axon Academy."

The IACP, the world's leading law enforcement leadership group, has been developing model policies for CEWs since 1996. The most recent model policy, released in March 2018, is included as a resource in all of Axon's current end-user training programs. The policy is designed in such a way that agencies can consider adopting and modifying the model policy to reinforce each agency's practices and individual needs.

"De-escalation and public safety is always the over-arching goal of CEW training," says former assistant police chief and use-of-force expert Stephen Ijames. "I fully believe in Axon's commitment to effectively 'train the trainer' to ensure that every officer receives the best and most consistent training possible."