New technology was introduced to the Grand Chute Police Department this week, which police say will promote safety and accountability for officers in the field.
On June 3, the department teamed up with Axon, a company that creates weapons and technology for public safety, for the Axon Roadshow. The event allowed community members to come to the police department, 1900 W. Grand Chute Blvd., and get a look at, and even test, new police equipment.
Police introduced the TASER 10, which features a warning alert, a flashing light when armed and has the range of up to 44 feet. The taser is equipped with targeted probes, which decrease the likelihood for officers to use lethal force.
Greg Dixon, a master instructor for Axon, said the feedback from Grand Chute police has been positive regarding the TASER 10. Dixon, who’s based out of Madison, was originally in law enforcement for over 20 years, and says the taser technology has “dramatically” changed since his days in law enforcement.
“When I started, there were not the ‘less lethal options.’ We didn’t have these things. The tools that are available to new officers, the way they will be able to deescalate situations, I think it’s just going to be better all the way around,” Dixon told the Appleton Post-Crescent.
Grand Chute police also showed off the Axon Body 4, a body camera that activates in multiple ways, including when the emergency lights on an officer’s vehicle goes off, when their tasers are armed, or when their handgun is removed from their holster.
The Axon Body 4 also activates other body cameras and squad car dash cameras for fellow officers, according to Dylan Davis, community resource officer for the department. He says other partner agencies have already been using some of the new Axon equipment.
Transparency with the public will be key when it comes to the new body cameras, Davis says. In a 2020 state Department of Justice survey, more than 60% of the Wisconsin law agencies that responded said their officers wore body cameras.
“Documentation is helpful, and I think it certainly holds everybody accountable. Whether it’s community members, our officers, the court systems that utilize our recordings,” Davis told the Post-Crescent. “I think it’s very important to show the work that we’re doing and be able to have those transparencies when questions come up.”
According to Axon representatives, the body camera equipment is also used in the nursing and retail industries to protect employees. The company has been recently taking its road show to various Wisconsin stops, with the next one set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 5 at the Mequon Police Department.
“I think it’s super helpful and important to have these partnerships and get our hands on the technology that we’re using in our agency, and maybe some new stuff that we don’t necessarily have,” Davis said. “But if our officers identify something that they’re like, ‘Hey, we could really use this at our agency,’ we can bring that back to our command staff. And when budgeting comes up, we can talk to them and figure those type of things out.”
Rashad Alexander can be contacted at ralexander@gannett.com and 920-431-8214.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: New tasers, body cameras showcased as Grand Chute police aim for ‘transparency’ with public
Reporting by Rashad Alexander, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
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