N.B. police test latest in tasers, body worn cameras and drone tech

The latest in policing technology was on display Wednesday in Fredericton.

The public safety tech company behind the equipment, Axon, allowed New Brunswick police officers to test drive tasers, body-worn cameras and drones – all designed with policing in mind – to see if they could be useful on the job.

The latest in taser technology, the Taser 10 was among the products on offer. Axon representatives say it has a much longer range at 45 feet, and can deploy ten probes before having to be reloaded, instead of the usual four. It’s meant to give officers more time and space so that they can de-escalate a situation before they have to use it.

“The feedback we've been getting from officers all across Canada has been absolutely phenomenal,” said Joshua Johnson, Axon director of international partnerships and innovation. “And from members of the public.”

Johnson said the main point of the technology is to make it as safe as possible for both sides.

“A lot of this technology is, of course, for good. And that's the main purpose behind Axon. And actually, we have our moonshot goal, where within ten years we're actually hoping to reduce officer and civilian fatalities by 50 per cent. And we're already well along that way with some of our new technology,” Johnson said.

Fredericton Police were early adopters of the body-worn cameras. The force started rolling them out in 2017. By last year, every frontline officer was wearing them.

The cameras do more than capture video. Supervisors and mental health experts can see what’s happening, and participate in situations, from a remote location.

A police drone with a propeller on each of it's four corners is on display waiting deployment.

“A civilian or a mental health professional can chime in on a live feed and actually coach officers on the scene directly through the situation, giving them, you know, pointers on what to say and what to do based on what they're seeing through the body cam,” said Cpl. Brandon Jordan. “And it keeps them safe by not actually having to be on scene when that's going on so they can remotely see a view. It gives feedback, and then we can produce that feedback. And I've seen it work for de-escalation purposes as well. It's very helpful.”

Axon’s drones offer police a bird’s eye view and come equipped with infrared technology that can scan an area for a missing person, or a suspect.

“We've been so happy to work with our local police services to understand their needs and understand the interactions that they're dealing with on a daily basis with the public, and see how we can bring all of our research and development and innovation and then support those officers and support the service,” Johnson said.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.