800 tasers are being purchased soon by the Orlando Police Department after City Council approved the purchase this month. $1,818,063 will be spent in total on the tasers.
OPD will receive one weapon under warranty, a holster, three (3) training cartridges per year, unlimited batteries and unlimited duty cartridges. Current units will be traded in.
Since Axon Enterprise, Inc. is the manufacturer and sole authorized distributor of the Taser Model X2, no competitive bid process was executed. The taser product represents 80% of Axon's gross profit margin" according to Motley Fool.
The Taser Model X2 delivers 63 microcoulombs and can work up to 2 inches from the victim.
"No government agency tracks fatalities in police incidents where Tasers are used." according to Reuters. Nine out of every ten of the 1,005 deaths caused by tasers since the early 2000s involved an unarmed person, 25% had mental issues and 100 of the deaths started with a 911 call according to a Reuters investigation. AXON 2013 training materials advise not using the devices on someone “who is actually or perceived to be mentally ill.” Crisis intervention training or CIT is provided to police officers in very few cities in the US according to Reuters.
Over the first nine months of 2017, Taser sales totaled $170.1 million, or 68% of the $249.1 million total Axon generated. They also represent 80% of its gross profit margin and all of its operating margin." according to Motley Fool.
On December 16, 2002, City Council approved standardization on the Advanced Taser M26. On June 2, 2008, City Council approved upgrading to the X26 Advanced Taser. In January 2016, the model was then upgraded to the X26P. These units are no longer being supported and immediate replacement is necessary.
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