In 1991, two of Rick Smith’s friends were shot and killed in a road rage incident. By way of processing his grief, Rick became obsessed with finding non-lethal alternatives to firearms that could be used to de-escalate a situation while still protecting lives. Rick and his brother Tom began experimenting with technology that had been developed in the 1970s, which had never become popular due to ineffectiveness. After re-engineering the technology, Rick and Tom founded TASER International, Inc. in 1993. Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Rick and Tom have held to the company’s mission, to protect life, for more than three decades.

By the early 2000s, law enforcement agencies across the United States were relying on Rick and Tom’s TASER to protect life. Soon, the duo began introducing other non-lethal tools for law enforcement officers, such as body cameras, quickly becoming recognized as leaders in public safety equipment, especially equipment that embraces emerging technology.

In 2016, Rick and Tom hosted a conference called Axon Accelerate to support public safety technology. Shortly after the success of the first conference, Rick and Tom changed the company name to Axon. The resources the conference provided to the public safety community became so popular that the event has been held annually ever since. Over the years, Axon’s products and conference objectives have expanded to include the latest in 21st-century policing, such as AI-driven data collection and drones.

In yet another rebranding move, the company renamed the annual conference Axon Week in 2024. That year’s event took place in Miami Beach, FL, from April 22 to 26. More than 1,400 public safety professionals had the opportunity to learn about the best non-lethal tools available to them, namely drone technology. For Axon Week 2025, held in Phoenix, AZ, from April 22 to 25, nearly 2,000 public safety professionals were on hand to learn even more about the benefits of drone technology and how Axon is embracing them as tools.

In the year between Axon Week 24 and 25, a lot changed in the world of drones for law enforcement as well as Axon’s involvement with them. In May 2024, Axon purchased Dedrone, a company based in Virginia that is world-renowned for enhanced aerial security for unmanned systems. Around the same time, Axon entered a partnership with one of the largest domestic drone manufacturers, Skydio. Headquartered in San Mateo, CA, Skydio’s drone options are quickly becoming favorite alternatives for public safety officers looking to transition away from DJI drones.

Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been working closely with industry insiders to advance Drones as First Responder (DFR) programs. With the latest DFR possibilities, as attendees at Axon Week 25 learned, drones are being strategically located throughout jurisdictions in specially created cases. When a 911 call comes in, a dispatcher can remotely send a drone to respond before an officer can reach the scene. This allows officers to have situational awareness and prioritize missions, many of which can be solved by the presence of a drone.

Vern Sallee was the former Chula Vista Police Captain, the California police department assigned by the FAA to launch the nation’s first drone program. He now works for Axon as an Air Strategist and was one of the speakers at Axon Week 25. He extolled the benefits of how partnerships like the one between Axon, Dedrone, and Skydio are the future of DFR programs. “When you think about drones becoming ubiquitous in docks throughout a jurisdiction, it’s being led by public safety, those use cases have been proven,” he said. “But when you look at it as an infrastructure product, that’s where the future is going to be.”

What began as one man’s personal mission to find a better way to protect life has evolved into a company that is redefining the future of public safety. From re-engineering outdated stun technology in the early 1990s to pioneering drone deployment in the 2020s, Rick Smith’s original vision continues to guide Axon’s innovations. Axon Week 2025 was more than a conference, it was a testament to how far public safety has come and a glimpse into a future where technology, empathy, and preparedness work hand in hand to save lives. It will be exciting to see what drone advancements are discussed at the next Axon Week, slated for April 7 to 10, 2026, in Nashville, TN.

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