Axon Partners with Flock Safety to Enhance Security for Cities and Neighborhoods

Axon makes strategic investment in Flock Safety, enabling law enforcement agencies to maximize their automated license plate reading coverage

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Apr 02, 2020, 07:30 ET

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Axon (Nasdaq: AAXN), the global leader in public safety technologies, announced today it has entered into a commercial partnership with Flock Safety, a venture-backed provider of advanced security for neighborhoods and law enforcement.

Axon is making it easier and more cost effective for police departments to deploy a network of both fixed and mobile automated license plate reader (ALPR) capabilities by offering Flock Safety's industry-leading fixed ALPR solution alongside Axon's upcoming Axon Fleet 3 in-car video and mobile ALPR solution. Learn more by visiting axon.com/flocksafety.

Last year, Axon announced plans to develop and integrate ALPR capability into its Axon Fleet 3 in-car video system. Axon is improving the traditional ALPR model by leveraging AI to reduce cost, making it affordable for police departments to deploy ALPR in every vehicle. Axon is ethically designing its ALPR solution to improve data security, transparency, and privacy relative to historical legacy solutions.

Flock Safety's wireless camera systems are being used in a growing number of neighborhoods across the United States. They use the world's first Vehicle Fingerprint technology to identify the unique features of a suspect vehicle, including make, model, color, and license plate, allowing police to track leads and solve crimes. In some cities, the presence of Flock Safety has contributed to a reduction in vehicle thefts by more than 60%, as reported by local police.

"Most US law enforcement agencies already use ALPR, but today's solutions are not designed with ethics in mind. They are also far too expensive to be deployed on enough vehicles for great coverage—a single camera can only be in one place at one time," said Jeff Kunins, Axon's Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President of Software. "We are excited to partner with Flock Safety, who, like us, has built an ALPR solution that is disruptively more affordable and built from the ground up with an ethical design framework. With Axon Fleet 3 and Flock Safety, agencies and neighborhoods can affordably deploy a smart mesh of ALPR protection to keep their communities safer, while providing greater transparency and accountability."

"We are thrilled to partner with Axon and join forces in its mission to protect life. Axon is the definitive market leader in public safety technology and brings an unmatched scale of trusted law enforcement relationships," said Flock CEO and founder Garrett Langley. "We've designed Flock Safety's ALPR with ethics and privacy in mind, and we are proud to join Axon in its commitment to these ideals."

Axon's sales team will help Flock Safety provide law enforcement agencies access to their camera system-enabled ALPR technology, which will provide integrated capabilities with Axon's Fleet 3 system launching later this year. To learn more, law enforcement agencies can sign up to attend a joint CEO Roundtable with Axon CEO and founder Rick Smith and Flock CEO Garrett Langley, by visiting axon.com/flocksafety.

Axon is also making a minority, non-controlling investment in Flock with the ability to commit additional capital over time through warrants conditional on certain partnership performance metrics. As part of the investment terms, Flock Safety has committed to collaborating with Axon's independent AI Ethics Board.

The financial terms of the investment were not disclosed and are not material relative to Axon's cash and investments on hand as of the end of 2019. "This strategic investment is an innovative and financially disciplined approach to staying at the forefront of innovation in public safety and preserving Axon's optionality for future growth," Axon CFO Jawad Ahsan concluded.

About Flock Safety

Flock Safety is a crime-solving company that provides the most advanced and affordable security for neighborhoods, small businesses, and law enforcement. With its 24-hour wireless cameras designed to capture license plates, Flock Safety gathers information that can be used by local police to investigate crime and is using that technology to solve up to five crimes per hour, nationwide. Flock Safety is a venture-backed startup based in Atlanta, Georgia.

About Axon

Axon is a network of devices, apps, and people that help law enforcement and public safety personnel become smarter and safer. With a mission of protecting life, our technologies give customers the confidence, focus and time they need to keep their communities safe. Our products impact every aspect of a public safety officer's day-to-day experience.

We work hard for those who put themselves in harm's way for all of us. To date, more than 225,000 lives and countless dollars have been saved with the Axon network of devices, apps and people. Learn more at www.axon.com or by calling (800) 978-2737.

Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc., and Twitter is a trademark of Twitter, Inc. and Vehicle Fingerprint is a trademark of Flock Group Inc. Axon, Axon Fleet, and the Delta Logo are trademarks of Axon Enterprise, Inc., some of which are registered in the US and other countries. For more information, visit https://www.axon.com/legal. All rights reserved.

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