Taser International, the company best known for its namesake product, announced last week that its profits were up 57 per cent over the previous quarter. But it’s not because tasers are flying off the shelves. That huge bump in profits is coming from sales of body cameras to America’s police departments.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, Taser’s Axon brand accounted for the huge jump in profits during the second quarter. Axon includes not only the body cameras that the company produces, but the video management software that stores and processes footage.
This spring, the company reported that sales of body cameras were up by 288 per cent. But don’t forget about their “less than lethal” weapons division. Revenues for their Taser stun guns were up as well at $US37.8 million. From the WSJ:
Overall, for the period ended June 30, Taser posted a profit of $US6.1 million, or 11 cents a share, up from $US3.9 million, or 7 cents a share a year ago.
Long story short: It’s a profitable time to be in the business of maintaining America’s police state.
Photo: Police officer in West Valley, Utah with his body camera attached to the side of a pair of glasses via George Frey/ Getty Images