SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Axon, a business unit of TASER International (NASDAQ: TASR) and the global leader in digital evidence management solutions with the leading body-worn camera, today announced the third annual RISE Award winners in partnership with PoliceOne.com. The RISE Awards seek to honor law enforcement officers and agencies who save lives, find innovative solutions to pressing problems, lead by example and serve their communities with honor. The 2016 winners are as follows:

• Agency of the Year: Chippewa Falls Police Department in Wisconsin
• Protect Life: Karl Griffiths, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department in California
• Law Enforcement Leadership: Anthony Wolfe, Peoria Police Department in Arizona
• Community Leadership: Thomas Griffiths, Boston Police Department in Massachusetts

We received more than 200 nominations filled with stories of professionalism and valor for this year's RISE Awards. Each RISE winner receives a $5,000 Axon Technology grant, an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2016 IACP conference in San Diego with VIP access to all TASER events and a one-year subscription to the PoliceOne Academy online training system.

"There's never been a better time to recognize the everyday heroes who rise to the challenge of serving our communities with courage and strength," said Rick Smith, co-founder and CEO of TASER. "We congratulate the winners of this year's RISE Awards and thank all of the nominees for their dedication and commitment to helping build safer communities." 

"At PoliceOne, we're continuously impressed by the examples of valor and exemplary service we see every day from officers across the country," said Alex Ford, CEO of PoliceOne. "We're honored - this year more than ever - to partner with TASER to recognize those who go above and beyond protecting and serving their communities and their fellow officers."

About the Winners

Agency of the Year: Chippewa Falls Police Department (Wisconsin)

The Chippewa Falls PD (CFPD) has grown its social media and community policing outreach exponentially, even without a full-time Press Information Officer. Through its Facebook page, CFPD posts safety tips, traffic and weather concerns. Its most popular program, #WANTEDWEDNESDAY, consists of photos and information about persons wanted for local warrants. It boasts about a 90 percent success rate and has even resulted in wanted persons turning themselves in.

Social media is also a powerful tool to highlight the good work police officers are doing every day. For Chippewa Falls, broadcasting acts of kindness by their officers serves a dual purpose — it's a way to build trust in the community and boost morale in the department. Read more here. 

Protect Life: Deputy Karl Griffiths, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department (California)

Deputy Karl Griffiths arrived at the scene of an apparent domestic dispute to find his fellow officers outgunned as the suspect was firing rounds from the residence. Griffiths handed off his rifle to the officers taking cover behind their patrol vehicles and ran to help a seriously injured woman, dragging her to safety and calling for assistance. Griffiths stayed with the woman to keep pressure on her neck wound until they reached a hospital. The surgeon later told Griffiths that the woman would have died without his quick response. Read more here.

Law Enforcement Leadership: Lt. Anthony Wolfe, Peoria Police Department (Arizona)

Lt. Anthony Wolfe manages professional standards and technology for the Peoria Police Department, earning praise for his pragmatic leadership. He champions adoption of useful technology throughout the department and the community, and he has leveraged social media to provide the public with information on warrants, safety programs, drug prevention programs and more.

In the past year, Wolfe has implemented several programs for the benefit of Peoria citizens, including a successful bike registration and anti-theft program. That program has expanded into a partnership with the local school district to serialize and register high-dollar school equipment as well.

Wolfe also enlisted the help of the community in the fight against crime with the Safe-Cam program, in which citizens and businesses register their security camera locations in a secure database. This allows investigators to quickly identify locations where video footage might exist.

These technology efforts were implemented on top of his main professional standards duties overseeing Internal Affairs and Inspections and Audits, where he introduced a leadership training partnership with FBI-LEEDA. Wolfe's dedication to the training and education of his fellow officers helps create a more effective police force and a safer community.

Community Impact: Officer Tommy Griffiths Sr., Boston PD (Massachusetts)

Officer Tommy Griffiths Sr., Boston Police Department, volunteered more than 500 hours in 2008 to help build a teen center in Franklin Field, one of Boston's toughest housing developments. In 2015, a sewage backup ruined all of the equipment, the computer lab and the furniture, and the center was shut down. Griffiths, a former chief of construction for the city, once again stepped in to champion the project, organizing an army of volunteers to renovate and restore the center – despite having no funding whatsoever – and the center reopened on July 15. Read more here. 

Follow the TASER and Axon brand here:

• Axon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Axon/117780381886687
• Axon Twitter: https://twitter.com/AxonTechnology
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/71228
• TASER Blog: http://blog.taser.com/
• TASER Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TASER.International
• TASER Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/OfficialTASER
• YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/taserinternational1

About TASER International, Inc.

TASER International makes communities safer with innovative public safety technologies. Founded in 1993, TASER first transformed law enforcement with its electrical weapons. TASER continues to define smarter policing with its Axon brand which includes a growing suite of connected products and services from body cameras and digital evidence management tools to mobile apps. More than 170,000 lives have been saved from death or serious injury with TASER's products and services. Learn more at www.taser.com and www.axon.io or by calling (800) 978-2737.

TASER, Axon, and Evidence.com are trademarks of TASER International, Inc., some of which are registered in the US and in other countries. 

Note to Investors

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For investor relations information please contact Arvind Bobra via email at IR@taser.com.

CONTACT:
Steve Tuttle
Vice President, Strategic Communications
Press@TASER.com