Freedom vs. Safety: Axon CEO Rick Smith on the Future of Policing

Rick Smith · Axon EnterpriseBullish

Skydio's autonomous docks put drones on scene in seconds; Axon holds exclusive channel rights.

Smith describes Skydio as the leading US drone company, whose robotic autonomous docks let a drone fly from a fire station anywhere in a city. He says the drone can be on scene in seconds, sometimes before the 911 operator finishes entering the call. This reduces the resources police spend on alarm calls and improves service. Axon has bought almost half the company and secured exclusive rights as the exclusive channel into its target markets. Axon's stake is the investment tie.

“we've secured the exclusive rights so we will be the exclusive channel into the markets that we care about”at 47:30

Rick Smith · Axon Enterprise

Camera surveillance needs data-governance guardrails and federal oversight, not bans on the technology.

Smith says the public concern about AI and camera proliferation is not unreasonable, and nobody wants a China-style surveillance state. But cameras are already everywhere, with more cameras than people, so the real question is data governance: when police should get camera feeds and how they can use them. He argues the reasonable middle ground is to block misuse, such as officers searching exes, while allowing uses like tracking a stolen vehicle or pulling plates near a violent crime, and he doesn't expect doorbell cameras to be made illegal. He backs Senator Hawley's bill because it has criminal penalties for officers who misuse the technology. He expects federal regulation to start moving soon after the election.

“I'm a big supporter of what senator Hawley is doing to introduce guidelines and oversight so that we can get the benefit of this... These technologies to fight crime, but safeguards to prevent them from tracking everyday Americans.”at 31:35

Rick Smith · Axon Enterprise

Defunding police would be catastrophic; cites Montreal's 1969 strike and San Francisco's shoplifting decriminalization.

Smith argues defunding police would produce social experiments whose outcome is already clear: catastrophe. He points to the 1969 Montreal police strike, which led to a night of terror when criminals took advantage. He also cites states that decriminalized shoplifting after 2020, which he says led to San Francisco being abandoned, jobs fleeing, and businesses imploding. He sees San Francisco now correcting course and argues functional policing is the glue that holds society together.

“Well, if you actually defund the police, you know, we'll... We will get some social experiments. I can tell you, you don't need an experiment to show what would happen. It will be catastrophic.”at 51:31