By Clint Williams
OpportunityGreaterPhoenix.com

Introducing innovative technology far different from its well-known line of law-enforcement tools, Scottsdale-based TASER International Inc. announced a "family safety platform" for parents, and a head-mounted police surveillance camera.

The new products, however, serve the same purpose as the Electronic Control Devices (as TASER calls its products) that have become standard equipment for law enforcement officers: to protect lives.

Introduced Thursday at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, The PROTECTOR allows parents to supervise the cell phone usage of their children and to block cell phone usage while driving, eliminating a major distraction for teen drivers.

"Our mission at TASER International is to protect life – PROTECTOR is our latest technology breakthrough to further our mission by empowering families to protect the most precious of lives:  our children," says Rick Smith, CEO and founder of TASER International.  "Auto accidents are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, and distracted driving is becoming a major factor in these accidents.  PROTECTOR will play a significant role in addressing this national tragedy."

The software works with all wireless carriers and gives parents the ability to control who their children call and text. Parents can monitor their childrens’ mobile phone activity, restricting who they can call, what times they can send or recieve text and screening and blocking inappropriate photos. (Watch video). A teen’s phone can also be programmed to limit mobile phone use while he or she is driving.

Also going on sale by TASER this year is a new tool for law enforcement, the company’s traditional market. The AXON is a lightweight, head-mounted audio-video recording system that records tamper-proof video from the police officer’s point of view.

While dash-mounted cameras have been installed in law enforcement vehicles for decades, the AXON offers a big step in officer safety, says Tom Smith, chairman of the board and co-founder of Taser International.

Dash-mounted cameras capture less than 20 percent of incidents, Smith says, usually because the camera can’t move to follow the action.

The AXON camera is worn much like a Bluetooth headpiece and sees what the officer sees. The system also records sound in the field and radio traffic.

The AXON system will protect police officers from spurious allegations, Smith says. It can also be used to hold officers accountable in the field.

AXON evidence was used to clear a Fort Smith, Ark. police officer involved in a deadly shooting in November 2009. (More on this).

The AXON will also diffuse potentially violent situations, Smith says.

"People act differently when they know they are being recorded," he says.

The AXON, designed and developed in Scottsdale, is being tested in two pilot programs and will go on sale later this year, Smith says.