Hereford has “great equipment, but also great training,” explains Officer Carlos Luna, a 5-year veteran of his hometown department. He notes other departments in Texas, even larger ones, simply don’t have the same resources available as Hereford. “We’re lucky to have the resources that we have.” It’s not lost on Luna; his life and the lives of fellow officers depend in part on the training and tools they have, and he’s proud to work at a department taking investments in technology so seriously.

Access to best-in-class tech and training also contribute to department culture. It’s a valuable commitment to officers and the community they serve. “Hopefully we continue to get the training opportunities for these officers,” says Ruiz. “Law enforcement’s an ever-changing career...if we can train and better prepare our officers to deal with any possible outcome, [it’s] always the best solution.”

Swan’s hope is, over the coming years, Hereford becomes a magnet agency for officers looking to work for a department on the forefront of modern policing. For some, these investments have already made Hereford a career agency. Officer Chance Perry, who recently relocated from Amarillo Police Department to Hereford, can’t imagine working anywhere else. “Hopefully I’m here in the next 10, 15 years and still policing.”

“Anything that can keep an officer safe, as well as our public, they’re moving forward to get that equipment,” Ruiz says. Despite the town’s size, he believes the value of public safety technology is worth the investment. But how do small towns with even smaller budgets justify the cost of this technology?

“I get it,” he acknowledges, “smaller agencies might not have the budget and everything. Hopefully if they look at the stats and everything — if their goal is, is preserving a life, saving somebody, making a difference — hopefully they think that it's worth the effort and worth their investment. Because it is, it is a good investment. It has been for our department.

“Frankly, if I got to be honest, I don’t care what it’s worth. If it’s going to save somebody, I don’t care, spend the money.”

Proper training, positive results

Officers Luna and Perry have experienced the life-saving ability of their department's technology first-hand.

The majority of calls for service in Hereford involve domestic disturbances or petty thefts. In January, Perry was riding with his training officer, Luna, when they were dispatched for a domestic disturbance incident. En route to the address, they located the subject crossing the street, wielding two knives and a hammer. After throwing the hammer at their patrol car, the subject advanced toward the two officers with knives drawn.

“They were well within their right to use deadly force, according to policy, and given the circumstances of, of the individual coming at them with knives drawn,” explains Ruiz, “but they followed their training.”

Because he was new to Hereford, Perry was not yet trained on the department’s TASER energy weapon platform and policies. Although he was a veteran officer, on this call, he found his only use-of-force option was a firearm. While the subject was focused on Perry with his firearm drawn, Luna approached from behind the patrol vehicle and deployed his TASER energy weapon on the subject. The probes connected; the subject went down and was handcuffed.

“One was the distractor and the other one was able to use the less-lethal option, which ultimately worked out best for the individual and for the officers,“ continues Ruiz. ”And nobody was injured other than, you know, the minor scrapes from the fall. It was a quick decision and our officers did a great job. They're the guys with proper training and equipment. They did a tremendous job. And everybody left that incident with their lives.”

Luna having a less-lethal force option available to deploy meant Perry did not have to take a life that day, something he is thankful for. “It’s a great feeling,” he admits. “My goal is not to shoot somebody. It’s...protect and serve and do the best that I can for the citizens.”

In 2022 in the U.S., 1,201 people — 1,142 civilians and 59 officers — lost their lives in gun-related incidents between police and the public. In response, Axon is rallying partners around a “moonshot” goal to cut gun-related deaths between police and the public by 50% by 2033. Thanks in part to their investments in technology, Hereford Police is helping advance this moonshot goal and protect citizens — and officers — more effectively than ever before.

“It's a big goal that they've taken on. I hope that we can help them get there,” says Ruiz. “We don't sign up to take a life. We don't sign up to hurt anybody or take anybody's property away. We sign up to make a difference in our community. And I think if we can have everybody else kind of follow and listen to what we're really about, I think we can get there.”

Perry agrees: “I think it's more of, once the public — the view of policing changes to more positive — people will realize that like, 'Okay, the cops really aren't out here just just to shoot people or to arrest people. They're here to actually help us.' And it puts people more at a relaxed state, makes our job easier, makes the citizens' interactions better, and just in general, an overall positive outcome of everything.”

Commitment to non-lethal

With each technology purchase, Hereford Police hopes it becomes easier for officers to de-escalate critical situations without taking a life. Luna states, “We're getting better percentage on just detaining the subject that we're dealing with, not just using lethal force all the time. We have that option of non-lethal force. So we're not just keeping us safe, but also the subject that we're dealing with safe as well.”

The newest piece of equipment the agency has deployed to make protecting more lives in more places easier is the TASER 10. With a maximum range of 45 feet — nearly double the range of previous TASER energy weapons — TASER 10 can deploy up to 10 individually targeted probes without the need to reload, creating more time and space to de-escalate and resolve conflicts. Advancements in accuracy, effectiveness and reliability mean less likelihood of escalation to lethal force.

Ruiz was initially skeptical about its capabilities, but since the device’s rollout at the agency, he’s been happily surprised.

“The technology that’s coming across...it’s so user-friendly.” Ruiz laughs and admits he isn’t a “very tech-savvy kind of guy” but was able to easily grasp how to use the latest generations of Axon connected products.

“For me, I was sold on the grip and the ten available shots.” Ruiz likens the TASER 10 to having a “security blanket” because the device gives him and his colleagues more time to de-escalate situations safely. “Time sometimes is the savior for us.”

“Having that newest technology, things are less likely to fail,” Perry adds. “That distance, it definitely helps.”

Ruiz remembers a time before Hereford deployed TASER devices. In those days, as he puts it, “the fight was on,” as civilians trying to avoid arrest would physically engage officers to resist. “We were getting scraped up, banged up...they see you with the new TASER, they don’t want to try it.”

Big future for a small department

In Hereford, “everybody knows who you are,” says Ruiz with a smirk. “I honestly think that’s the best thing. When you’re helping somebody, it’s not just a random person...you’re helping somebody’s mom, you’re helping somebody’s dad.”

That feeling of familiarity also extends to intradepartment interactions. Luna believes because Hereford Police Department is small, the officers really have a sense of camaraderie and work to help one another throughout their shifts.

“I like that it’s a small town,” agrees Perry. “You have more time to be proactive and interact with the citizens...show the public that you are a positive force in the community.”

Ruiz said he feels “invested in the community” where he has now lived and served for decades. Working for Hereford Police is his way to “pay it forward,” to be a mentor to younger community members, like the teachers in the area were for him.

Despite the department’s small size, Hereford officers believe they are prepared to make outsized impacts in the coming years. “We’re growing together,” Luna feels. “It’s great to work here every day.”