TASER INTERNATIONAL
ANNUAL REPORT

PROTECT LIFE.
PROTECT TRUTH.

2014

ø
TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
17800 NORTH 85TH ST
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA 85255 USA

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THE NEW
AXON BRAND.
COMING SOON IN 2015.

AXON CAMERAS:
#
1 IN MAJOR
CITY DEPLOYMENTS
Los Angeles. San Diego. San Francisco. Fort Worth.
The list is growing.

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To our shareowners:
2014 was a pivotal year for TASER International. In 2008, we began to invest in creating a technology platform that
would bring a new level of transparency to public safety, and would do so with the ease of use and reliability we
have all come to expect in the ever more connected world in which we live. It has been a long road, with many
challenges along the way. As with most innovative new concepts, the idea of officer worn cameras was met with
skepticism, as was the idea that public safety agencies would store their data in the cloud. However, we saw that the
need for transparency was building to a tipping point. And, we knew that the same technology trends which have
disrupted industry after industry would come to law enforcement as well. We believe that internet enabled business
models, smart phone and wearable technology, and the ubiquitous presence of video technology now in virtually
every citizen's pocket will transform our core market, and we have been determined to be the company that makes it
happen.
So, it was enormously rewarding for all of us when the President of the United States made a call for body cameras.
In fact, it reminded us of our roots - when President Lyndon Johnson called for the country to develop non-lethal
alternatives to deadly force many decades ago. Once again, we find ourselves driving a technology revolution which
hits at the core social issues facing our country, and the world, today.
The call did not go unheard. We believe our AXON business unit has broken through from the early adopter into
main stream adoption in public safety. Our bookings of new business grew nearly 300% from $14 million in 2013 to
$57 million in 2014. And we won every major city account which made a new system selection for wearable video
in 2014.
We have said that 2015 is our Superbowl; we are out to win the largest accounts in the United States in on-officer
video and EVIDENCE.com to enable our platform to become the first technology platform that is ubiquitous across
the public safety community. Growth is exciting but in truth, our zeal for technology is based on our passion for
what our customers do every single day: protecting life and protecting truth.
A lot of focus of our shareowners in the past year has been on our competition and how does the AXON brand
compare; who is winning; and who is going to continue to win. Our passion for our customers and enabling their
daily success, transforming standard practices in law enforcement to have the beautiful and seamless experience that
we all enjoy in our consumer-lives will tell the tale of who will win the market. A customer-centric methodology is a
defining element of TASER's culture and will continue to be so as we innovate to use technology to make the world
a safer place; something that we have been doing since our inception in 1993.
In 2015, we are investing in programs that are motivated by our focus on our customers rather than by reaction to
competition. We are focused on using technology to solve big problems. Problems that matter, and where innovation
can create valuable, sustainable, and defensible businesses.
We are a trusted partner in law enforcement and continuing to drive improvements in the “TASER Experience” only
serves to improve that relationship. Our intention to heavily invest in 2015 has been met with some questions from
shareowners concerned about profitability in the near-term. One of the great challenges where we focus a significant
amount of our attention as a management team is balancing the financial rigor of running a profitable enterprise with
ensuring that we are making sufficient investments in the long-term business. The significant success we are having
today in our AXON business is a direct result of the investments we began making back in 2008. In hindsight, many
people say it was the obvious thing to do. However, many of you will recall that it was certainly not “obvious” to
everyone at the time we made the investments.

As we look forward, we see the opportunity to establish the dominant mobile, wearables, and cloud enabled
technology ecosystem in public safety. When we succeed in doing so, we will have a massively valuable enterprise
on our hands. If we fail to achieve a dominant position because we failed to invest the resources required today, it
would be a tremendous loss of potential shareholder value.
2014 was a very successful year with triumphs in all areas of our business. In the domestic weapons business, we
continued to see growth as customers migrate to the new Smart Weapon platform. We held the legacy X26 CEW's
retirement party this fall as we approached the end of production at the year end. We have redoubled our strategy to
have a TASER on every officer and for our weapon to be standard issue equipment to all officers. Together with our
strategic customers at the Los Angeles Police Department, we developed the Officer Safety Plan (OSP), which
includes TASER devices, AXON Cameras, and EVIDENCE.com in one simple program. The officer safety plan
simplifies our customer's purchase process, ensuring their officers have the latest versions of our core technologies
through regular upgrades included in one budget line item. And, it adds predictability to our business as well. The
OSP is a great example of the innovation that can happen when we listen closely to our customers, and launching it
with the order from LAPD was a significant milestone for us.
Internationally, the business continues to show progress, growing 25% from the prior year. We had several new
markets open up for weapons sales including Poland and Italy during 2014. Further, Canada approved the new
Smart Weapon platform and in the fourth quarter, the Ontario Provincial Police had their first deployment. The
Company also opened up its international headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands and is continuing to build the
team there. We are making additional significant investments putting sales resources in key markets around the
world. Once again, these investments require a longer term view. They are unlikely to drive immediate revenue
results in 2015... but we are confident that 2016 and beyond will significantly benefit from these investments.
In the AXON business, clearly we are seeing exponential growth and continue to see massive potential. Specific
successes in 2014 included getting 15 major cities on EVIDENCE.com with another 28 in some form of trial
program. And we continued our strategy of building capabilities that make our ecosystem more valuable with each
component an agency deploys, introducing AXON Signal, which enables Bluetooth activation of cameras upon the
power-on of a TASER Weapon or police car light-bar. Our products and services, working cohesively, create value
no other single product competitor could offer. Bookings nearly doubled our internal plan, we are seeing an 80%
attachment rate with the majority of contracts being signed for 5 year terms, and our annual revenue per seat
continues to increase with the introduction of new service tiers at the top end of the spectrum.
TASER has always had a long-term approach in our DNA but as the Company has grown we've made a concerted
effort to formalize that as a philosophy and ensure we communicate it to all of our stakeholders; investors,
customers and new employees. We believe that using a longer time horizon to make business decisions will directly
result in increasing shareholder value and the total market value of the company. We believe that by investing to
obtain, extend and solidify a market leadership position we will create a public safety platform that we can leverage
to create a powerful and highly defensible economic model. Our emphasis on the long-term directly influences
decisions that we make and is guided by principles that we feel are best suited for us to create the preeminent
technology company in the world-wide public safety market.

Our commitment to our investors is no less than our commitment to our customers and our dedicated employees
who make this all possible. We believe our dedication to excellence, and relentless pursuit of customer-driven
solutions will drive sustained revenue growth across our businesses. On behalf of everyone here at TASER, I thank
you for your continued support as we strive to protect life and protect truth through innovative technologies that
make our world a safer place.

Rick Smith
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
TASER International, Inc.

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TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
17800 North 85th Street
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
May 18, 2015

To Our Stockholders:
The 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of TASER International, Inc. (the “Company”)
will be held at 9:00 a.m. (local time) on Monday, May 18, 2015, at the SpringHill Suites Seattle Downtown at 1800 Yale
Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101 for the following purposes:
1.

Electing the two Class C directors of the Company named in this proxy statement for a term of three years, and until
their successors are elected and qualified;

2.

Advisory approval of the Company’s executive compensation;

3.

Ratifying the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for
fiscal year 2015; and

4.

Transacting such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any continuation, postponement
or adjournment thereof.

Only holders of the Company’s common stock at the close of business on March 17, 2015 are entitled to notice of, and to vote
at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. Stockholders may vote in person or by proxy. A list of
stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for examination by stockholders at the time and place of
the Annual Meeting and during ordinary business hours, for a period of ten days prior to the Annual Meeting, at the principal
executive offices of the Company at the address listed above.

By Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ DOUGLAS E. KLINT
Douglas E. Klint
Corporate Secretary
Scottsdale, Arizona
April 2, 2015
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PERSON,
PLEASE VOTE ON THE INTERNET, BY TELEPHONE, OR MARK, SIGN, DATE AND PROMPTLY RETURN YOUR
PROXY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.

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TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
17800 North 85th Street
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255

PROXY STATEMENT FOR 2015 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING

Why am I receiving these proxy materials?
Our Board of Directors (the “Board”) has made these materials available to you on the Internet or has delivered printed
versions of these materials to you by mail in connection with the Board of Directors’ solicitation of proxies for use at our
Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will take place at 9:00 a.m. local time on Monday, May 18, 2015 at the SpringHill
Suites Seattle Downtown at 1800 Yale Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101. This Proxy Statement describes matters on which you, as a
stockholder, are entitled to vote. It also gives you information on these matters so that you can make an informed decision. This
proxy statement is first being made available or sent to stockholders on or about April 2, 2015.

What is included in these materials?
These materials include:
•
•

This Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting; and
The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 (the “Annual Report”).

If you received printed versions of these materials by mail, these materials also include the proxy card or vote instruction form
for the Annual Meeting.

Why did I receive a one-page notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials
this year instead of printed proxy materials?
In accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), instead of mailing a printed copy of our
proxy materials to all of our stockholders, we have elected to furnish such materials to stockholders by providing access to
these documents over the Internet. Accordingly, on April 2, 2015 we sent a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials
(the “Notice”) to stockholders of record and beneficial owners. Stockholders have the ability to access the proxy materials on a
website referred to in the Notice or request to receive a printed set of the proxy materials by calling the toll-free number found
in the Notice. The Company encourages you to take advantage of the availability of the proxy materials on the Internet in order
to help reduce the cost and environmental impact of the Annual Meeting.

How can I get electronic access to the proxy materials?
The Notice provides you with instructions regarding how to: (1) view our proxy materials for the Annual Meeting on the
Internet; (2) vote your shares after you have viewed our proxy materials; (3) request a printed copy of the proxy materials; and
(4) instruct us to send our future proxy materials to you electronically by email. Copies of the proxy materials are also available
for viewing at the investor relations page of the Company’s website at http://investor.taser.com.
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What proposals will be voted on at the Annual Meeting and how does the Board of Directors
recommend I vote?
Stockholders will vote on the following items at the Annual Meeting:
Proposal No.

ONE
TWO
THREE

Description

The election to the Board of the two Class C director nominees named in this Proxy
Statement
Advisory approval of the Company’s executive compensation (“Say on Pay”)
The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent
registered public accountants for fiscal year 2015.

Board Recommendation

FOR
(all nominees)
FOR
FOR

Stockholders will also vote on the transaction of any other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any
continuation, postponement or adjournment thereof. To the maximum extent allowed by the SEC’s proxy rules, the proxy
holders will vote your shares in such other matters as they determine in their discretion.

Where are the Company’s principal executive offices located and what is the Company’s main
telephone number?
The Company’s principal executive offices are located at 17800 North 85th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85255. The Company’s
main telephone number is (800) 978-2737.

Who may vote at the Annual Meeting?
As of March 17, 2015 (the “Record Date”), there were 53,351,511 shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding and
entitled to one vote each at the Annual Meeting. The presence in person or by proxy of persons holding a majority of these
shares, or 26,675,756 shares, will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Each share of common stock entitles the
holder to one vote on each matter that may properly come before the Annual Meeting. Stockholders are not entitled to
cumulative voting in the election of directors. Only stockholders of record as of the close of business on the Record Date are
entitled to receive notice of, to attend, and to vote at the Annual Meeting.

What is the difference between a stockholder of record and a beneficial owner of shares held in street
name?
Stockholder of Record
If your shares are registered directly in your name with the Company’s transfer agent, Computershare, you are considered the
stockholder of record with respect to those shares, and the Notice or printed materials were sent directly to you by the
Company. If you request printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you will also receive a printed proxy card.

Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in Street Name
If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer, or other similar organization, then you are the
beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and the Notice or the printed proxy materials were forwarded to you by that
organization. The organization holding your account is considered the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the
Annual Meeting. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct that organization how to vote the shares held in your
account. If you request printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you will also receive a printed vote instruction form.

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If I am a stockholder of record of the Company’s shares, how do I vote?
There are four ways to vote:

In person. If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote in person at the Annual Meeting. Bring your printed
proxy card if you received one by mail. Otherwise, the Company will provide stockholders of record a ballot at the
Annual Meeting.

Via the Internet. If you received a Notice, you may vote via the Internet by visiting http.//www.proxyvote.com
and entering the control number found in the Notice.

By telephone. If you received or requested printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote by calling
the toll free number found on the proxy card.

By mail. If you received or requested printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote by filling out the
proxy card and returning it in the envelope provided.

If I am a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, how do I vote?
Your bank or broker will send you instructions on how to vote. There are four ways to vote:

In person. If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name and you wish to vote in person at the Annual
Meeting, you must obtain a legal proxy from the organization that holds your shares.

Via the Internet. If you received a Notice, you may vote via the Internet by visiting http.//www.proxyvote.com
and entering the control number found in the Notice.

By telephone. If you received or requested printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote by calling
the toll free number found on the vote instruction form.

By mail. If you received or requested printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote by filling out the
vote instruction form and returning it in the envelope provided.
What constitutes a quorum in order to hold and transact business at the Annual Meeting?
Under Delaware law and the Company’s bylaws, the presence in person or by proxy of the holders of record of a majority of
the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting constitutes a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will all be counted as present
to determine whether a quorum has been established. Once a share of the Company’s common stock is represented for any
purpose at a meeting, it is deemed present for quorum purposes for the remainder of the meeting and any adjournments or
postponements. If a quorum is not present, the Annual Meeting may be adjourned until a quorum is obtained.

How are proxies voted?
All valid proxies received prior to the Annual Meeting will be voted. All shares represented by a proxy will be voted and,
where a stockholder specifies by means of the proxy a choice with respect to any matter to be acted upon, the shares will be
voted in accordance with the stockholder’s instructions.

What happens if I do not give specific voting instructions?
Stockholders of Record If you are a stockholder of record and you indicate when voting on the Internet or by telephone that
you wish to vote as recommended by the Board, or sign and return a proxy card without giving specific voting instructions,
then the proxy holders will vote your shares in the manner recommended by the Board on all matters presented in this proxy
statement and as the proxy holders may determine in their discretion with respect to any other matters properly presented for a
vote at the Annual Meeting.
3

Beneficial Owners of Shares Held in Street Name If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name and do not
provide the organization that holds your shares with specific voting instructions, the organization that holds your shares may
vote on routine matters but cannot vote on non-routine matters. If the organization that holds your shares does not receive
instructions from you on how to vote your shares on a non-routine matter, the organization that holds your shares will inform
the inspector of election that it does not have the authority to vote on such matters with respect to your shares. This is generally
referred to as a “broker non-vote.”

Which ballot measures are considered “routine” or “non-routine”?
Proposal No. 3 (ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accountants) is considered “routine.” A
broker or other nominee may generally vote on routine matters, and therefore no broker non-votes are expected in connection
with this proposal.
Proposals No. 1 and No. 2 (election of directors and advisory approval of the Company’s executive compensation) are
considered “non-routine.” A broker or other nominee cannot vote without specific instructions from the beneficial owner on
non-routine matters, and therefore we anticipate there will be broker non-votes in connection with Proposals No. 1 and No. 2.

Can I change my vote after I have voted?
You may revoke your proxy and change your vote at any time before the final vote at the Annual Meeting by voting again via
the Internet or by telephone (only your latest Internet or telephone proxy submitted prior to the Annual Meeting will be
counted), by signing and returning a new proxy card or vote instruction form with a later date, or by attending the Annual
Meeting and voting in person. However, your attendance at the Annual Meeting will not automatically revoke your proxy
unless you vote again at the Annual Meeting or specifically request that your prior proxy be revoked by delivering to the
Company’s Corporate Secretary at 17800 North 85th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85255, a written notice of revocation prior to
the Annual Meeting.

Is my vote confidential?
Proxy instructions, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual stockholders are handled in a manner that protects
your voting privacy. Your vote will not be disclosed either within the Company or to third parties, except as necessary to meet
applicable legal requirements; to allow for the tabulation and certification of votes; and to facilitate a successful proxy
solicitation.

What is the voting requirement to approve each of the proposals?
Election of Directors
For Proposal No. 1, under our bylaws, assuming the existence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting, the two nominees for
director who receive the affirmative vote of a plurality of all of the votes cast will be elected to the Board of Directors. This
means that the two director nominees with the most votes will be elected. Shares that are marked “withhold authority” will be
counted toward a quorum, but will not affect the outcome of the vote on the election of such director. Broker non-votes will
have no effect on the outcome of this proposal if a quorum is present.

Advisory approval of the Company’s executive compensation (“Say on Pay”)
For Proposal No. 2, assuming the existence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting, under our bylaws, the compensation of our
executive officers will be approved if a majority of common stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting vote in
favor of approval. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal if a quorum is present. Abstentions will
have the same effect as a vote against the proposal.

4

Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accountants
For Proposal No. 3, assuming the existence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting, ratification of the appointment of the
independent registered public accountants will be approved if a majority of common stock present in person or by proxy at the
Annual Meeting vote in favor of ratification. Broker non-votes will have no impact on this proposal if a quorum is present.
Abstentions will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal.

Who will serve as the inspector of election?
A member of the Company’s internal legal department will serve as the inspector of election.

Where can I find the voting results of the Annual Meeting?
The final voting results will be tallied by the inspector of election and, within four business days after the Annual Meeting, the
Company expects to report the final results on Form 8-K with the SEC.

Who is paying for the cost of this proxy solicitation?
The Company will bear all expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies. The Company will, upon request,
reimburse brokerage firms and other nominee holders for their reasonable expenses incurred in forwarding the proxy
solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of our shares. The Company’s officers and directors and employees may solicit
proxies by mail, personal contact, letter, telephone, telegram, facsimile or other electronic means. They will not receive any
additional compensation for those activities, but they may be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses. The Company does
not expect to engage a proxy advisor for the 2015 Annual Meeting.

5

PROPOSAL ONE: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Board is elected by and accountable to the stockholders to oversee their interest in the long-term health and the overall
success of the Company’s business and its financial strength. The Board serves as the ultimate decision-making body of the
Company except for those matters reserved to, or shared with, the stockholders. The Board selects and oversees the members of
senior management, who are charged by the Board with conducting the business of the Company.

Election Process
The Board is comprised of eight directors. The directors are divided into three classes comprised as follows: three directors
each in Class A and Class B, and two directors in Class C. One class is elected each year for a three-year term and until their
successors are elected and qualified.
The two director nominees in Class C are up for nomination at the 2015 annual shareholder meeting. These directors would
serve regular three-year terms until the annual meeting of stockholders in 2018, or until their respective successors are elected
and qualified. These directors are: Vice Admiral (Retired) Richard H. Carmona and Bret Taylor.
The Board has no reason to believe that either of the nominees will be unwilling or unable to serve if elected a director. If either
nominee is unable or unwilling to serve as a director at the date of the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment
thereof, the proxies may be voted for a substitute nominee, designated by the Board to fill such vacancy.
Unless marked otherwise, signed proxies received will be voted FOR the election of each of the nominees.
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the election of Richard Carmona and Bret Taylor.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Director Nominations
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for identifying and evaluating nominees for Director and
for recommending to the Board a slate of nominees for election at each Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Nominees may be
suggested by directors, members of management, stockholders, or, in some cases, by a third-party firm.
Stockholders who wish the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “NCG Committee”) to consider their
recommendations for nominees for the position of director should submit their recommendations in writing by mail to the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, c/o TASER International, Inc., 17800 North 85th Street, Scottsdale, AZ
85255. Recommendations by stockholders that are made in accordance with these procedures will receive the same
consideration by the NCG Committee as other suggested nominees.

Qualifications for All Directors
In its assessment of each potential candidate, including those recommended by stockholders, the NCG Committee considers the
potential nominee’s demonstrated character, judgment, relevant business, functional and industry experience, and whether they
possess a high degree of business, technological, medical or law enforcement acumen, independence, and other such factors the
NCG Committee determines are pertinent in light of the current needs of the Board. The NCG Committee also takes into
account the ability of a potential nominee to devote the time and effort necessary to fulfill his or her responsibilities to the
Company. While the NCG Committee does not have a formal diversity policy, it strives to achieve a well-rounded balance of
varying skill sets and backgrounds in the composition of the Board.
The NCG Committee’s process for identifying and evaluating nominees typically involves a series of internal discussions,
review of information concerning candidates and interviews with selected candidates. There are no differences in the manner in
which the nominees for director are evaluated based on whether the nominee is recommended by a stockholder. The Company
6

has not historically paid third parties to identify or assist in identifying or evaluating potential nominees but reserves the right
to do so in the future.

Specific Qualifications, Education, Skills and Experience to be Represented on the Board
The Board has identified particular qualifications, skills and experience that are important to be represented on the Board as a
whole in order to advise and contribute to the execution of the Company’s strategic objectives. Each Board member was
selected in accordance with the process for the selection and nomination of directors described above. Accordingly, the Board
believes that each of the Company’s Board members brings a myriad of attributes that combined benefit the Company and its
stockholders. The following table summarizes certain key characteristics of the Company’s business and the associated
attributes that have been identified as important to be represented on the Board.
Business Characteristics

Qualifications, Attributes, Skills &
Experience

The Company’s business is multifaceted and involves complex financial
transactions.

•
•
•
•

High level of financial literacy
Relevant CEO, CFO, treasury
experience
Certified Public Accountant,
Certified Financial Analyst

The Company’s business requires compliance with a variety of regulatory
requirements across a number of countries and relationships with various
entities and non-governmental organizations.

•

Governmental, legal or political
experience

The Company’s TASER Weapons product lines utilize Neuro-Muscular
Incapacitation from electrical currents as the method to disable a resisting
suspect, which inherently involves medical and scientific testing.

•

Medical and/or scientific experience

The Company’s primary markets are law enforcement, military and
corrections agencies.

•
•

Law enforcement experience
Military experience

The Company’s business is expanding into the innovative field of cloud
computing and wearable technology which involves different point of
views and perspectives from its traditional weapons background.

•

Emerging technologies experience

The Board’s responsibilities include understanding and overseeing the
various risks facing the Company and ensuring that appropriate policies
and procedures are in place to effectively manage risk.

•
•

Risk oversight
Management expertise

7

Director Nominees and Incumbent Directors in 2015
Vice Admiral (Retired) Richard H. Carmona M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S. (Nominated)
Director since 2007
Class C
Age: 65
Board Committees: Audit Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (Chair), Litigation Committee
Other Public Company Boards: The Clorox Company, The Herbalife Company
Dr. Carmona was sworn in as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States on August 5, 2002 and served the statutory four
year term. Prior to being named United States Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona was the chairman of the State of Arizona
Southern Regional Emergency Medical System, a professor of surgery, public health and family and community medicine at
the University of Arizona, and the Pima County Sheriff's Department surgeon and deputy sheriff. He is currently employed as
Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canyon Ranch Health in Tucson, Arizona and has held that position since
October 1, 2006. Dr. Carmona attended Bronx Community College of the City University of New York where he earned his
associate of arts degree. Dr. Carmona holds a B.S. degree and medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco.
He has also earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Arizona.
Specific Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:
High Level of Financial Literacy

As Vice Chairman of Canyon Ranch, CEO of Canyon Ranch Health, and as a member
of other public company boards, Dr. Carmona is able to contribute to the oversight of
the Company's financial matters.

Risk Oversight & Management

Service on the Clorox Company and the Herbalife Company boards of directors
provides valuable insight into public company corporate governance matters.

Relevant Political Background

Service as the former Surgeon General of the U.S. provides a unique insight into
political matters.

Medical Expertise

As the Surgeon General of the U.S. as well as his extensive career in emergency medical
services, provides him a deep understanding of health, safety and medicine.

Law
Enforcement/Military Experience

He is a combat decorated and disabled U.S. Army Special Forces Veteran and a highly
decorated police officer, giving him unusual insight into our diverse customer base.

Bret Taylor (Nominated - non-management director)
Director since 2014
Class C
Age: 35
Board Committees: None.
Other Public Company Boards: None.
Bret Taylor served as Group Product Manager at Google Inc. until June 2007, where he co-created Google Maps and
the Google Maps API. He then joined venture capital firm Benchmark Capital as an entrepreneur-in-residence where he
founded the social network Friendfeed, Inc. with former Google employee, Jim Norris. Taylor was the CEO of FriendFeed until
August 2009, when Facebook acquired the company, and named Taylor Chief Technology Officer of Facebook. Taylor was the
Chief Technology Officer of Facebook until the summer of 2012, and supervised some of Facebook's newest and most
important products, including the creation of the Open Graph, the App Center, and its integration with the Apple App Store. He
is now CEO and co-founder of Quip. Mr. Taylor attended Stanford University, where he earned his bachelor's degree and a
master's degree in computer science.

8

Specific Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:
Technology Expertise

Executive experience in established technology organizations such as Google and
Facebook, as well as experiences founding new technology companies, through
Friendfeed and Quip, provides Mr. Taylor insight into software and internet-related
business development initiatives.

Risk Oversight & Management

Experience as CEO of Quip provides Mr. Taylor experience in the unique challenges
facing growing technology companies.

Patrick W. Smith, Chief Executive Officer
Director since 1993
Class B
Age: 44
Other Public Company Boards: None
Mr. Smith has served as CEO and as a director of the Company since 1993. He is also co-founder of the Company. After
graduating from Harvard, cum laude, in just three years (class of 1991), Mr. Smith entered directly into the Master of Business
Administration program at the University of Chicago. In two years, he completed both a master’s degree in international
finance from the University of Leuven in Leuven, Belgium and an M.B.A. degree with honors at the University of Chicago,
graduating in the top 5% of his class. After completing graduate school in the summer of 1993, he co-founded TASER
International, Inc., in September 1993 with his brother, Thomas P. Smith.

Mark Kroll
Director since 2003
Class B
Age: 62
Board Committees: Litigation Committee
Other Public Company Boards: Haemonetics Corporation
Dr. Kroll retired in July 2005 from St. Jude Medical, Inc., where he held various executive level positions since 1995, most
recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. Dr. Kroll holds a B.S.
degree in Mathematics and a M.S. degree and a Ph.D. degree from the Electrical Engineering department of the University of
Minnesota and an M.B.A. degree from the University of St. Thomas. Dr. Kroll is also the named inventor of over 350 issued
U.S. patents and is a Fellow of the: American College of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Society, Institute of Electronics and
Electrical Engineering, and the American Institute for Medicine and Biology in Engineering.
Specific Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:
Technology Expertise

Bio-Medical and Scientific
Expertise
Risk Oversight & Management

Advanced mathematical and scientific education and technology and scientific
accomplishments as recognized by “Fellow” designations from IEEE and AIMBE provide
a strong scientific background that is beneficial to the Company.
Scientific accomplishments as recognized by “Fellow” designations from the American
College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society provide invaluable skills and
experience to the TASER Weapons business.
Service on Haemonetic’s board of directors as well as leadership positions at St. Jude’s
Medical, Inc. provides beneficial experience in management and oversight.

9

Judy Martz
Director since 2005
Class B
Age: 71
Board Committees: Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee,
Litigation Committee (Chair)
Other Public Company Boards: None
From January 2001 through January 2004, Ms. Martz was Governor of the State of Montana and was Lieutenant Governor of
the State of Montana from January 1996 through January 2000. From 1989 through 1995, Ms. Martz served as state
representative for U.S. Senator Conrad Burns. As Governor of the State of Montana, Ms. Martz managed a more than $6.0
billion budget for the state.
Specific Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:
Relevant Political Background

As former Governor of the State of Montana, Ms. Martz brings a wealth of political
insight and leadership to the Board, particularly with respect to matters relating to federal
and government contracting.

Risk Oversight & Management

As former Governor, Ms. Martz is equipped with knowledge and experience in oversight
and leadership issues.

Lt. General (USA, Retired) John S. Caldwell
Director since 2006
Class A
Age: 70
Board Committees: Audit Committee, Compensation Committee
Other Public Company Boards: Puradyn Filter Technologies
General Caldwell is currently employed as a consultant affiliated with The Spectrum Group and Wesley K. Clark Associates.
General Caldwell was Senior Vice President, Defense Information Technology Solutions of QSS Group, Inc. from July 2004
through February 2008 at which time QSS Group Inc. was merged into Perot Systems Government Services. From February
2008 to June 2008 he was Executive Vice President, Defense Solutions, Perot Government Services. From November 2001
through January 2004, General Caldwell was a Lieutenant General in the United States Army and Military Deputy to the
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. General Caldwell holds a B.S. degree from the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point, New York and a M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of
Technology.
Specific Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:
Risk Oversight & Management

Executive positions at several defense contract and government service companies
provide invaluable management and leadership experience.

Law Enforcement/Military Exp
erience

Experience as a Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army and Military Deputy to the Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, brings extensive
knowledge in federal and military related matters.

10

Michael Garnreiter, Chairman
Director since 2006
Class A
Age: 63
Board Committees: Audit Committee (Chair), Compensation Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee,
Litigation Committee
Other Public Company Boards: Banner Health, GlobalTranz, Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company, Knight
Transportation, Amtech Systems
Mr. Garnreiter is currently Vice President of Finance and Treasurer of Shamrock Foods, a privately-held manufacturer and
distributor of foods and food-related products. From January 2010 until August 2012, Mr. Garnreiter was a managing director
of Fenix Financial Forensics, a Phoenix-based litigation and financial consulting firm. From April 2002 through June 2006,
Mr. Garnreiter was Executive Vice President, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer of the Main Street Restaurant Group.
Mr. Garnreiter previously served with the international accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, from 1974 through March 2002 with
increasing levels of responsibility, culminating as a partner. Mr. Garnreiter holds a B.S. degree in accounting from California
State University at Long Beach and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Specific Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:
High Level of Financial Literacy

Certified Public Accountant and former partner at Arthur Andersen. Served on the audit
committee for each board he has served in the past.

Risk Oversight & Management

Board Experience for Knight Transportation, Amtech Systems, IA Global Inc., and
Fenix Financial Forensics gives ample experience relating to public company corporate
governance matters.

Hadi Partovi
Director since 2010
Class A
Age: 42
Board Committees: Compensation Committee
Other Public Company Boards: None
Mr. Partovi is the President and co-founder of the non-profit education organization Code.org. Mr. Partovi is a past or present
strategic advisor or early investor at numerous technology companies, including Facebook, Dropbox, OPOWER, airbnb,
Zappos, and Bluekai. From 2009 through 2010, Mr. Partovi was Senior Vice President of Technology for MySpace (via
acquisition) and from 2006 through 2009 he was President and Co-Founder of ILIKE, Inc. which was acquired by MySpace in
2009. From 2002 through 2005, Mr. Partovi was General Manager, Microsoft MSN Entertainment and MSN.com and from
1999 through 2001, he was Co-Founder and VP of Product and Professional Services for TELLME Networks, Inc. From 1994
through 1999, he was Program Manager for Microsoft Internet Explorer. Mr. Partovi holds B.A. and M.S. degrees in Computer
Science, summa cum laude, from Harvard University.
Specific Qualifications, Attributes, Skills and Experience:
Technology Expertise

Experience as an investor in technology companies provides Mr. Partovi with invaluable
insight into software and internet-related business development initiatives.

Risk Oversight & Management

Experience as an advisor to multiple start-up companies provides Mr. Partovi experience
in the unique challenges facing new technology companies.

11

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Members of the Board who are employees of the Company are not separately compensated for serving on the Board. Board
compensation is reviewed periodically, and during the third quarter of 2014, the Board of Directors approved, in conjunction
with management, a change to compensation structure for the remainder of 2014 and going forward. Previously, non-employee
directors of the Company were paid $7,500 per quarter and were eligible to receive grants of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) of
the Company’s stock equal to $50,000 vesting over three years. The Chair of the Board and the Chair of the Audit Committee
received an additional $2,500 per quarter, and the Chair of each of the Compensation, Nominating and Governance and
Litigation Committees received an additional $1,250 per quarter.
Beginning in the third quarter of 2014, non-employee directors of the Company are paid $8,750 per quarter and are eligible to
receive grants of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) of the Company’s stock with a grant date fair value equal to $80,000 vesting in
equal annual installments over three years. New Board members are eligible to receive an initial grant of the Company's stock
with a grant date fair value equal to $100,000 in their first year of service vesting in equal annual installments over three years.
The Chair of the Board receives an additional $3,750 per quarter. Board members that provide any special Board advisory
consultations in their official capacity as a Board member (other than Board and committee meetings) are paid compensation at
the rate of $2,500 per day or $1,250 per half day, with no pay for travel days. All directors are reimbursed for reasonable
expense incurred in connection with their attendance at meetings. In addition, board members serving on committees in either
the chair or member capacity earn extra fees as summarized in the following table:
Quarterly Chair
Fee

Committee

Audit
Compensation

$

Quarterly Member
Fee

3,750 $
2,500

Nominating and Governance
Litigation

1,500
1,500

1,875
1,250
750
750

The annual RSU awards typically are granted on the date of the Company’s annual stockholder’s meeting. Directors have the
option of deferring all or a portion of their cash compensation into a non-qualified deferred compensation plan.
The following table summarizes the compensation paid to non-employee directors for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014.

Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)

Name

Michael Garnreiter
John S. Caldwell
Hadi Partovi
Mark W. Kroll
Judy Martz
Richard H. Carmona
Bret Taylor (4)
Matthew McBrady (5)
(1)

$

Stock Awards
($) (1)

63,000 $
38,750
35,000
34,000
45,750
43,250
17,500
17,500

All Other
Compensation
($) (2)

79,997 $
79,997
79,997
79,997
79,997
79,997
100,000
79,997

Change in Pension
Value and
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings ($) (3)

— $
—
—
150,884
—
—
—
—

— $
—
—
—
—
—
—
—

Total ($)

142,997
118,747
114,997
264,881
125,747
123,247
117,500
97,497

Amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of RSUs, computed in accordance with stockbased compensation accounting rules (ASC Topic 718). The fair value of each RSU is the closing price of our common
stock on the date of grant. Each non-employee director received an award of 6,130 RSUs on May 15, 2014 with the
exception of Mr. Taylor. The awards vest in three equal installments on May 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Mr. Taylor's
stock award represents his initial restricted stock award upon joining the Board of 7,391 RSUs vesting annually over
four years on June 9, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Pursuant to SEC regulations, the amounts shown exclude the impact
of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions.
12

The following table shows equity-based awards granted in 2014, as well as the aggregate number of outstanding
RSU and options outstanding. Prior to 2012, when the Company transitioned to the use of restricted stock units, nonemployee directors received grants of options to acquire common stock under certain of the Company’s stock
compensation plans.
2014 Stock-based Awards
Restricted Stock
Units Granted

Name

Michael Garnreiter
John S. Caldwell
Hadi Partovi
Mark W. Kroll
Judy Martz
Richard H. Carmona
Bret Taylor (4)
Matthew McBrady (5)

6,130
6,130
6,130
6,130
6,130
6,130
7,391
6,130

Grant Date

5/15/2014 $
5/15/2014
5/15/2014
5/15/2014
5/15/2014
5/15/2014
6/9/2014
5/15/2014

Grant Date Fair
Value ($)

79,997
79,997
79,997
79,997
79,997
79,997
100,000
79,997

As of December 31, 2014
Aggregate
Aggregate
Options
Restricted Stock
Outstanding
Units Outstanding

13,138
13,138
13,138
13,138
13,138
13,138
7,391
—

67,214
68,877
58,171
45,067
40,894
106,124
—
—

(2)

Other compensation for Dr. Kroll represents fees for consulting services provided. See “Certain Relationships and
Related Transactions – Consulting Services” below.

(3)

Non-employee directors have the option of participating in the non-qualified deferred compensation plan. During the
third quarter of 2013, the Company implemented a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for certain executives, key
employees and non-employee directors through which participants may elect to postpone the receipt and taxation of a
portion of their compensation. All gains or losses are allocated fully to plan participants and the Company does not
guarantee a rate of return on deferred balances. The Company does not make discretionary payments to the plan. There
were no above-market returns for participants in the plan. Dr. Kroll participates in the Company's deferred
compensation plan, and elected to defer $34,000 of earned compensation into the plan during the year ended December
31, 2014.

(4)

Mr. Taylor was appointed to the Board of Directors effective June 9, 2014. All compensation was earned in 2014 after
his appointment date, including an initial stock grant of $100,000 vesting in equal annual installments over four years.

(5)

Mr. McBrady resigned from the Board of Directors effective June 9, 2014. All fees earned in cash were for services
rendered prior to his resignation, and all unvested RSUs were canceled as of the effective the date of his resignation.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
The Company does not maintain a written related party transaction policy. It is the Company’s policy, however, that all related
party transactions will be reviewed by its Board and the Audit Committee. The Company’s policies are evidenced by the
respective meetings’ minutes that document such reviews. Further, it is the policy of the Board that all proposed transactions by
the Company with its directors, officers, five-percent stockholders and their affiliates be entered into or approved only if such
transactions are on terms no less favorable to the Company than it could obtain from unaffiliated parties, are reasonably
expected to benefit the Company and are approved by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee is authorized to consult with
independent legal counsel at the Company’s expense in determining whether to approve any such transaction.

Consulting Services
The Company engages Dr. Mark Kroll, a member of the Board, to provide consulting services. The expenses related to these
services were $0.2 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. At December 31, 2014 and 2013,
the Company had accrued consulting fees payable to Dr. Kroll of approximately $8,000 and $12,000, respectively.

13

BOARD STRUCTURE AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Board Leadership Structure
The Company’s governance documents provide the Board with flexibility to select the appropriate leadership structure for the
Company. In making leadership structure determinations, the Board considers many factors, including the specific needs of the
business and what is in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders. The current leadership structure is anchored by a nonmanagement director as Chair of the Board. The Board believes this structure provides a very well-functioning and effective
balance between strong Company leadership and appropriate safeguards and oversight by independent directors.
•

Chairman of the Board: Michael Garnreiter

•

Chief Executive Officer: Patrick W. Smith

•

Lead Independent Director: Judy Martz

The principal role of the Chairman of the Board is to manage and to provide leadership to the Board of Directors of the
Company. The Chairman is accountable to the Board and acts as a direct liaison between the Board and the management of the
Company, through the CEO. The Chairman acts as the communicator for Board decisions where appropriate. The separation of
the role of the Chairman from that of the CEO is based on the Board's view that the Chairman should be free from any interest
and any business or other relationship that could interfere with the Chairman’s judgment, other than interests resulting from
Company shareholdings and remuneration.
In addition, the Company considers it to be useful and appropriate to designate a non-management independent director to
serve in a lead capacity to coordinate the activities of the other non-management directors. Among other things, the Lead
Independent Director is responsible, along with the Chairman, for setting the agenda for Board meetings with Board and
management input, facilitating communication among Directors and between the Board and the CEO, and working with the
CEO to provide an appropriate information flow to the Board. The Lead Independent Director is responsible for calling and
chairing executive sessions of the independent Directors. The Lead Independent Director and the Chairman are expected to
foster a cohesive Board that cooperates with the CEO towards the ultimate goal of creating shareholder value.

Meetings of the Board of Directors
During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Board held four meetings. During 2014, each director attended at least 75% of
all Board and applicable committee meetings.

Committees of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors maintains a standing Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee and Litigation Committee.

14

The following table summarizes the current membership of our standing non-management Board committees, and identifies the
chair of each committee and the number of committee meetings held in fiscal 2014:

Number of Meetings
Director
John S. Caldwell
Michael Garnreiter
Hadi Partovi
Mark Kroll
Judy Martz
Richard Carmona
Bret Taylor

Audit
Committee

Compensation
Committee

Nominating and
Corporate
Governance
Committee

Litigation
Committee

10

4

1

—

X
*

X
X
X

X

X

X
X

X

X
*

X
*
X

X = Member
* = Chair
The Audit Committee, established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 exercises
sole authority with respect to the selection of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and the terms of
their engagement; reviews the policies and procedures of the Company and management with respect to maintaining the
Company’s books and records; reviews with the independent registered public accounting firm, upon the completion of their
audit, the results of the auditing engagement and any other recommendations the independent registered public accounting firm
may have with respect to the Company’s financial, accounting or auditing systems; and reviews with the independent registered
public accounting firm, upon the completion of their quarterly review of the Company’s financial statements, the results of the
quarterly review and any other recommendations the independent registered public accounting firm may have in connection
with such quarterly reviews. The Report of the Audit Committee for the year ended December 31, 2014 is included in this
Proxy Statement.
The Compensation Committee determines salaries, stock and bonus awards and considers employment agreements for
appointed officers of the Company, and prepares reports on these matters; considers and reviews grants of options and
restricted stock units under the Company’s compensations plans and administers such plans; and considers matters of director
compensation, benefits and other forms of remuneration. The Compensation Committee Report for the year ended
December 31, 2014 is included in this Proxy Statement. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” for more information
regarding the Compensation Committee.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is charged with identifying qualified candidates for nomination for
election to the Board and nominating such candidates for election; and reviewing and making recommendation to the Board
concerning the composition and size of the Board and its committees. The Committee also monitors the process to assess the
Board’s effectiveness and is primarily responsible for oversight of corporate governance, and to develop and update our
corporate governance principles.
The Litigation Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving the settlement of certain litigation matters against the
Company or its offers and directors to ensure the settlement is fair, reasonable and in the best interests of the Company’s
stockholders. No member of the Litigation Committee was a named party in any pending litigation involving the Company.
The Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee have each
adopted charters that govern their respective authority, responsibilities and operation. The charters of these committees are
available on our website at http://investor.taser.com.

15

Audit Committee Financial Experts
The Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Garnreiter, an independent director of the Company, is an audit committee
financial expert within the meaning of that term under applicable rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Information about the past business and educational experience of Mr. Garnreiter is included in this Proxy
Statement under the heading “Proposal One: Election of Directors.” The Board has also determined that each current member
of the Audit Committee is financially literate under the current listing standards of NASDAQ.

Director Independence
As of the date of this Proxy Statement, based upon the information submitted by each of its directors, the Board has made a
determination that a majority of our current Board is independent as that term is defined by NASDAQ listing standards and that
all of the members of our Board committees also meet any additional specific independence standards applicable to any
committee on which such director serves, including the more stringent audit committee and compensation committee
independence committee criteria. The following directors are currently deemed independent by the Board: John S. Caldwell,
Michael Garnreiter, Judy Martz, Bret Taylor, Richard Carmona and Hadi Partovi. Each of these directors is also a “nonemployee director” (within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act) and all are “outside directors” within the
meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code and related Treasury Regulations.
Patrick W. Smith is not independent because he is an executive officer of the Company, and Mark Kroll is not independent
because he provides consulting services to the Company (see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions – Consulting
Services”).

Board of Directors' Role in Risk Oversight
The Company’s risk management process is intended to ensure that risks are taken knowingly and purposefully. As such, the
Company’s executive management keeps the Board apprised by presenting results of the process to identify, assess, prioritize
and address strategic, financial, operating, business, compliance, litigation, regulatory, safety, reputational and other risks to the
Company. Executive management meets with the Board on a quarterly basis to address high priority risks and on an as-needed
basis to evaluate and monitor emerging risks.

Code of Ethics
The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics which is applicable to all employees, directors and consultants of the Company. A
copy of the Company’s Code of Ethics is published and available on the Company’s website http://investor.taser.com. The
Company intends to disclose any future amendments or waivers to the Code of Ethics on the Company’s website within four
business days following the date of such amendment or waiver, unless required by NASDAQ rules to disclose such event on
Form 8-K.

Director Attendance at Annual Meetings of Stockholders
Directors are encouraged by the Company to attend each annual meeting of stockholders if their schedules permit. Seven of our
directors attended the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and a majority of the directors are expected to be in attendance at
the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Stockholder Communications with Directors
Stockholders may communicate with members of the Board by mail addressed to the Chair, or any other individual member of
the Board, to the full Board, or to a particular committee of the Board. In each case, such correspondence should be sent to the
Company’s headquarters at 17800 North 85th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. All stockholder communication will be forwarded
to each individual member of the Board.

16

REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors reviews the Company’s financial reporting process on behalf of the Board. The
Audit Committee has sole authority to retain, set compensation and retention terms for, terminate, oversee and evaluate the
work of the Company’s independent auditor. The independent auditor reports directly to the Audit Committee.
The Company’s management is responsible for the Company’s financial reporting process including its system of internal
controls, and for the preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States. Grant Thornton LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, is
responsible for expressing an opinion based on their audits of the consolidated financial statements. In accordance with its
written charter, the Audit Committee assists the Board of Directors in its oversight of (i) the integrity of the Company’s
financial statements and the Company’s financial reporting processes and systems of internal control, (ii) the qualifications,
independence and performance of the Company’s independent public accounting firm and the performance of the Company’s
internal audit function, (iii) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements involving financial, accounting
and internal control matters, (iv) investigations into complaints concerning financial matters and (v) risks that may have a
significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.
Further, the Audit Committee reviews reports prepared by management on various matters including critical accounting
policies and issues, material written communications between the independent auditor and management, significant changes in
the Company’s selection or application of accounting principles and significant changes to internal control procedures. It is not
the duty or responsibility of the Audit Committee to conduct auditing and accounting reviews or procedures.
In discharging its oversight responsibilities with respect to the audit process, the Audit Committee (i) obtained from the
independent public accounting firm a formal written statement describing all relationships between the independent public
accounting firm and the Company that might bear on the independent public accounting firm’s independence consistent with
the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, (ii) discussed with the independent auditing
firm any relationships that may impact its objectivity and independence, and (iii) considered whether the non-audit services
provided to the Company by Grant Thornton LLP are compatible with maintaining their independence. The Audit Committee
also discussed with the independent auditing firm their identification of audit risk, audit plans and audit scope, as well as all
communications required by generally accepted auditing standards, including those described in Statement on Auditing
Standards No. 114, as amended, “The Auditor’s Communication with Those Charged with Governance” and Rule 2-07 of
Regulation S-X “Communications with Audit Committees.”
The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with management and its independent public auditors our annual audited
financial statements and quarterly financial statements, including a review of the “Managements’ Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in the Company’s Form 10-K and 10-Q filings, as well as the
Company’s earnings press releases and information related thereto.
During fiscal year 2014, the Audit Committee met with representatives of the independent public accounting firm, both with
management present and in private sessions without management present, to discuss the results of the financial statement audit
and quarterly reviews and to solicit their evaluation of the Company’s accounting principles, practices and judgments applied
by management and the quality and adequacy of the Company’s internal controls.
In performing the above described functions, the Audit Committee acts only in an oversight capacity and necessarily relies on
the work and assurances of the Company’s management and independent public accounting firm, which, in the independent
public accounting firm’s report, expresses an opinion on the conformity of the Company’s annual financial statements to
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

17

Based upon the Audit Committee’s discussion with the Company’s management and Grant Thornton LLP, and the Audit
Committee’s review of the representations of the Company’s management and the report of the independent public accountants
to the Audit Committee, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in
the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014. The Audit Committee also approved
the selection of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent auditor for the fiscal year 2015.
March 11, 2015
The Audit Committee:
Michael Garnreiter, Chair
John S. Caldwell
Judy Martz
Richard Carmona
The foregoing Report of the Audit Committee does not constitute soliciting material and should not be deemed filed or
incorporated by reference into any other Company filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
except to the extent the Company specifically incorporates this Report by express reference therein.

18

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Overview and Summary; Consideration of Prior Year Say on Pay Vote
TASER International, Inc. believes in competitive compensation aligned with the values, objectives and financial performance
of the Company. In 2014, 2013 and 2012, a significant amount of our executives’ potential total compensation was tied to
performance. The Compensation Committee considers the performance criteria for the Company’s performance-based
compensation challenging, but achievable. For the years 2014, 2013, and 2012 performance-based targets were achieved.
At the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“2014" Annual Meeting”), we presented to stockholders, for advisory approval,
the Company’s executive compensation (“Say on Pay”). Of the 33.5 million votes cast on the Say on Pay vote (including
abstentions), 96% were favorable for our Say on Pay resolution. The Compensation Committee considered this a favorable
outcome and believed it conveyed our shareholders' support of the Compensation Committee’s decisions and existing executive
compensation programs. Consistent with this support, the Compensation Committee decided to retain the core design of our
executive compensation programs for the remainder of 2014. Going into the 2015 compensation year, the Committee
considered the approval and retained the core design and continued to award the long-term incentives to further align with
shareholder interests as well as to continue to attract, retain and appropriately incent senior management. At the 2015 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders, the Company will again hold the annual advisory vote to approve executive compensation. The
Compensation Committee will continue to consider the results from this year’s and future advisory votes on executive
compensation.

Named Executive Officers in 2015
See “Proposal One: Election of Directors” for biographical information for Patrick W. Smith, who is also a named executive
officer of the Company.

Daniel M. Behrendt
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Joined TASER in 2004
Age: 50
Mr. Behrendt joined the Company in May 2004 from Imperial Home Décor, after serving in a number of financial management
positions for the Imperial Home Décor Group, a Blackstone Group Portfolio Company, from 1998—2004, including Director
of Financial Planning and Analysis, Vice President and Corporate Controller and finally, Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer. From 1995 to 1998, he served as the Manager of Business Planning and Analysis for Teledyne Fluid
Systems, a division of Allegheny Teledyne. From 1991 to 1995, he served as Manager, Business Planning and Analysis for
PCC Airfoils, Inc. From 1988 to 1991, Mr. Behrendt was a Financial Analyst for the Power Generation Group of Babcock and
Wilcox, and from 1986 to 1988, he worked as an auditor for Arthur Andersen in their Cleveland, Ohio office. Mr. Behrendt
holds a B.S. degree in Accounting, cum laude, from Mount Union College, a Masters of Business Administration degree from
The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Douglas E. Klint
Title: General Counsel (President until April 6, 2015)
Joined TASER in 2002
Age: 63
Mr. Klint joined the Company in December 2002 as Vice President, General Counsel and held that position through February
2010 at which time he was promoted to President and General Counsel. Mr. Klint previously served as Vice President and
General Counsel of Zycad Corporation, a publicly traded high technology company located in St. Paul, MN and Menlo Park,
CA from 1984 to 1998, and Vice President and General Counsel of Aspec Technology, a publicly traded semi-conductor IP
company located in Sunnyvale, CA, from 1998 to 1999 at which time he was promoted to President and CEO and continued in
19

that role through 2001. Mr. Klint has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Business Administration from Gustavus
Adolphus College, and a Juris Doctor Degree from William Mitchell College of Law, cum laude. He is admitted to the
Minnesota State Bar and the Arizona State Bar. On December 4, 2014, Mr. Klint resigned as President of TASER effective
April 6, 2015, and will remain with the Company and retain the title of General Counsel.

Marcus W. L. Womack
Title: General Manager of AXON Business Segment
Joined TASER in 2013
Age: 38
Mr. Womack previously served as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Familiar, Inc. from 2011 through its purchase by
TASER in October 2013. Prior to that, Mr. Womack was VP and General Manager at iLike Events & Ticketing from 2009 to
2011. From 2007 to 2009 Mr. Womack was Director of Product Management at iLike and from 2005 to 2007, Mr. Womack was
the Lead Program Manager for Microsoft Xbox Live. Mr. Womack holds a B.A. degree from Pacific Lutheran University.

Luke S. Larson
Title: Chief Marketing Officer (President, effective April 6, 2015)
Joined TASER in 2008
Age: 34
Prior to joining TASER, Luke served as a Marine Corps infantry officer and saw action in two tours to Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was
awarded the Bronze Star with V for valor on his first tour. Luke graduated from the University of Arizona with honors where
he was an NROTC Scholarship recipient. He also received an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird School of
Global Management. On September 30, 2014, the Company named Mr. Larson a Section 16 officer. On December 4, 2014,
the Company announced Mr. Larson's appointment to President of TASER effective April 6, 2015.
Each executive officer serves at the discretion of our Board of Directors and no officer is subject to an agreement that requires
the officer to serve the Company for a specified number of years. We have entered into employment-related agreements with
each of the executive officers listed above. These agreements require notice of termination by the Company in certain situations
that are described in further detail in this proxy statement under the heading “Compensation Discussion and Analysis –
Employment Agreements and Other Arrangements.”

20

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The purpose of this Compensation Discussion and Analysis is to provide material information about our compensation
objectives and policies and to explain and provide context for the material elements of the disclosure which follows in this
proxy statement with respect to the compensation of our named executive officers (“NEOs”).

Introduction and Objectives
Processes and Procedures for Considering and Determining Executive Compensation
The Compensation Committee (in this section, the “Committee”) assists the Board of Directors (“Board”) in addressing matters
relating to the fair and competitive compensation of our NEOs and non-employee directors, together with matters relating to
our other benefit plans. The Committee is currently composed of four independent directors: Judy Martz, John S. Caldwell,
Hadi Partovi and Michael Garnreiter. Matthew R. McBrady was the chair of the Compensation Committee in 2014 until his
resignation from the Board effective June 9, 2014. The Committee makes the sole decision regarding compensation for the
Chief Executive Officer and each NEO.
The Committee met four times in 2014. All Committee members were present for this meeting. To finalize the 2015
compensation structure, the Committee held two additional meetings in the first quarter of 2015.
Two members of management, Patrick W. Smith, Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Daniel M. Behrendt, Chief Financial
Officer (“CFO”), attended portions of the meetings. The agendas for these meetings were determined by the Committee
members prior to the meetings. The Committee generally receives and reviews materials in advance of each meeting.
Depending on the agenda for the particular meeting, materials may include:
•
•
•

•
•
•

Financial reports;
Reports on levels of achievement of corporate performance objectives;
Schedules setting forth the total compensation of the NEOs, including base salary, cash incentives, equity awards,
perquisites and other compensation and any potential amounts payable to the NEOs pursuant to employment,
severance and change of control agreements;
Summaries which show the NEOs’ total accumulated stock awards and stock option holdings;
Information regarding compensation paid by comparable companies identified in executive compensation surveys;
and,
Reports from Compensation Committee consultants.

The Committee’s primarily responsibilities are to:
•

•

•
•
•
•
•
•

Review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of NEOs, evaluate the performance
of the NEOs in light of these goals and objectives and determine and approve the compensation level of NEOs based
on that evaluation;
Evaluate and establish the incentive components of the CEO’s compensation and related bonus awards, taking into
account the Company’s performance and relative stockholder return, the value of similar incentive awards to CEOs at
comparable companies, the services rendered by the CEO and the awards given to the CEO in past years;
Review and approve the design of the compensation and benefit plans that pertain to the CEO and other NEOs who
report directly to the CEO;
Administer equity-based plans, including stock incentive plans;
Approve the material terms of all employment, severance and change of control agreements for NEOs;
Retain compensation consultants and firms as necessary, or appropriate, on an advisory basis to establish comparator
groups, benchmarking and targets for compensation related matters;
Recommend to the Board the compensation for Board members, such as retainers, committee fees, chair fees, stock
awards and other similar items;
Provide oversight regarding the Company’s benefit and other welfare plans, policies and arrangements;
21

•
•

Prepare the Compensation Committee report to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement and Annual
Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC; and
Review and discuss with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis and based on such review and
discussion, recommend to the Board approval to include the Compensation Discussion and Analysis in the Annual
Report on Form 10-K or in the proxy statement.

The Committee’s charter reflects these responsibilities, and the Committee and the Board periodically review and revise the
charter. The full text of the Compensation Committee charter is available on our website at http://investor.taser.com.

Role of Management and Consultants in Determining Executive Compensation
Our executive management supports the Committee in carrying out its responsibilities by preliminarily outlining compensation
levels for NEOs, administering our benefit and other welfare plans and providing data to the Committee for analysis. Annually,
compensation is initially proposed by the CEO for each executive (excluding the CEO), consisting of base salary, annual and
long-term performance-based compensation and long-term equity compensation, which is then provided to the Committee for
review and approval.
Our Committee has sole authority to engage the services of outside consultants and advisors, as it deems necessary or
appropriate in the discharge of its duties and responsibilities. The Committee has budgetary authority to authorize and pay for
the services of outside consultants, and the consultants report directly to the Committee. In December 2013, and through the
first quarter of 2014, the Committee engaged Aon Hewitt as a compensation consultant. The Committee did not engage any
other advisor in 2013, 2014 or 2015. For use in the design of the 2014 compensation structure, Aon Hewitt provided research,
data analyses, benchmarking and design expertise in developing and structuring compensation programs for executives. Prior to
the retention of Aon Hewitt, the Committee assessed Aon Hewitt’s independence, taking into consideration all relevant factors,
including the factors specified by NASDAQ. The Committee believes that Aon Hewitt has been independent throughout its
service and there is no conflict of interest between Aon Hewitt and the Committee. The Company utilized the information
provided in 2014 in its design of the 2015 compensation structure, which does not differ significantly to that of the 2014
structure.
The Committee retained Aon Hewitt to perform a review of the compensation for our executive positions, including: base
salaries, total cash compensation (salary plus bonuses), total direct compensation (total cash plus long-term incentives plus
other annual compensation), as well as the composition of total direct compensation for 2014. Aon Hewitt worked with the
Committee to develop the new long-term incentive methodologies implemented in 2014. The Committee also evaluated
compensation data and plan design information from national surveys and other public companies. Executive compensation
was not changed materially in 2015.

Peer Comparator Group
The scope of Aon Hewitt’s 2014 review included determining an appropriate comparator group to compare the Company’s
executive compensation to, based primarily on the following criteria: Industry and Global Industry Classification (“GICS”)
code, revenue, EBITDA, market capitalization, and number of employees. Aon Hewitt selected companies in both
manufacturing and technology to match the evolving nature of TASER’s business. Companies selected typically had annual
sales between $60 million and $230 million, with market capitalization of $450 million to $2.5 billion. Total employees of the
comparator companies were targeted at between 300 and 700. In addition to the comparator group, Aon Hewitt gathered
benchmark data for the Committee’s review from the manufacturing and technology industries with similar revenue.

22

The comparator group recommended by Aon Hewitt and subsequently considered by the Committee when reviewing executive
compensation is as follows:
AeroVironment, Inc.

IntraLinks Holdings, Inc.

SIFCO Industries Inc.

Astronics Corp.

Limelight Networks, Inc.

Smith Micro Software Inc.

CalAmp Corp.

LogMein, Inc.

Sparton Corp.

Carbonite, Inc.

Numerex Corp.

The KEYW Holding Corp.

CPI Aerostructures Inc.

Proofpoint, Inc.

VASCO Data Security International, Inc.

Guidance Software, Inc.

Qumu Corp.

Our Compensation Philosophy
The Committee is in place to address matters relating to the fair and competitive compensation of our NEOs and non-employee
directors, together with matters relating to our other benefit plans. The Committee believes that executive compensation should
be aligned with the values, objectives and financial performance of the Company.
Objectives of NEO compensation include:
•
•
•
•
•

Attract and retain highly qualified individuals who are capable of making significant contributions critical to our longterm success;
Promote a performance-oriented environment that encourages Company and individual achievement;
Reward NEOs for long-term strategic management and the enhancement of stockholder value;
Strengthen the relationship between pay and performance by emphasizing variable, at-risk compensation that is
dependent upon the achievement of specified corporate and personal performance goals; and
Align long-term management interests with those of stockholders, including long-term at-risk pay.

Our Compensation Programs
We utilize various non-cash compensation programs, in addition to traditional cash-based compensation methods. Specifically,
we have utilized stock-based awards.
The principal components of compensation in 2014 and 2015 for our NEOs consist of the following:
•
•

•
•

Annual salary;
Annual performance-based incentive plans, comprised of:
• Commissions on sales growth and bookings; and
• Cash bonuses based on target levels of AXON bookings, total revenue, international revenue, TASER Weapon
segment profit, active users of the Company's EVIDENCE.com service and consumer sales;
Long-term performance incentive equity compensation in the form of restricted stock units ("PSUs"); and
Long-term service-based equity compensation in the form of restricted stock units (“RSUs”).

Any decision to materially increase compensation is based upon the objectives listed above, taking into account all forms of
compensation, as well as based upon individual achievement of performance goals. These goals include revenue and pretax
earnings targets as well as specific management tasks. Decisions regarding the CEO’s compensation are made by the
Committee and reflect the same considerations used for the other NEOs. The Committee has not adopted any claw-back
policies, nor does it have any executive stock ownership requirements.

23

Benchmarking
It is the Committee’s intent that the total compensation for our NEOs be targeted between the 50th and the 75th percentile in
relation to our established comparator group and the Committee intends that over time our compensation becomes more
consistent with this goal. The Committee believes that targeting this range will reflect competitive market pay practices and our
current compensation philosophy, which balances our “pay for performance” strategy with our desire to offer competitive
compensation with respect to our comparator group, thus allowing us to attract and retain management talent.
Based upon the analysis of the pay practices of our comparator group provided by Aon Hewitt in early 2014, total target direct
compensation for 2013 for our CEO fell 36% below the median of our established comparator group, and 42% below the 75th
percentile for the group, with other executive positions below the comparator group 75th percentile as well. Because it is the
Committee’s intent that total compensation for our NEOs be targeted between the 50th and 75th percentile in relation to our
established comparator group, the compensation packages for our NEOs were revised for 2014. In 2015, executive salaries
stayed the same with the exception of Mr. Larson who is taking on incremental responsibilities through his promotion to
President of the Company effective in April 2015. Each category of compensation was reviewed by the Committee with the
goal that NEO compensation components meet the objectives outlined above. The table below compares the Company’s NEOs’
target total direct compensation to our comparator group:
2014 Total
Target Direct
Compensation

Named Executive

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Marcus W. L. Womack
Luke S. Larson
Jeffrey M. Kukowski
(1)
(2)

(3)

(4)

$

Comparator
Group 50th
Percentile (1) (2)

1,350,000 $
875,000
900,000
560,000
230,000
700,000

Comparator
Group 75th
Percentile (1) (2)

1,532,000 $
776,000
749,000
900,000
749,000
901,000

2015 Total
Target Direct
Compensation

1,699,000 $
911,000
898,000
1,189,000
898,000
901,000

1,350,000
1,050,000
820,000
760,000
1,000,000
n/a

(3)

(3)
(3)
(4)

Aon Hewitt’s analysis was primarily based on 2012 amounts, as reported by comparator group companies.
Positions and responsibilities reported for NEOs of comparator group companies varied, with not all companies
reporting data for positions similar in nature and scope to those of TASER NEOs (other than CEO and CFO). Aon
Hewitt used its professional judgment in calculating comparator group information by role, using blends of reported
positions and excluding certain comparator group companies from comparisons when appropriate.
2015 total target direct compensation includes RSU grants with grant date fair values of $300,000, $250,000 and
$500,000 for Messrs. Behrendt, Womack and Larson, respectively, that will vest in increments of 5%, 5%, 10%, 30%
and 50% in February of 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Mr. Behrendt also received an RSU grant with
a grant date fair value of $150,000 that vests ratably over a period of three years from the grant date.
Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015.

The following tables show the composition of each NEO’s total target direct compensation for 2014 and 2015:
2014

Annual Salary

Name

$

Patrick W. Smith

Annual Target Incentive
Compensation
(1)

% of Total

$

% of Total

% of Total

$

Target Total
Direct
Compensation

Long-term Equity
Compensation
(2)
% of Total

$

$

350,000

25.9% $

250,000

18.5% $

450,000

33.3% $

300,000

22.2% $

Daniel M. Behrendt

300,000

34.3%

150,000

17.1%

255,000

29.1%

170,000

19.4%

Douglas E. Klint

300,000

33.3%

175,000

19.4%

255,000

28.3%

170,000

18.9%

900,000

Marcus W. L. Womack

235,000

42.0%

75,000

13.4%

250,000

44.6%

—

—%

560,000

Luke S. Larson (3)

180,000

78.3%

50,000

21.7%

—

—%

—

—%

230,000

Jeffrey M. Kukowski (4)

235,000

33.6%

205,000

29.3%

160,000

22.9%

100,000

14.3%

700,000

(1)

$

Long-term Target
Incentive Compensation
(2)

1,350,000
875,000

Presented at target levels. Actual results for 2014 exceeded targets, resulting in cash bonuses for Messrs. Smith,
Behrendt, Klint and Larson in the amounts of $335,338, $201,203, $67,068 and $47,484, respectively. These bonuses
24

(2)
(3)

(4)

were paid in March 2015. See further discussion following under “Performance-based Incentive Plans.” Mr. Klint's total
annual target incentive compensation included $125,000 of commissions, none of which was earned during fiscal 2014.
Mr. Kukowski's annual target incentive compensation consisted entirely of commissions.
The value of the PSUs and RSUs is based on the grant-date fair value.
Mr. Larson was named a Section 16 officer on September 30, 2014. This table represents his full year 2014 direct
compensation.
Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015.

2015

Annual Salary

Name

$

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt

Annual Target Incentive
Compensation
(1)

$ 350,000
300,000

% of Total

$

% of Total

Long-term Target
Incentive Compensation
(2)
% of Total

$

25.9% $ 250,000
28.6%
150,000

18.5% $ 450,000
14.3%
150,000

Target Total
Direct
Compensation

Long-term Equity
Compensation
(2)
% of Total

$

33.3% $ 300,000
14.3%
450,000

$

22.2% $
42.9%

1,350,000
1,050,000

Douglas E. Klint

300,000

36.6%

350,000

42.7%

—

—%

170,000

20.7%

820,000

Marcus W. L. Womack

235,000

30.9%

100,000

13.2%

175,000

23.0%

250,000

32.9%

760,000

Luke S. Larson

250,000

25.0%

100,000

10.0%

150,000

15.0%

500,000

50.0%

1,000,000

(1)
(2)

Annual salary effective February 1, 2015.
The value of the PSUs and RSUs is based on the grant-date fair value.

Annual Salary
Salaries for NEOs are reviewed annually, as well as at the time of a promotion or other changes in responsibilities. Consistent
with our goal for overall compensation, annual salary is targeted in the 50th to 75th percentile of compensation paid to
executives with similar levels of responsibility within our comparator group. Individual executives may be paid higher or lower
than this target pay at the discretion of the Committee depending on facts; such as, tenure with the Company, results of
personal, department and corporate performance, complexity of the business unit managed, and the perceived detrimental
effects to the Company that may result from such executive’s departure. The base salaries of our NEOs, other than the CEO,
were proposed by the CEO, established by the Committee and approved by the independent directors after considering
compensation salary trends, overall level of responsibilities, total performance and compensation levels for comparable
positions in the market for executive talent based on salary surveys and compensation data from comparator group companies.
After considering the above, effective February 1, 2015, the Committee increased the base salaries of our NEOs as follows:
2014 Salary
($)

Named Executive

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Marcus W. L. Womack
Luke S. Larson
Jeffrey M. Kukowski (1)
(1)

$

350,000 $
300,000
300,000
235,000
180,000
235,000

2015 Salary
($)

350,000
300,000
300,000
235,000
250,000
n/a

Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015.

Performance-based Incentive Plans
The objective of the annual incentive cash bonus plan and the use of equity-based awards in the form of PSUs have been to
provide executives with a competitive total compensation opportunity, as well as to align executive rewards with results.

25

2014 Structure
In 2014, after consideration of comparator group practices and recommendations from Aon Hewitt on long-term incentive
compensation design, the Committee revised the structure and composition of the NEOs performance-based incentive plans.
The 2014 structure included: an annual cash bonus component; PSUs that cliff vest based on three-year revenue goals; and, for
Mr. Klint, Mr. Womack and Mr. Kukowski, sales-based commissions, paid quarterly. Each component was designed to
incentivize specific Company goals.
Attainment of the 2014 annual cash bonus was based on the achievement of annual financial goals, including goals related to:
consolidated revenue, modified net income, AXON and EVIDENCE.com bookings (as defined in SEC filings), modified
operating income for the TASER Weapons segment and international revenue. The Committee believed the criteria for the
annual cash bonus were challenging, but achievable. Sales commissions were earned based upon specific sales targets for each
eligible NEO. Because the sales commissions are tied to metrics such as sales growth and other operating results, the
Committee did not set a maximum amount that could be paid under the plans for the NEOs.
The amount of PSUs that will ultimately vest, if any, is based upon the compounded annual revenue growth rates for the total
Company and the AXON segment (excluding TASER Cam) compared to target for the three-year period ending December 31,
2016. Earned PSUs cliff vest at the end of that period. Should actual performance metrics exceed targeted metrics, executives
will receive additional PSUs, for a total of up to 200% of target. The Committee decided to introduce sales targets related to
three-year growth rates to promote and reward the achievement of long term objectives and long-term strategic planning by our
NEOs.
2014 Performance-Based Incentive Plans Metrics
Metric

Target

Revenue (millions)
Modified Net Income (millions) (1)
International Sales (millions)
AXON & EVIDENCE.com Bookings
TASER Weapons Modified Operating Income (1)
Actual Attainment/Plan Payout
(1)

$

155.0 $
17.7
30.0
30.0
31.9%

Actual

164.5
21.7
32.3
57.3
36.4%

Weight

27%
27
10
26
10
100%

Weighted Payout

35%
34
11
39
15
134%

Modified as determined by the Compensation Committee

The 2014 performance-based incentive plan metrics are measured and paid quarterly after the Company releases its quarterly
earnings. The first three fiscal quarters are weighted at 15% of the annual total with the fourth quarter equaling the remaining
55%. Each metric has a threshold, target and maximum goal with corresponding base payouts of 50%, 100% and 150% of
target, respectively. The Company exceeded the highest target for the AXON & EVIDENCE.com Bookings and TASER
Weapons Modified Operating Income metrics, which resulted in the maximum payout of 150% of target with a corresponding
weighted payout of 39% and 15%, respectively. The total Revenue, Modified Net Income and International Sales metrics each
met their target levels for fiscal 2014, which resulted in a base payout of 100% of target plus the calculated incremental amount
that the actual results exceeded their specified target levels, and this resulted in a weighted payout of 35%, 34% and 11%,
respectively.

26

2015 Structure
In 2015, each component of incentive compensation continues to be designed to incentivize specific Company goals.
Attainment of the 2015 annual cash bonus is based on the achievement of annual financial goals, including goals related to:
consolidated revenue, AXON and EVIDENCE.com bookings (as defined in SEC filings), operating income for the TASER
Weapons segment, consumer sales, active users on EVIDENCE.com and international revenue. The Committee believes the
criteria for the annual cash bonus are challenging, but achievable. Sales commissions are earned based upon specific sales
targets for each eligible NEO. Because sales commissions are tied to metrics such as sales growth, the Committee has not set a
maximum amount that can be paid under the plans for the NEOs. In 2015, the metrics tied to the cash bonus are typically
capped at a 150% payout. However, consumer sales and active users are calculated on a linear payout and therefore have no
maximum payout.
Terms and conditions of the Performance-based Incentive Plans for NEOs are established by the Committee early in the fiscal
year. The following table sets forth the target Performance-based incentive compensation for the years ended December 31,
2014 and 2015.
Performance-based Incentive Plans - 2014 Target
Named Executive

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Marcus W. L. Womack

Annual
Cash Incentive

$

Luke S. Larson
Jeffrey M. Kukowski (2)

Sales
Commissions

250,000 $
150,000
50,000
—
50,000
—

—
—
125,000
75,000
—
205,000

PSUs (#) (1)

24,899 $
14,104
14,104
12,723
—
8,850

Grant Date
Fair Value

Total 2014

450,000 $
255,000
255,000
250,000

700,000
405,000
430,000
325,000

—
160,000

50,000
365,000

Performance-based Incentive Plans - 2015 Target
Named Executive

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Marcus W. L. Womack
Luke S. Larson
(1)
(2)

Annual
Cash Incentive

$

Sales
Commissions

250,000 $
150,000
50,000
52,000
100,000

—
—
300,000
48,000
—

PSUs (#) (1)

16,667 $
5,556
—
6,481
5,556

Grant Date
Fair Value

Total 2014

450,000 $
150,000

700,000
300,000

—
175,000
150,000

350,000
275,000
250,000

Achievement based on three-year, long-term target metrics
Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015.

Long-Term Service-Based Equity Compensation
The Committee believes that service-based equity compensation with multi-year vesting periods ensures that our NEOs will
have a continuing stake in our long-term success. As such, the Committee implemented, with Board and stockholder approval,
the 2013 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”) that allows the Committee to grant stock-based awards to officers, and other
key employees. The Committee believes the granting of such awards, which generally vest over a three-year service period,
aligns those individuals’ interests with those of stockholders, motivates executives to make strategic long-term decisions, and
better enables the Company to attract and retain capable directors, executives and key employees.

27

In determining the total number of units to award to each NEO, the Compensation Committee considers, among other things,
the strategic objectives of the Company over the next three years, and the practice of comparator group companies. The
following table sets forth the service-based RSU awards made to our NEOs in February 2014 and February 2015:
2014 Awards
Number of
Service-based
RSUs Awarded

Named Executive

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Marcus L. Womack
Luke S. Larson
Jeffrey M. Kukowski

16,593 $
9,403
9,403
n/a
n/a
5,531

2015 Awards

Grant Date
Fair Value

Number of
Service-based
RSUs Awarded

300,000
170,000
170,000
n/a
n/a
100,000

Grant Date
Fair Value

11,046 $
16,569
6,259
9,205
18,409
n/a

300,000
450,000
170,000
250,000
500,000
n/a

Other Long-term Performance-based Equity Compensation
In addition to the PSUs granted in conjunction with the performance-based incentive plans described above, the Committee
has, from time-to-time, approved performance-based equity awards to certain of our NEOs in keeping with the Committee’s
goals to align the long-term interests of management with the Company’s stockholders. Generally, these awards vest upon the
achievement of performance milestones in the NEOs area of the business. The Committee’s intention in awarding these grants
has been to incentivize and reward the achievement of significant long-term strategic goals.
The following table sets forth information concerning other long-term performance-based equity compensation awards which
were either vested during 2014 or still have potential to vest. In determining the performance criteria for each NEO’s
performance-based stock option award, the Committee considered, among other things, the strategic objectives of the Company
and the executive’s ability to influence the performance criteria. The Committee believes that the performance targets described
below are challenging, but achievable.
Name

Grant Date

Options/PSUs

Performance Criteria

Specified annual sales
level of new products
introduced after
9/30/08, subject to
further contribution
margin criteria.
Targeted annual
operating income as a
percentage of sales.

Vesting Provisions

Vesting Status

Fully vested in January
following the fiscal
year in which criteria is
achieved.

Criteria met in
December 2013.
Options vested January
2014.
Criteria met in
December 2013.
Options vested January
2014.
Options did not vest in
2014. Management
expects the performance
criteria to be met by
March 31, 2016.
Criteria is expected to
be met by June 30,
2015.

Patrick W. Smith

12/22/2008

100,000

Patrick W. Smith

12/22/2008

100,000

Douglas E. Klint

12/22/2008

25,000

Complete risk
management meetings
with 25 top U.S. law
enforcement agencies.

Fully vested in January
following the fiscal
year in which criteria is
achieved.
Fully vested in January
following the fiscal
year in which criteria is
achieved.

7/1/2013

10,000

25,000 cameras upload
at least one video into
Evidence.com in one
month.

Fully vested 30 days
after the month in
which criteria is
achieved.

Luke S. Larson (1)

(1)

This performance-based grant for Mr. Larson was granted prior to his becoming an NEO.

Employment Agreements and Other Arrangements
In 1998, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Patrick W. Smith pursuant to which he agreed to serve as its
Chief Executive Officer.
28

In December 2002, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Douglas E. Klint pursuant to which he agreed to
serve as its General Counsel. In February 2010, Mr. Klint assumed the role of President and General Counsel. Effective April
6, 2015, Mr. Klint will renounce his role as President but will continue to serve as General Counsel of the Company.
In May 2004, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Daniel M. Behrendt pursuant to which he agreed to
serve as its Chief Financial Officer.
In November 2011, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Jeffrey M. Kukowski pursuant to which he
agreed to serve as its Chief Marketing Officer. In June 2013, Mr. Kukowski was promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Mr.
Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated effective January 5,
2015.
The Company may terminate each of these officers with or without cause. The conditions or events triggering the payment of
severance benefits include the executive’s death, disability, termination without cause, or a change in control of the Company
(i.e., double trigger). Conditions to the payment of severance benefits include covenants relating to assignment of inventions,
nondisclosure of Company confidential information, and non-competition with the Company for a period of 18 months after
termination of employment without cause or change in control of the Company. The table below depicts the severance payable
to each NEO under the conditions indicated:
Name

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint

Termination
with Cause

Termination
without Cause

Termination due to
Change in Control

Death or Disability

2 months salary
2 months salary
2 months salary

12 months salary
12 months salary
12 months salary

24 months salary
24 months salary
24 months salary

18 months salary
18 months salary
18 months salary

Depending upon the triggering event for termination of employment, non-vested stock options previously granted may be
subject to accelerated vesting. In addition, all non-vested RSUs and PSUs may immediately vest at target levels and restrictions
would lapse. Accelerated vesting conditions are as follows:
•
•
•

Termination with cause: no accelerated vesting
Termination without cause and Termination due to Death or Disability: acceleration of all awards that vest based on
service requirements only.
Change in Control: acceleration of all awards

The severance benefit amounts with respect to the above triggering events were determined based on competitive practices. The
Company agreed to pay these variable amounts of compensation as severance benefits or change of control benefits in order to
attract and retain NEOs.
The table below reflects the severance compensation that would be provided to each of the NEOs of the Company assuming the
termination of such executive’s employment occurred on December 31, 2014.
Voluntary
Termination
By Executive

Named Executive Officer

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Jeffrey M. Kukowski (2)

$

Termination
with Cause

— $
—
—
—

29

58,333 $
50,000
50,000
—

Termination
without
Cause (1)

1,456,017 $
1,116,776
1,116,776
551,370

Change of
Control (1)

3,131,526 $
2,197,538
2,740,788
—

Death or
Disability (1)

1,631,017
1,266,776
1,266,776
—

(1)

Includes the intrinsic value of non-vested stock options which would immediately vest and become exercisable as well
as the value of non-vested PSUs and RSUs which would immediately vest and restrictions would lapse.
The value of option acceleration is equal to the difference between the $26.48 closing market price of shares of the
Company’s common stock on December 31, 2014 (the last trading day in fiscal 2014), and the weighted average
exercise price of awards with an exercise price less than the market price times the number of share subject to such
options that would accelerate.
The value of restricted stock unit acceleration is equal to the $26.48 closing market price of shares of the Company’s
common stock on December 31, 2014, multiplied by the number of units that would accelerate.
The following table shows the value of the accelerated vesting as described above.
Total Servicebased Award
Acceleration

Name

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Jeffrey M. Kukowski
(2)

$

Total Performancebased Award
Acceleration

1,106,017 $
816,775
816,775
258,736

1,325,510 $
780,763
780,763
—

Total Acceleration

2,431,527
1,597,538
1,597,538
258,736

Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015. Accordingly, the amount presented in the table above represents that triggering event. The
amounts presented for Mr. Kukowski under termination without cause include six months of annual base salary and
commissions totaling $117,500 and $175,134, respectively, and the accelerated vesting of 9,771 service-based restricted
stock units valued at the close market price of shares of the Company's common stock on December 31, 2014 of $26.48.

Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits
We do not provide our NEOs with significant perquisites or other benefits, except for Company matching contributions to our
defined contribution benefit plans and health care benefits that are widely available to employees. The Committee periodically
reviews the levels of perquisites and other benefits that could be provided to the NEOs.

Compensation Deductibility
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) imposes a limit on tax deductions for annual
compensation in excess of $1.0 million paid to the NEOs. This provision excludes certain forms of “performance-based
compensation,” including stock-based awards, from the compensation taken into account for purposes of that limit. The
Committee believes that the performance-based incentive plans are “performance-based” within the meaning of
Section 162(m). The Committee believes that it is desirable for executive compensation to be fully tax deductible. However,
whenever the Committee’s judgment would be consistent with the objectives for which compensation is paid, we will
compensate our NEOs fairly in accordance with our compensation philosophy, regardless of the anticipated tax treatment. The
Committee will from time-to-time continue to assess the impact of Section 162(m) of the Code on its compensation practices
and will determine what further action, if any, may be appropriate in the future.

30

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis
included in this proxy statement. Based on these reviews and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the
Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in the this Proxy Statement.
The Compensation Committee:
Judy Martz
John S. Caldwell
Michael Garnreiter
Hadi Partovi

The foregoing Compensation Committee Report will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference by any general statement
incorporating by reference this proxy statement into any filing under the Securities Act or under the Exchange Act, except to the
extent that the Company specifically incorporates this information by reference, and will not otherwise be deemed filed under
such Acts.

31

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
No member of the Compensation Committee is, or was during or prior to fiscal 2014, an officer or employee of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries. None of the Company’s executive officers serves as a director or member of the compensation
committee of another entity in a case where an executive officer of such other entity serves as a director or member of the
Compensation Committee.

SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

Salary ($)
(6)

Bonus
($)

Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($) (2)

Stock
Awards ($)
(1)

Change in
Pension Value
and
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings ($)
(3)

All Other
Compensation
($) (4)

Name and Principal Position

Year

Patrick W. Smith

2014

$ 344,167 $

— $

15,682

$ 1,445,181

Chief Executive Officer

2013

312,488

—

700,324

51,970

—

12,138

1,076,920

2012

280,000

—

543,451

63,750

—

11,600

898,801

Daniel M. Behrendt

2014

298,333

—

425,006

201,203

—

21,634

946,176

Chief Financial Officer

2013

311,985

—

475,259

31,759

—

14,789

833,792

2012

280,000

—

336,418

33,750

—

11,600

661,768

Douglas E. Klint

2014

298,333

—

425,006

67,068

—

11,487

801,894

President, General Counsel

2013

298,393

—

475,259

31,759

—

—

805,411

2012

280,000

—

336,418

6,750

—

—

623,168

2014

228,729

—

250,007

212,973

—

12,607

704,316

—

—

*

1,125,529

Marcus W. L. Womack

— $ 749,994

$

(7)

335,338 $

Total ($)

General Manager of EVIDENCE.COM

2013

46,923

—

1,078,606

Luke S. Larson (6)

2014

158,308

—

—

47,484

—

18,548

(8)

224,340

Jeffrey M. Kukowski (5)

2014

233,750

—

260,008

350,267

—

308,541

(5)

1,152,566

Chief Operating Officer

2013

242,423

—

175,126

132,457

—

11,926

561,932

2012

220,000

—

103,509

156,105

—

11,858

491,472

Chief Marketing Officer

Less than $10,000 is denoted by *
(1)

The amounts in these columns reflect the aggregate grant date fair value for RSUs and stock options computed in
accordance with stock-based accounting rules (ASC Topic 718). Pursuant to SEC regulations, the amounts shown
exclude the impact of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting conditions. Assumptions included in the
calculation of this amount for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 is included in footnote 1q to our financial
statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the
SEC. For performance share unit awards, the value included in this column represents the grant-date fair value
assuming the performance measures are achieved at target level. The grant-date fair value of the performance share
awards assuming achievement of the maximum performance levels for the 2014 awards is $899,986, $510,000,
$510,000, $500,014, and $320,000 for Messrs. Smith, Behrendt, Klint, Womack and Kukowski, respectively.

(2)

In 2014, all the Company’s NEOs received non-equity incentive compensation as a result of exceeding target metrics
around sales and other operating measures. Their 2014 incentive compensation was provided in the form of cash
bonuses, of which 15% of targeted amounts were paid in May, August and November with the remaining 55% with
adjustments made for actual results, paid by March 15, 2015. In addition, Mr. Womack and Mr. Kukowski earned salesrelated commissions of $126,038 and $350,267, respectively. In 2013, all the Company’s NEOs received non-equity
32

incentive compensation as a result of exceeding target metrics around sales and other operating measures. Their 2013
incentive compensation was provided in PSUs up to 100% of target, with any additional amounts due in cash. In
addition, Mr. Kukowski earned sales-related commissions of $123,795. In 2012, Messrs. Smith, Behrendt and Klint
received non-equity incentive compensation as a result of exceeding target metrics around sales and other operating
measures. Their 2012 incentive compensation was provided in PSUs up to 100% of target, with any additional amounts
due in cash. The amounts reported for Mr. Kukowski represent sales-related commissions.
(3)

During the third quarter of 2013, the Company implemented a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for certain
executives, key employees and non-employee directors through which participants may elect to postpone the receipt
and taxation of a portion of their compensation. All gains or losses are allocated fully to plan participants and the
Company does not guarantee a rate of return on deferred balances. The Company does not make discretionary payments
to the plan. There were no above-market returns for participants in the plan, as such, no amounts are reported here.

(4)

Other compensation consists of 401(k) and Health Savings Account matching and a Company paid executive retreat.

(5)

Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015. In March 2015, the Company finalized its severance agreement with Mr. Kukowski wherein
the Company agreed to pay his regular base salary from December 5, 2014 through May 5, 2015 totaling $117,500 and
estimated 2015 commissions during this same six month period totaling $175,134. All payments due were made in
2015. Additionally, the Company agreed to accelerate the vesting of 9,771 restricted stock units that were scheduled to
vest in February 2015. In connection with the negotiated severance payments, Mr. Kukowski signed a non-compete
agreement for a two year period that covers substantially all of the Company's products. The severance amounts are
recorded under "All Other Compensation column" in the table above, which consists of $15,907 of compensation as
discussed in note 4, six months of salary totaling $117,500, and $175,134 of estimated commissions for the first six
months of fiscal 2015.

(6)

In 2013, the Company discontinued its personal time off ("PTO") program for non-exempt employees, moving to an
honor program and subsequently paid each employee his PTO balance in cash. This figure for each NEO is included in
the Salary column.

(7)

In 2013, the Company granted long-term non-incentive equity awards to Mr. Womack in connection with the
Company's acquisition of Familiar, Inc.

(8)

Other compensation for Mr. Larson includes $6,000 of education reimbursements.

33

2014 GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
The following table shows information about awards made under various compensation plans during 2014:

Estimated future payouts under
non-equity incentive plan awards
Threshold
($)

Grant
Date

Name
Patrick W. Smith

2/18/2014
2/18/2014

Daniel M. Behrendt

2/18/2014
2/18/2014

Douglas E. Klint

(3)

2/18/2014
2/18/2014

Marcus W.L. Womack

(3)

3/6/2014

(3)

(3)

Luke S. Larson
Jeffrey M. Kukowski

Target
($)

Maximum
(#)

All other
stock
awards:
Number of
shares
of stock
or units
(#) (1)

Grant
date fair
value of
stock
and
option
awards
($) (2)

Estimated future payouts under
equity incentive awards

Maximum
($)

Threshold
(#)

Target
(#)

—

—

—

—

—

—

16,593

300,001

—

—

—

12,450

24,899

49,798

—

449,993

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

9,403

170,006

7,052

14,104

28,208

—

255,000

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

9,403

170,006

7,052

14,104

28,208

—

255,000

—

—

—

—

—

6,362

12,723

25,446

—

250,007

125,000

250,000

375,000

—

—

—

—

—

—

75,000

150,000

225,000

—

—

—

(5)

(5)

—

—

—

87,500

175,000

262,500

—

—

—

—

75,000

75,000

(6)

—

—

—

—

—

25,000

50,000

75,000

(5)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

5,531

100,000

4,425

8,850

17,700

—

160,008

—

—

—

—

—

2/18/2014

(4)

—

2/18/2014

(4)

—

—

—

—

205,000

205,000

(5)

(6)

(1)

RSUs granted vest ratably over a period of three years from the grant date

(2)

Grant date fair value of RSUs, computed in accordance with stock-based compensation accounting rules (ASC 718).
The fair value of each RSU is the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant.

(3)

The amount of PSUs that will ultimately vest, if any, is based upon the compounded annual revenue growth rates for the
total Company and the AXON segment (excluding TASER Cam) compared to target for the three-year period ending
December 31, 2016. Earned PSUs cliff vest at the end of that period. Should actual performance metrics exceed targeted
metrics, executives will receive additional PSUs, up to a maximum of 200% of target. The Committee decided to
introduce sales targets related to three-year growth rates to promote and reward the achievement of long term objectives
and long-term strategic planning by our NEOs.

(4)

Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015, and all grants made on 2/18/2014 were canceled in full.

(5)

Attainment of the 2014 annual cash bonus is based on the achievement of annual financial goals, including goals related
to: consolidated revenue, modified net income, AXON and EVIDENCE.com bookings (as defined in SEC filings),
modified operating income for the TASER Weapons segment and international revenue. The non-equity incentive plan
award for Mr. Klint included targeted sales commissions of $125,000. Actual awards earned in 2014 are included in the
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation column in the Summary Compensation Table.

(6)

Messrs. Womack and Kukowski were eligible for commissions based on sales growth for the Company. There was no
maximum amount related to these commissions, therefore the maximum is reported as the same amount as the target.

34

OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL 2014 YEAR-END
The following table includes certain information with respect to outstanding options previously awarded to the NEOs as of
December 31, 2014.
Option Awards

Name
Patrick W. Smith

Daniel M. Behrendt

Douglas E. Klint

Marcus W.L. Womack

Luke S. Larson

Stock Awards

Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Exercisable
(#)

Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable
(#)

Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options
(#)

58,962

—

—

10.29

5/25/2017

68,828

—

—

7.13

5/28/2018

88,104

—

—

5.57

8/11/2018

500,000

—

—

4.75

12/22/2018

Option
Exercise
Price
($)

Option
Expiration
Date

9,700

—

—

5.64

1/29/2020

60,000

—

—

4.70

1/3/2021

—

—

—

—

—

—

25,000

—

—

(1)

4.75

—

—

Number of
Shares or
Units
of Stock
That
Have Not
Vested
(#)

(1)

(2)

(3)
(4)

(5)
(6)

—

—

—

—

Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value
of Unearned
Shares,
Units
or Other
Rights
That Have
N tV t d

6,510

(3)

172,385

25,168

(4)

666,449

18,665

(5)

494,249

24,889

(6)

659,061

16,593

(7)

439,383

—

6,510

(3)

172,385

15,381

(4)

407,289

14,932

(5)

395,399

14,104

(6)

373,474

9,403

(7)

248,991

—

6,510

(3)

172,385

15,381

(4)

407,289

14,932

(5)

395,399

14,104

(6)

373,474

9,403

(7)

248,991

—

73,625

(8)

1,949,590

12,723

(6)

336,905

3,333

(5)

(9)

264,800

—

—

12/22/2018

—

—

—
88,258

10,000

(10)

847,360

—

—

6,510

(3)

172,385

—

—

9,771

(11)

258,736

—

—

32,000
Jeffrey M. Kukowski (2)

Market
Value
of Shares
or Units
of Stock
That Have
Not Vested
($)

Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,
Units
or Other
Rights
That Have
Not Vested
(#)

—

The options vest upon successful completion of certain performance based measures. Reference is made to the
“Compensation Discussion and Analysis – Other Long-Term Performance-based Equity Compensation” section above
for further information about these options.
Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015.
These stock became fully vested in February 2015.
These stock awards are performance-based. One half of the award vested in February 2014 and one half will vest in
February 2015. Reference is made to the “Executive Compensation – Performance-based Compensation Plans” section
above for further information about these awards.
These stock awards vest at annual intervals over a three year period and become fully vested in February 2016.
These stock awards are performance based. The number of shares that ultimately vest is based upon the compounded
annual revenue growth rates for the total Company and the AXON segment compared to target for the three-year period
35

(7)
(8)
(9)

(10)
(11)

ending December 31, 2016. The number of unvested shares presented equals the target shares. Reference is made to
the “Executive Compensation – Performance-based Compensation Plans” section above for further information about
these awards.
These stock awards vest at annual intervals over a three year period and become fully vested in February 2017.
These stock awards vest at annual intervals over a four year period and become fully vested in October 2017.
These stock awards are performance-based, and vest in full when a specified threshold is met related to camera video
uploads into EVIDENCE.com.
These stock awards vest at annual intervals over a three year period and become fully vested in July 2018.
These stock awards vested in February 2015 in accordance with an executed severance agreement in connection with
termination of employment.

2014 OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
The following table provides information related to option exercises and vested stock awards for each NEO during the year
ended December 31, 2014:
Option Awards
Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise (#)

Name

Stock Awards

Value Realized on
Exercise ($)

Number of
Shares
Acquired upon
Vesting (#)

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt

174,100 $
232,480

2,140,301
2,144,996

82,517 $
51,331

Douglas E. Klint
Marcus W.L. Womack
Luke S. Larson
Jeffrey M. Kukowski (1)

469,134
—
2,983
75,000

6,145,830
—
42,653
1,253,072

51,331
28,132
13,000
14,438

(1)

Value Realized on
Vesting ($)

1,558,231
961,063
961,063
406,226
203,596
254,467

Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015.

2014 OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
The following table provides information related to option exercises and vested stock awards for each NEO during the year
ended December 31, 2014:
Option Awards
Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise (#)

Name

Patrick W. Smith
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Marcus W.L. Womack
Luke S. Larson
Jeffrey M. Kukowski (1)
(2)

174,100 $
232,480
469,134
—
2,983
75,000

Stock Awards

Value Realized on
Exercise ($)

2,140,301
2,144,996
6,145,830
—
42,653
1,253,072

Number of
Shares
Acquired upon
Vesting (#)

82,517 $
51,331
51,331
28,132
13,000
14,438

Value Realized on
Vesting ($)

1,558,231
961,063
961,063
406,226
203,596
254,467

Mr. Kukowski's position was eliminated in December 2014, and his employment with the Company terminated
effective January 5, 2015.

36

2014 NON-QUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION
The Company has a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for certain executives, key employees and non-employee
directors through which participants may elect to postpone the receipt and taxation of a portion of their compensation. All gains
or losses are allocated fully to plan participants, and the Company does not guarantee a rate of return on deferred balances.
There were no above-market returns for participants in the plan.
The following table provides information on NEO and Director participation in the plan:

Name

Patrick W. Smith (3)
Daniel M. Behrendt (4)
Mark W. Kroll (5)
(1)

(2)

(3)
(4)

(5)

Executive/Direct
or
Contributions in
Last FY
($)

Registrant
Contributions in
Last FY
($) (1)

Aggregate
Earnings in Last
FY
($) (2)

483,981
642,566
34,000

—
13,872
—

182,468
137,654
2,326

Aggregate
Withdrawals/
Distributions
($)

—
—
—

Balance at
December 31,
2014
($)

666,449
915,599
52,075

The Company does not make discretionary payments to the plan, but does make a restorative 401(k) match contribution
to participants as their eligible wages for 401(k) purposes is net of contributions made to the deferred compensation
plan.
Aggregate earnings reflected represent deemed investment earnings from voluntary deferrals and Company
contributions, as applicable. No amounts included in aggregate earnings are reported in the 2014 Summary
Compensation Table because the plan does not provide for above-market or preferential earnings.
Mr. Smith's contribution in 2014 relates to a PSU award that vested in 2014 and was deferred into the plan.
Mr. Behrendt's contributions in 2014 relate to a PSU award that vested in 2014 and was deferred into the plan in the
amount of $295,757, and salary deferrals of $346,809.
Dr. Kroll's contributions represent fees earned in 2014 for serving on the Company's board of directors and litigation
committee.

37

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth information, as of March 17, 2015, with respect to beneficial ownership of the Company’s
common stock by each current director or nominee for director, by each NEO currently employed by the Company, by all
directors and NEOs as a group, and by each person who is known to the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than five
percent of the Company’s outstanding common stock. The Company believes that, except as otherwise described below, each
named beneficial owner has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares listed.

Name and Address Of Beneficial Owner (1)

Shares Owned

Wells Fargo & Company (4)
BlackRock, Inc. (5)
Artisan Partners Holdings LP (6)
Patrick W. Smith
Mark W. Kroll
Judy Martz
John S. Caldwell
Richard H. Carmona
Michael Garnreiter
Hadi Partovi
Bret Talylor
Daniel M. Behrendt
Douglas E. Klint
Luke S. Larson
Marcus W.L. Womack
All directors and named executive officers as a group (12 persons)

Shares
Acquirable
Within 60
Days (2)

Total
Beneficial
Ownership

Percent of
Class (3)

5,517,498
5,152,254
2,980,769

n/a
n/a
n/a

5,517,498
5,152,254
2,980,769

10.3%
9.7
5.6

757,048
34,130
13,297
17,297
13,297
13,297
136,944
—

715,894
50,210
46,037
74,020
111,267
52,357
63,314
—

1,472,942
84,340
59,334
91,317
124,564
65,654
200,258
—

2.8
*
*
*
*
*
*
—

75,992
77,538
54,094
81,512

69,700
—
—
—

145,692
77,538
54,094
81,512

*
*
*
*

1,274,446

1,182,799

2,457,245

4.6%

Less than 1%

*
(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)
(5)
(6)

Except as noted in Notes 4, 5, 6 below, the address of each of the persons listed is c/o TASER International, Inc., 17800
North 85th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85255.
Reflects the number of shares that could be purchased by exercise of options exercisable at March 17, 2015, or
restricted stock units acquirable within 60 days thereafter under the Company’s stock option plans. As of March 17,
2015 there were no shares currently pledged by any NEO or director.
For purposes of computing the percentage of outstanding shares held by each person or group of persons named above,
any security which such person or group has the right to acquire within 60 days of March 17, 2015, is deemed to be
outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of such person or group, but is not deemed to be
outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person or group.
The address for Wells Fargo & Company is 420 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California 94104.
The address of BlackRock, Inc. is 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10022.
The address of Artisan Partners Holdings LP is 875 East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 800, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.

38

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires the Company’s NEOs and directors, and persons who own more
than 10 percent of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. NEOs, directors and greater than 10 percent beneficial owners are required by
SEC regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all forms they file pursuant to Section 16(a). Based solely on a review
of the copies of such reports furnished to the Company and written representations from reporting persons that no other reports
were required, to the Company’s knowledge, such persons complied with all of the Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable
to them in 2014.

39

PROPOSAL TWO: ADVISORY APPROVAL OF THE COMPANY’S EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Stockholders will be given the opportunity to vote on the following advisory resolution (commonly referred to as “Say on
Pay”):
RESOLVED, that the stockholders of TASER International, Inc. hereby approve the compensation paid to the
Company’s NEOs, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis,
compensation tables and narrative discussion set forth in this proxy statement.

Background on Proposal
In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act and related SEC rules, stockholders are being given the opportunity to vote at the
annual meeting on this advisory resolution regarding the compensation of our NEOs.
As described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, our executive compensation program is designed to allow us to:
attract and retain talent, link annual incentive compensation to our financial results produced during year, and link long term
compensation in the form of stock awards to Company performance and enhancement of stockholder value. For a
comprehensive description of our executive compensation program, philosophy and objectives, including the specific elements
of executive compensation that comprised the program in 2014, please refer to the Compensation Discussion and Analysis. The
Summary Compensation Table and other executive compensation tables (and accompanying narrative disclosures), provide
additional information about the compensation that we paid to our NEOs in 2014.

Effects of Advisory Vote
Because the vote on this proposal is advisory in nature, it will not affect any compensation already paid or awarded to our
NEOs and will not be binding on the Board or the Compensation Committee. However, the Compensation Committee will
consider the outcome of the vote when making future executive compensation decisions.

Unless marked to the contrary, proxies received will be voted FOR approval of the advisory vote on executive
compensation
The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR approval of the resolution set forth above regarding the
compensation of our named executive officers.

40

PROPOSAL THREE: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Audit Committee has appointed Grant Thornton LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, to audit the
consolidated financial statements of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2015. Grant Thornton LLP has acted as the
independent registered public accounting firm for the Company since 2005. A representative of Grant Thornton LLP is
expected to be present at the Annual Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement and is expected to be available to
respond to appropriate questions.
Stockholder ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm is not
required by our bylaws or otherwise. Nonetheless, the Audit Committee is submitting the selection of Grant Thornton LLP to
the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice and because the Audit Committee values the views of
our stockholders on our independent auditors.
If the stockholders fail to ratify the election, the Audit Committee will reconsider the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP.
Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may appoint a different independent registered public
accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such an appointment would be in the Company’s best interest.
If the appointment is not approved by the stockholders, the adverse vote will be considered a direction to the Audit Committee
to consider other auditors for next year. However, because of the difficulty in making any substitution of auditors so long after
the beginning of the current year, the appointment in 2015 will stand, unless the Audit Committee finds other good reason for
making a change.
Unless marked to the contrary, proxies received will be voted FOR ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as
the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2015.
The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP
as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2015.

Audit and Non-Audit Fees
The following table presents fees for audit, tax and other professional services rendered by Grant Thornton LLP for the years
ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.
2014

Audit fees
Audit-Related Fees
Tax Fees
All Other Fees

$

$

747,896 $
—
146,927
256,815
1,151,638 $

2013

686,958
50,982
133,808
159,511
1,031,259

Audit Fees: Consists of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of TASER International Inc.’s financial
statements, fees billed related to Sarbanes-Oxley 404 review and services that are normally provided by Grant Thornton LLP in
connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements and fees.

Audit-Related Fees: Consisted of technical accounting consultations and due diligence related to the acquisition of
Familiar, Inc. in October 2013.

Tax Fees: Consists of fees billed principally for services provided in connection with worldwide tax planning and
compliance services, research and development tax credit studies, expatriate tax services, and assistance with tax audits and
appeals.

41

All Other Fees: Consists almost entirely of consulting fees paid in connection with the establishment of our international
headquarters in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent
Auditor
Consistent with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, the Audit Committee must pre-approve all audit and permissible
non-audit services provided by our independent auditors. Our Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy covers all services to be
performed by our independent auditors. The policy contemplates a general pre-approval for all audit, audit-related, tax and all
other services that are permissible, with a general pre-approval period of twelve months from the date of each pre-approval.
Any other proposed services that are to be performed by our independent auditors, not covered by or exceeding the preapproved levels or amounts, must be specifically approved in advance.
Prior to engagement, the Audit Committee pre-approves the following categories of services. These fees are budgeted, and the
Audit Committee requires the independent auditors and management to report actual fees versus the budget periodically
throughout the year, by category of service.
•

Audit services include the annual financial statement audit (including required quarterly reviews) and other work
required to be performed by the independent auditors to be able to form an opinion on our consolidated financial
statements. Such work includes, but is not limited to, comfort letters, and services associated with SEC registration
statements, periodic reports, SEC reviews and other documents filed with the SEC or other documents issued in
connection with securities offerings.

•

Audit-related services are for services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our
financial statements or that are traditionally performed by the independent auditor. Such services typically include but
are not limited to, due diligence services pertaining to potential business acquisitions or dispositions, accounting
consultations related to accounting, financial reporting or disclosure matters not classified as “audit services,” statutory
audits or financial audits for subsidiaries or affiliates, and assistance with understanding and implementing new
accounting and financial reporting guidance.

•

Tax services include all services performed by the independent auditors’ tax personnel, except those services
specifically related to the financial statements, and includes fees in the area of tax compliance, tax planning and tax
advice.

The Audit Committee has considered and concluded that the provision by Grant Thornton LLP of non-audit services is
compatible with Grant Thornton maintaining its independence.

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Procedures for Independent Auditor-Provided Services
Except for the limited circumstances set forth below, the Audit Committee has the sole authority to engage the Company’s
outside auditing and tax preparation firms and must pre-approve all tax consulting and auditing arrangements and all non-audit
services prior to the performance of any such service. In addition, any proposed engagement of the independent registered
public accounting firm for services that are not pre-approved audit-related and tax consulting services as described above must
also be pre-approved on a case-by-case basis by the Audit Committee or the Chair of the Audit Committee, or, if the Chair is
unavailable, another member of the Audit Committee. The Company’s CFO has the authority to engage the Company’s outside
auditing and tax preparation firms for amounts less than $5,000. All of the audit–related fees, tax fees and all other fees in 2014
were approved by the Audit Committee.

42

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This proxy statement contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and involve substantial risks and uncertainties,
which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements may
include, but are not limited to, statements made in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section of this Proxy Statement
about our compensation structure and programs and our intentions with respect thereto. The Company undertakes no obligation
to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forwardlooking statements should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect TASER’s business, particularly those
mentioned under the heading “Risk Factors” in TASER’s Annual Report on Form 10-K that accompanies this proxy statement,
and in the periodic reports that TASER files with the SEC on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS
To be eligible for inclusion in the Company’s proxy materials for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a proposal
intended to be presented by a stockholder for action at that meeting must, in addition to complying with the stockholder
eligibility and other requirements of the SEC’s rules governing such proposals, be received not later than November 29, 2015
by the Corporate Secretary of the Company at the Company’s principal executive offices, 17800 North 85th Street, Scottsdale,
Arizona 85255.
Stockholders may bring business before an Annual Meeting (including the nomination of any person to be elected as a director)
only if the stockholder proceeds in compliance with the Company’s bylaws. For business to be properly brought before the
2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders by a stockholder (including the nomination of any person to be elected as a director),
notice of the proposed business must be given to the Corporate Secretary of the Company in writing no later than 60 days
before the Annual Meeting of Stockholders or (if later) ten days after the first public notice of the meeting is sent to
stockholders.
The notice to the Company’s Corporate Secretary must set forth as to each matter that the stockholder proposes to bring before
the meeting: (a) the nature of the proposed business with reasonable particularity, including the exact text of any proposal to be
presented for adoption, and the reasons for conducting that business at the annual meeting; (b) the stockholder’s name and
address as they appear on the records of the Company, business address and telephone number, residence address and telephone
number, and the number of shares of common stock of the Company directly or beneficially owned by the stockholder; (c) any
interest of the stockholder in the proposed business; (d) the name or names of each person nominated by the stockholder to be
elected or re-elected as a director, if any; and (e) with respect to any such director nominee, the nominee’s name, business
address and telephone number, residence address and telephone number, the number of shares of common stock of the
Company, if any, directly or beneficially owned by the nominee, all information relating to the nominee that is required to be
disclosed in solicitations of proxies for elections of directors, or is otherwise required, under Regulation 14A of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or successor regulation, and a letter signed by the nominee stating the nominee’s
acceptance of the nomination, the nominee’s intention to serve as a director if elected and consenting to being named as a
nominee for director in any proxy statement relating to such election.
The presiding officer at any annual meeting shall determine whether any matter was properly brought before the meeting in
accordance with the above provisions. If the presiding officer should determine that any matter has not been properly brought
before the meeting, he or she will so declare at the meeting and any such matter will not be considered or acted upon.

43

HOUSEHOLDING OF ANNUAL MEETING MATERIALS
Some brokers and other nominee record holders may be participating in the practice of “householding” proxy statements and
annual reports. This means that only one copy of the proxy statement and Annual Report may have been sent to multiple
stockholders in a stockholder’s household. The Company will promptly deliver a separate copy of either document to any
stockholder who contacts the Company’s investor relations department at 17800 North 85th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85255,
phone number (480) 515-6330, requesting such copies. If a stockholder is receiving multiple copies of the proxy statement and
Annual Report at the stockholder’s household and would like to receive a single copy of the proxy statement and annual report
for a stockholder’s household in the future, stockholders should contact their broker, other nominee record holder, or the
Company’s investor relations department to request mailing of a single copy of the proxy statement and annual report.
A copy of the Company’s 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, is available to
stockholders without charge upon request to: Investor Relations, TASER International, Inc., 17800 North 85th Street,
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY
MATERIALS FOR THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON MAY 18, 2015
The proxy materials for the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including the 2014 Annual Report and this proxy
statement, are available over the Internet by accessing the investor relations page of the Company’s website at
http://investor.taser.com. Other information on the Company’s website does not constitute part of the Company’s proxy
materials.
By Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ DOUGLAS E. KLINT
Douglas E. Klint
Corporate Secretary
April 2, 2015

44

Annual Report

14

(This page intentionally left blank.)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K
(Mark One)


ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014
or
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from
to
Commission File Number: 001-16391

TASER International, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

86-0741227

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

17800 North 85th Street
Scottsdale, Arizona

85255

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
(480) 991-0797
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class

Name of exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.00001 par value per share

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes  No 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes  No 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90
days. Yes  No 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be
submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to submit and post such files). Yes  No 
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be
contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment
to this Form 10-K. 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions
of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer



Accelerated filer



Non-accelerated filer

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company



Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Yes  No 

The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the last sales price of the issuer’s common stock on June 30, 2014,
which was the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, as reported by NASDAQ, was $681.7 million.
The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding as of February 27, 2015 was 53,086,538
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Parts of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2015 annual meeting of stockholders to be prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not
later than 120 days after December 31, 2014 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014
PART I
Page
Item 1. Business………………………………………………………………………………………………………....
5
Item 1A. Risk Factors……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
15
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments…………………………………………………………………………………….
22
Item 2. Properties………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
22
Item 3. Legal Proceedings……………………………………………………………………………………………….
22
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures………………………………………………………………………………………...
22
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity
Securities………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
23
Item 6. Selected Financial Data………………………………………………………………………………………….
25
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations…………………...
26
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk…………………………………………………..
42
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data………………………………………………………………….
43
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure…………………...
73
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures………………………………………………………………………………………...
73
Item 9B. Other Information……………………………………………………………………………………………….
75
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance………………………………………………………
75
Item 11. Executive Compensation………………………………………………………………………………………...
75
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters……….
75
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence…………………………………..
75
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services………………………………………………………………………...
75
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules………………………………………………………………………..
76

2

PART I
Statements contained in this report that are not historical are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”), including statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions and strategies regarding the future. We intend that
such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements relate to, among other things:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

our intentions about future development efforts and activities, including our intentions to invest in research and development as
well as the development of new product and service lines and enhanced features for our existing product and service lines;
our need and the willingness of customers to upgrade and replace existing conducted electrical weapons (“CEW”) units;
that we may have more sales denominated in foreign currencies in 2015;
our intention to increase our investment in the development of sales in the international, military and law enforcement market;
our plans to expand our sales force;
that cloud and mobile technologies are fundamentally changing the police environment;
our plan to invest in web activities and law enforcement trade shows in 2015;
our intention to not pay dividends;
that increases in marketing and sales activities will lead to an increase in sales;
our belief that the video evidence capture and management market will grow significantly in the near future and the reasons
thereto;
our intentions to continue to pursue the personal security market;
our intention to grow direct sales;
the sufficiency of our facilities and our strategy to expand manufacturing capacity if needed;
that we may lease facilities from parties that specialize in handling and manufacturing of firearm materials;
the benefits of our on-officer camera product compared to an in-car camera;
that we expect to continue to depend on sales of our X2 and X26P CEW devices;
our strategy and plans, and the expected benefits relating thereto, to expand our international sales;
that we expect further increases in our trial AXON programs and that these programs will lead to additional sales;
our intention to apply for and prosecute our patents;
that fixed costs as a percentage of net sales in the AXON segment (formerly known as the "EVIDENCE.com & Video" segment)
will decline;
that gross margins in the AXON segment will be lower in the near-term;
that selling, general and administrative expense will increase in 2015;
that research and development expenses will increase in 2015;
the timing of the resolution of uncertain tax positions;
our intention to hold investments to maturity;
the effect of interest rate changes on our annual interest income;
that we may engage in currency hedging activities;
our intentions concerning, and the effectiveness of, our ongoing marketing efforts through web activities, trial programs, tech
summits and law enforcement trade shows;
the benefits of our CEW products compared to other lethal and less-lethal alternatives;
the benefits of our AXON products compared to our competitors'
our belief that customers will honor multi-year contracts despite the existence of appropriations (or similar) clauses;
our belief that customers will renew their EVIDENCE.com service subscriptions at the end of the contractual term;
our insulation from competition and our competitive advantage in the weapons business;
estimates regarding the size of our target markets and our competitive position in existing markets;
the availability of alternative materials and components suppliers;
the benefits of the continued automation of our production process;
the sufficiency and availability of our liquid assets and capital resources;
our financing and growth strategies, including: our decision not to pay dividends, potential joint ventures, mergers and
acquisitions, stock repurchases and hedging activities;
the safety of our products;
our litigation strategy; including the outcome of legal proceedings in which we are currently involved;

3

•
•
•
•
•

our ability to maintain secure and consistent customer data access and storage, including the use of third party data storage
providers, and the impact of a loss of customer data, a breach of security or an extended outage;
our ability to attract and retain the qualified professional services necessary to implement and maintain our business, both through
employment and through other partnership arrangements;
the effect of current and future tax strategies;
the impact of recently adopted and future accounting standards; and
the ultimate resolution of financial statement items requiring critical accounting estimates.

These statements are qualified by important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected by the
forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those factors detailed in ITEM 1A of this annual report entitled
“Risk Factors.” The risks included in the foregoing list are not exhaustive. Other sections of this report may include additional factors that
could adversely affect our business and financial performance. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for
management to predict all such factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such risk factors or the extent to which any factor, or combination
of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to
expectations over time.
TASER International, Inc. owns the following trademarks: ADVANCED TASER, CHECKLOK, TASER, XREP, C2, X2, X3, the bolt
on West Hemisphere logo, the bolt on ball logo, the bolt on circle logo, and the bolt within circle logo, all registered in the United States.
All other trademarks and service marks including M18, M26, X26, X26C, X26P, AXON, AXON flex, AXON body, AXON Signal,
Shockwave, TASER CAM and designs belong to TASER International, Inc., except as expressly indicated as belonging to another.

4

Item 1.

Business

Overview
TASER International, Inc.’s (the “Company” or “TASER” or “we” or “our”) core mission is to protect life and to protect truth
through technologies that make communities safer. We are the market leader in the development, manufacture and sale of conducted
electrical weapons (“CEWs”) designed for use by law enforcement, military, corrections, and private security personnel and by
private individuals for personal defense. Since our inception in 1993, we have remained committed to providing solutions to violent
confrontation by developing devices with proprietary technology to incapacitate dangerous, combative, or high-risk subjects who
pose a risk to law enforcement officers, innocent citizens, or themselves in a manner that is generally recognized as a safer
alternative to other uses of force. In addition, the Company has developed full technology solutions for the capture, storage and
management of video/audio evidence as well as other tactical capabilities for use in law enforcement.
TASER weapon solutions deliver significant benefits to our customers and to communities in which they are deployed.
Numerous studies show a significant reduction in both officer and suspect injuries with TASER CEW usage. Further, most reporting
agencies demonstrate overall decreases in use of force, and decreases in suspect and officer injuries resulting from conflict.
Reducing uses of force and gaining compliance of the suspect by use of a TASER CEW has provided significant reductions in
worker’s compensation expenses and excessive use of force claims for law enforcement agencies, and ultimately taxpayers.
Our mission to protect life has also been extended to protect truth. Bringing a subject into custody is not the end of the
challenge for law enforcement. A significant number of incidents that start as a physical conflict then transition into a legal conflict.
Prosecuting and convicting the individual arrested, and responding to excessive use of force allegations, are examples of significant
post-incident challenges law enforcement faces on a continual basis, often requiring years and millions of dollars of litigation
expense to resolve in the courtroom. Instead, the optimum situation is to prevent the conflict from ever escalating. TASER CEWs
and AXON on-officer video have a measured and positive effect on better suspect and officer behavior as well as achieving
compliance without escalation of force.
Central to our strategy, we conduct research and develop advanced technologies for both the creation of new, and the
enhancement of existing hardware and software products and services. We believe that delivering high-value solutions through our
various product platforms is the key to delivering compelling value propositions to meet our customers’ needs and to drive our
future growth. We place the highest level of importance on the safety and appropriate use of our products and have established
industry leading training services to provide our users a comprehensive overview of the legal, policy, medical and risk mitigation
issues relating to our CEWs and the use of force.
Our products are sold directly to law enforcement agencies and through a network of distribution channels we developed for
selling and marketing our products and services to law enforcement agencies, primarily in North America, with continuing focus and
effort placed on expanding these programs in international, military and other markets. To facilitate sales and provide customer
service to our European customers, we established TASER International Europe SE, a wholly owned subsidiary, in 2009. To further
strengthen our international presence, during 2014, the Company established TASER International, B.V. located in Amsterdam,
Netherlands, that will serve as a permanent international headquarters to facilitate transactions with existing customers as well as
allow for continued expansion into other foreign markets.
Segments
The Company’s operations are comprised of two reportable segments; the sale of CEWs, accessories and other products and
services (the “TASER Weapons” segment); and the AXON business, focused on wearables, cloud and mobile products, including
AXON video products, TASER Cam and EVIDENCE.com (the "AXON" segment formerly known as the “EVIDENCE.com &
Video” segment). Within the AXON segment, the Company includes only revenues and costs directly attributable to that segment
which include: costs of sales for both products and services, direct labor, selling expense for the segment sales team, segment
product management expenses, segment trade shows and related expenses, segment finance and accounting expenses, and research
and development for products included in the AXON segment. All other costs are included in the TASER Weapons segment. Further
information about our reportable segments and sales by geographic region is included in Notes 1(p) and 15 of the consolidated
financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
CEW Products
We make CEWs that use our proprietary Neuro Muscular Incapacitation (“NMI”) effects for two main types of market
segments: (i) the law enforcement, military, corrections and professional security markets; and (ii) the consumer market. Our
products use a replaceable cartridge containing compressed nitrogen to deploy and propel two small probes that are attached to the
CEW by insulated conductive wires with lengths ranging from 15 to 35 feet. Our CEWs transmit electrical pulses along the wires
5

and into the body affecting the sensory and motor functions of the peripheral nervous system. The electric current can penetrate up
to two cumulative inches of clothing or approximately one inch per probe. The basic design is to provide incapacitating effects that
last in cycles of five seconds for our law enforcement, military, corrections and private security products and up to thirty seconds for
our consumer market models. This effect can be extended, if necessary, by the operator.
The benefits of using CEWs in the field have been undeniable and powerful. By some studies, TASER CEWs have prevented
death or serious injury more than 135,000 times from the first deployment in 2000 to the end of 2014. In addition to protecting life,
the use of these devices instead of other force options has significantly reduced injuries for suspects and officers with substantial
liability and workers’ compensation savings to government agencies around the world.
Law Enforcement, Military, Corrections and Professional Security Products
For the law enforcement, military, corrections and professional security markets, we primarily manufacture three hand-held
CEW product lines and have also incorporated our technology into several other product line extensions. Certain of these products
are also sold into the consumer market. Consumer sales are not included in the table below.

CEW Product

TASER X26P…………………………………….
TASER X2……………………………………….
TASER X26……………………………………...

Sales (in millions)

Year
Introduced

2014

2013 $
2011
2003

43.5 $
28.8
18.7

2013

21.9 $
26.5
30.3

% of Net Sales
2012

—
25.8
35.2

2014

2013

2012

26.4 %
17.5
11.4

15.9 %
19.2
22.4

—%
22.5
31.3

•

TASER X26P - Simple to use one-shot CEW, featuring enhanced data port logs; Integrates with EVIDENCE.com.

•

TASER X2 - Simple to use CEW, featuring a second shot for instant miss recovery, dual lasers for high accuracy, a power
magazine with more than 500 firings, enhanced data port logs and the ability to display a warning arc; Integrates with
EVIDENCE.com.

•

TASER X26 - Simple to use one-shot CEW (discontinued sales to North American law enforcement as of December 31,
2014).

Consumer Products
Our primary consumer product for the personal defense market is the TASER C2 CEW which provides the same proven NMI
effectiveness as our market leading law enforcement CEWs but in a less intimidating, more compact form at a price point more
attractive to private citizens. While the C2 CEW is our primary product for the consumer market, we have developed consumer
versions of the X2, M26 and X26 CEWs. Our total consumer products accounted for $3.7 million, $4.0 million and $4.6 million in
the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively, which translates to 2.3%, 2.9%, and 4.0% of net sales,
respectively.
Cartridges
We manufacture multiple cartridge types for varying ranges and purposes. Types of cartridges include, among others, standard
cartridges, smart cartridges and training cartridges. Smart cartridges communicate with the fire control system within the TASER X2
and X3 indicating the type of cartridge loaded in each bay and its deployment status. Standard cartridges are designed for use within
the M26, X26 and X26P CEW systems with unique variations for warm and cold climates, training scenarios, and tactical situations.
Training cartridges contain non-conductive wiring, which allows law enforcement, military, and corrections trainers to use the
cartridge during training role-playing scenarios. In addition, cartridges may have varying probe sizes, which affect the penetration of
clothing.
All of our cartridges, with the exception of the training cartridge, contain numerous colored, confetti-like tags bearing the
cartridge’s serial number. These tags, referred to as Anti-Felon Identification tags (“AFIDs”) are scattered when one of our
cartridges is deployed. Sellers of our products participate in the AFID program by registering buyers of our cartridges. In many
cases, we can use AFIDs to identify the registered owner of cartridges deployed. AFIDs provide an additional level of accountability
when using TASER CEW devices.
Individual cartridge sales accounted for approximately $38.5 million, $35.7 million and $32.8 million, or approximately
23.4%, 25.9% and 28.6%, of our net sales for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

6

Other Accessories
Other accessories include, among other items:
•

standard replacement batteries for the CEW devices;

•

a modified battery that shuts down the high voltage output of the CEW after five seconds and contains a built-in
speaker alerting the user to the impending shut down; and

•

a modified battery source that features a disabling safety key and wrist strap lanyard designed to secure the device to
the officer and is intended to disable the CEW should it be separated from the officer or other peacekeeper.

AXON Solutions
We believe that the video evidence capture and management market will continue to expand due to several factors including
increasing recognition of the benefits of video evidence. The International Association of Chiefs of Police and other law
enforcement organizations have endorsed the benefits of video evidence. In addition, a Rialto Police Department study through the
University of Cambridge found implementation of TASER video products not only reduced citizen complaints against law
enforcement but also significantly reduced the use of force by law enforcement. Additionally, video evidence in law enforcement has
the potential to reduce the cost to United States taxpayers for payment of law enforcement litigation and claims, which is currently
estimated at greater than $2.0 billion per year.
Given our existing long-term relationships with law enforcement agencies as well as our industry-leading video products, we
believe we are well positioned to benefit from this growth. Our products can significantly reduce liability risk for individual police
officers and for law enforcement agencies by capturing the ‘truth’ of what actually happened in an incident, saving law enforcement
agencies significant resources. In addition, our video products work on a stand-alone basis, or seamlessly integrated together, to
automate key workflows, including the ingestion of videos recorded into our system and integration with other systems, and thus
improves officer efficiency by enabling a reduction in report documentation workload while increasing accuracy and accountability.
AXON Cameras
The AXON camera system was introduced in May 2012 and utilizes advanced audio-video record and capture devices worn
by first responders to record video and audio of critical incidents from the visual perspective of the officer. AXON cameras provide
the option for officers to use Android™ or iOS™ devices to review and tag video evidence, streamlining the evidence transfer
process. AXON flex provides complete flexibility in how an officer chooses to wear the device, including an option to deploy as an
attachment to Oakley Flak Jacket™ eyewear. Thousands of law enforcement officers assisted in the development of AXON flex,
making it, we believe, the most customer-driven officer worn camera solution ever produced.
Responding to market feedback, we introduced the AXON body camera in 2013. AXON body is a simple, low-priced body
worn camera for law enforcement, designed for customers seeking easy deployment at a lower price-point. The AXON body
eliminates the need for the camera to be mounted above the shoulder of the individual and rather hooks into the shirt of the officer at
mid-chest level. This camera also eliminates all wires from the wearer’s body.
Both cameras are designed to integrate seamlessly with the Company’s video evidence management system, EVIDENCE.com.
In 2014, the Company announced the AXON Signal camera technology. This technology will enable cameras to automatically
start recording when an officer's light bar is turned on or when a TASER smart weapon is powered on. All enabled AXON Signal
cameras within range will receive signals from the light bar or smart weapon and start recording. This feature will offer multiple
angles to be captured from different perspectives if more than one AXON flex camera is on scene. AXON Signal technology
became available during the first quarter of 2015.

7

EVIDENCE.com
EVIDENCE.com is a cloud-based digital evidence management system and warehouse, offering digital evidence management,
sharing, analysis and storage in a highly secure, easily accessible environment. The service is designed to allow an agency to
manage all of its digital evidence in one place, and accommodates digital evidence from many sources, including TASER products,
digital pictures, fixed cameras, interview rooms, and more. EVIDENCE.com automates key workflows from evidence collection to
review, eliminating expensive and manual steps in the production and movement of evidence among law enforcement and legal
professionals. Evidence is generally transferred to EVIDENCE.com from AXON products using an E-Dock, also sold by TASER.
Interviews and other digital evidence from the field can be quickly and securely uploaded using EVIDENCE Mobile, built for iOS
and Android, which was introduced in 2013. Enabling digital evidence collection from EVIDENCE Mobile saves agencies time and
money by streamlining the process to manage, ingest and physically process storage media. We believe that cloud and mobile
technologies are fundamentally changing the way in which officers connect with each other, the agency and other partners in the law
enforcement community. Technology is developing at such a quick rate that it is often not practical or efficient for agencies to keep
pace. Utilizing our cloud-based solution allows agencies to rapidly adopt new technology without the cost and complexity of
managing the hardware or software in-house, and without the risk of large investments in equipment that could be obsolete in a
matter of months or years.
Together, our AXON camera systems and EVIDENCE.com, along with EVIDENCE Mobile, are an end-to-end video capture
and digital evidence management solution. With the launch of the AXON flex camera system in 2012 and the AXON body camera
in 2013, growth accelerated for AXON and EVIDENCE.com. Bookings by quarter for 2014, 2013, and 2012 were as follows
(dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2014

Dollar
Change

2013

Percent
Change

Q1……………………………………………………. $
Q2…………………………………………………….
Q3…………………………………………………….
Q4…………………………………………………….

5,919 $
11,346
15,267
24,554

1,387 $
2,046
5,847
5,206

4,532
9,300
9,420
19,348

327 %
455
161
372

Total…………………………………………………. $

57,086 $

14,486 $

42,600

294

Year Ended December 31,
2013

Dollar
Change

2012

Q1……………………………………………………. $
Q2…………………………………………………….
Q3…………………………………………………….
Q4…………………………………………………….

1,387 $
2,046
5,847
5,206

352 $
451
1,318
1,671

1,035
1,595
4,529
3,535

Total…………………………………………………. $

14,486 $

3,792 $

10,694

Percent
Change

294 %
354
344
212
282

AXON flex, AXON body and EVIDENCE.com bookings is a statistical measure defined as the sales price of orders placed in
the relevant fiscal period, net of cancellations. Bookings are an indication of the activity the Company is seeing relative to AXON
flex, AXON body and EVIDENCE.com.
The Company has deliverables to meet prior to recognizing revenue related to many of the orders. These statistics represent
orders and not invoiced sales. Once invoiced, the revenue related to EVIDENCE.com is recognized over the requisite service period
of one to five years. Due to municipal government funding rules, certain of the future year amounts included in bookings are subject
to budget appropriation or other contract cancellation clauses. Although TASER has entered into contracts for the delivery of
products and services in the future and anticipates the contracts will be completed, if agencies do not appropriate money in future
year budgets, or enact a cancellation clause, revenue associated with these bookings will not ultimately be recognized, resulting in a
future reduction to bookings.
TASER Cam HD
The TASER Cam HD is a video recording device that captures both video and audio of potential and actual TASER use
incidents as an accessory to a TASER CEW. The device can capture video and audio before, during and after a TASER deployment,
which provides law enforcement with a greater level of accountability to support their use of TASER devices against a resistant
subject. The TASER Cam HD is capable of recording in low light conditions, has a wide field of view, high resolution and color
video. A non-audio version of the device is also available for agencies operating in states where legislation prohibits the use of audio
8

recordings. Revenue related to the TASER Cam HD was $4.7 million, $4.7 million and $3.1 million for the years ended
December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Product Warranties
We generally warranty CEWs, AXON cameras and E-Docks from manufacturing defects on a limited basis for a period of one
year after purchase and thereafter, will replace any defective unit for a fee which covers the handling and repair costs and includes a
profit. We believe this policy is attractive to customers.
The Company also offers customers the right to purchase extended warranties, which provide additional coverage beyond the
limited warranty, ranging from one to five years, offered at specified fees. The sales of extended warranties give customers a level of
cost certainty that they would not have without an extended warranty. At December 31, 2014 and 2013, the balance of deferred
revenue was $22.0 million and $15.9 million under this program, respectively. The revenue associated with the extended warranties
will be recognized ratably over the extended warranty period. Warranty revenue recorded by the Company for the years ended
December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 were $6.1 million, $4.6 million and $3.6 million, respectively.
Markets
Law Enforcement and Corrections
Our primary target market for both our weapon and video products is federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the
U.S. and throughout the world. In the law enforcement market, more than 17,000 law enforcement agencies in nearly 150 countries
have made initial purchases of our TASER brand devices for testing or deployment. Our belief is that in the U.S., approximately
two-thirds of all law enforcement patrol officers carry a TASER CEW and internationally, approximately one out of every fifty
eligible law enforcement officers carries a TASER CEW.
We continue to educate correctional facility personnel, as well as parole and probation field officers, regarding the benefits of
using TASER brand products and we have developed training programs and command staff demonstrations specific to the
corrections market. Our TASER devices are deployed in multiple county and state correctional facilities in the U.S.
Military Forces, U.S. and Foreign Allies
TASER CEW devices continue to be deployed in support of key strategic military operations in locations around the world.
We continue our focus initiative on supporting our military customers. The former head of the U.S. Military Joint Non-Lethal
Weapons Directorate is our Vice President of Government and Military Programs, and we meet periodically with our Senior
Executive Advisory Board, comprised of a team of professionals with extensive military, homeland defense and law enforcement
experience, with the purpose of advising on business models in support of federal law enforcement and military users.
Private Security
We continue to pursue opportunities for sales of TASER CEW devices in private security markets; however, we have made
limited sales to date. Private security officers represent a broad range of individuals, including contract security patrol, healthcare,
gaming, retail security employees and many others. Similar to our other emerging markets, we have developed training programs
and demonstrations specific to the industry by meeting with several large corporate and private patrol security companies to discover
their unique needs. We also attend several private security tradeshows, conferences and industry association meetings to generate a
presence in this market space.
Private Citizen / Personal Protection
Our primary consumer product for personal defense is the TASER C2 personal protection device, a CEW specifically designed
for the private citizen market. We have also developed consumer versions of the X2, M26, and X26 CEWs. We continue to explore
alternatives to generate more consumer sales.
Sales and Marketing
Law enforcement and correction agencies, military forces, private security personnel and private citizens represent our target
markets both domestically and internationally. In each of these markets, the decision to purchase TASER CEWs, AXON video
products or EVIDENCE.com is normally made by a group of people, including the agency head, municipal information technology
departments, the agency’s training staff and agency weapons experts. Depending on the size and cost of the device deployment and
9

local procurement rules and customs, the decision may involve political decision-makers such as city council members or the federal
government. The decision-making process can take as little as a few weeks or as long as several years. Although we have focused on
these markets, we have been able to expand our customer base to hundreds of thousands of end users within these markets. We
currently have a presence in more than 17,000 law enforcement agencies domestically.
We have used multiple types of media to communicate the benefits of acquiring and deploying our products. Our marketing
campaigns have included the development of on-line educational campaigns geared toward law enforcement leaders in the
community, web and print advertisements in law enforcement publications, the use of training classes conducted around the world,
and more recently, in the case of the TASER X2 and X26P, an integrated online media launch including trade-in programs on used
TASER devices. Throughout 2014, we hosted technology summits at our Scottsdale headquarters and across the nation during which
our employees, customers and potential customers conducted forums to discuss, educate and promote the benefits of cloud
computing and wearable technology. Looking to 2015, we plan on expanding these programs to certain international markets. We
also target key regional and national law enforcement trade shows where we can demonstrate our products to leading departments.
In 2014, we attended and exhibited at many of the major regional, national and international law enforcement trade shows. We also
held our annual TASER Conference as part of our certified master instructor school, the continued focus of which was to train the
participants in the use of all of the latest CEWs and other new products.
TASER maintains a corporate website for TASER.com and a website for EVIDENCE.com designed to deliver benefit-driven
messages and to drive follow-up by TASER or one of our distribution partners. We also maintain foreign-language sites for nonEnglish speakers around the world, including French, Portuguese, German, Dutch and Spanish, with the same goals to provide
information and education on our products and services in a local language. We plan to continue investment in web activities, tech
summits and law enforcement trade shows and conferences in 2015, as it provides us the ability to market our products to our target
audience. We believe these types of activities accelerate penetration of our TASER product lines in each market, which should lead
to increased visibility in both the private security and private citizen markets and reinforce the value of these devices for selfdefense.
U.S. Distribution
The Company sells directly to law enforcement agencies in the U.S. as well as through a distribution network. In addition, we
have one U.S. military and federal government contracting distributor. Distributors are selected based upon their reputation within
their respective industries, their contacts and their distribution network. Our regional sales managers work closely with the
distributors in their territory to inform and educate the law enforcement communities. We continue to monitor our law enforcement
distributors closely to help ensure that our service standards are achieved. Where appropriate, we intend to grow our direct sales
over time. Distributors often allow us to penetrate regions at lower fixed costs; however, direct sales allow us greater control over
the customer relationship.
Sales in the private citizen market are primarily made through our commercial distributors, dealers and our website. We have
implemented a variety of marketing initiatives to support sales of our consumer products, with a focus on web, public relations and
consumer trade shows. We have consulted with professional digital media and public relations professionals to assist us in media
and press events, and editorial placements along with attending numerous tradeshows specifically to target the consumer market.
International Distribution
We currently market and distribute our CEW products to foreign markets primarily through a network of distributors. For
geographical and cultural reasons, our distributors usually have a territory defined by their country’s borders. These distributors
market both our law enforcement, military, and corrections products, and our consumer products where allowed by law. Our
distributors work with local law enforcement, military and corrections agencies in the same manner as our domestic market
distributors. For example, they may perform demonstrations, attend industry tradeshows, maintain country specific websites, engage
in print advertising and arrange training classes.
In order to more effectively engage customers internationally, we have also implemented sales teams strategically located
throughout each major geographic region of the world. Having dedicated sales personnel stationed full time in these regions will
allow us to better serve existing customers as well as execute our sales and marketing strategies more efficiently in order to continue
to grow our customer base in new markets.

10

Training Programs
Most law enforcement, military, security and corrections agencies will not purchase new weapons until a training program is
in place to instruct and certify personnel in their proper use. TASER maintains a robust training program and conducts a variety of
classes valuable to the users of our products. Attendance at our courses generally requires a fee which varies depending upon course
content. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, training revenue was $2.2 million, $1.9 million and $2.2 million,
respectively.
To coordinate the growing demands of our training programs, we created a Training Advisory Board. This board annually
reviews the qualifications of the master instructors, and provides retraining or certification as required. In addition, the Training
Advisory Board oversees the trainers and curriculum to ensure that new information is properly communicated and implemented.
We also created the designation of Senior Master Instructor whose primary duties are to perform quality control checks on Master
Instructors during instructor courses and to help instruct at the Master Instructor School. As of December 31, 2014, 24 experienced
individuals hold the designation of Senior Master Instructors based on their exemplary performance as Master Instructors.
CEW Courses Offered:
•

Instructor Training: An approximately 20 hour class that certifies law enforcement, military, corrections and security
agency trainers as Instructors in the use of TASER CEWs.

•

Master Instructor School: Attendees that successfully complete this course become certified as Master Instructors. Master
Instructors are independent professional trainers, serve as local area TASER experts, and assist in conducting TASER
demonstrations at other police departments within their regions. As of December 31, 2014, 747 individuals hold current
certifications as Master Instructors.

•

CEW User Training: An on-line course is available to law enforcement, military and security personnel that satisfies the
classroom and knowledge assessment portions of the user certification course. Agency instructors must still put students
through a series of drills and hands-on exercises.

•

TASER Technical Solutions and Investigations Course: The purpose of this course is to train agencies on the proper care
and preventative maintenance of TASER devices and to train those who are responsible for investigating crime scenes and
use of force events.

•

TASER Use of Force, Risk Management and Legal Strategies Seminar: The purpose of this course is to educate law
enforcement executives, risk managers, and legal and medical advisors on topics relevant to TASER CEWs.

•

Private Citizen Training: This course focuses on non-law enforcement private self-defense training schools that have
expressed a desire to include TASER consumer products in their courses.

Video Systems Courses Offered:
With the release of the AXON flex on-officer audio and video recording systems, we developed new courses and incorporated
the AXON cameras as an integral part of all Instructor and Master Instructor courses.
•

AXON User and Instructor training: This training is provided to agencies that purchase AXON units either for deployment
or for a test and evaluation.

•

Digital Evidence Management Course: Designed to educate information technology personnel and those who will be
administrators of EVIDENCE.com accounts. This course covers cloud computing, data security, best practices in on-officer
video, legal issues, and set-up and management of EVIDENCE.com.

Manufacturing
We perform light manufacturing, final assembly, and final test operations at our headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, and own
substantially all of the equipment required to develop, prototype, manufacture and assemble our finished products. This includes
critical injection molds, schematics, automation equipment, test equipment and prototypes utilized by our supply chain for the
conversion of raw materials into sub-assemblies. We have implemented lean/six sigma methodologies to optimize most direct and
indirect resources within the organization, which has helped boost capacity for existing products, as well as provide flexibility to
accommodate production of new TASER product introductions. We are currently operating two production shifts; however, other
capacity options, including the use of additional shifts, will be considered should we experience higher demand resulting from large
orders of legacy or new product releases. We continue to maintain our ISO 9001 certification.

11

Our XREP product is considered a firearm due to the propellant used to launch the projectile from the device. We have a Class
7 Federal Firearms license to manufacture, store and sell XREP and related products. We have previously, and may again in the
future, leased facilities from a local third party who specializes in defense products and provides facilities, ensuring compliance with
required firearm and dangerous good standards.
We constantly seek opportunities to invest in automated equipment for the continuous improvement of product quality and
reduction of manufacturing costs. As a result, we have implemented a number of equipment initiatives including the purchase and
integration of robotic equipment, computerized laboratory and medical testing equipment, machining and tooling equipment, as well
as sophisticated modeling equipment for our research and development. We have a highly automated cartridge assembly line which
improves both our production capacity and yields while significantly improving efficiency over what was previously a very laborintensive manufacturing process.
Supply chain management has been, and will continue to be, a focus of ours. We presently purchase completed printed circuit
board assemblies and components primarily from suppliers located in the U.S., along with selective strategic relationships
internationally. Although we currently obtain plastic components from an outside supplier base, we own all the designs and tooling.
We believe there are readily available qualified alternative suppliers in most cases who can consistently meet our needs for these
components. We continue to develop and implement policies to mitigate supply chain risk and ensure continuity of supply, while
maintaining efficiencies at all levels within the organization.
Competition
Law Enforcement, Corrections and Private Security Markets
Law enforcement customers partner with TASER for the long-term. The primary competitive factors in the law enforcement
and corrections market include a weapon’s accuracy, effectiveness, safety, cost, ease of use and an exceptional customer experience.
Stinger Systems introduced an electronic device in 2007 to compete with the TASER X26; however, they had limited success before
going out of business in 2010. Stinger Systems subsequently sold its assets to Karbon Arms. We are not aware of any significant
sales to date by Karbon Arms. We were granted summary judgment in a patent infringement claim against Stinger Systems and an
injunction was issued against Stinger Systems in August 2010. In July of 2011, we filed a complaint against Karbon Arms, LLC for
infringement of U.S. patent numbers 7,800,855 and 7,782,592 in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware seeking damages,
injunctive relief and an award of attorney’s fees. Karbon Arms filed a counter suit on July 18, 2011, alleging invalidity and noninfringement of four of TASER’s patents, tortuous interference with prospective contractual relations and for false advertising under
the Lanham Act. In January 2014, TASER and Karbon Arms agreed to a permanent injunction against Karbon Arms after it was
decreed that Karbon Arms infringed on the aforementioned patents. The permanent injunction restrains and enjoins Karbon Arms
and its current and former officers, agents, directors, employees, and affiliates and those persons in participation with them who
received actual notice of the injunction from making, using, offering to sell or selling the Karbon Arms MPID and MPID-C or
supplying a substantial portion of the components that are used in the Karbon Arms devices. We believe that our strong relationship
with our customers, our large installed base of products, the significant amount of medical and safety testing already performed on
our products, our world-class customer service and other support we provide to customers provides us with a strong competitive
advantage. In some international markets, our CEWs face local competition.
We also believe our CEWs compete indirectly with a variety of other less-lethal alternatives. These alternatives include, but
are not limited to, pepper spray, batons and impact weapons sold by companies such as Defense Technology. We believe our TASER
brand devices’ advanced technology, versatility, portability, effectiveness, built-in accountability systems, and low injury rate enable
us to compete effectively against these other less-lethal alternatives.
Military Market
In the military markets, both in the U.S. and abroad, a wide variety of weapon systems are utilized to accomplish the mission
at hand. CEWs have gained increased acceptance as a result of the policing role of military personnel across many regions of the
world. There has also been an increased awareness of the use of non-lethal weapons as a way to preserve human intelligence.
TASER CEWs give armed forces a means to capture or immobilize targets without using lethal force. There is indirect competition
from pepper spray, batons and impact weapons sold by companies such as Defense Technology.

12

Private Citizen Market
CEWs have gained limited acceptance in the private citizen market. These devices primarily compete with guns, but also with
other less lethal weapons such as pepper spray. The primary competitive factors in the private citizen market include a weapon’s
cost, effectiveness, safety and ease of use.
Video Evidence Market
The video evidence capture and management market segment is a highly fragmented and competitive market. In the video
evidence capture market segment, there are existing companies with an established presence. Continued evolution in the industry
and technology shifts are creating opportunities for both established and new competitors. Key competitive factors include: product
performance; product features; product quality and warranty; total cost of ownership; data security; data and information work
flows; company reputation and financial strength; and relationship with customers. We believe our AXON products, which place the
camera directly on-officer at a much lower total cost of ownership than a traditional in-car camera, overcome some of the inherent
limitations of an in-car system. We believe that placing the camera on the officer has created a paradigm shift that will ultimately
overtake the majority of the in-car camera market.
Our digital evidence management system, EVIDENCE.com, is a cloud-based platform. Cloud computing fundamentally
changes the way local, state and federal government agencies will develop and deploy software applications. Applications used by
these agencies have historically required the agency to deploy their own infrastructure of servers, storage, network devices and
operating systems. With a cloud-based system, the entire infrastructure is managed by third parties who specialize in infrastructure
management. Agencies use the internet to access the application. Our cloud-based EVIDENCE.com service enables agencies to
store, manage and analyze video evidence. We believe our end-to-end solution of AXON and EVIDENCE.com is a compelling
value proposition for law enforcement agencies to implement.
Regulation
U.S. Regulation
The majority of TASER weapons, as well as the cartridges used by these devices, are subject to regulations; however, most are
not considered to be a “firearm” by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The TASER XREP does use a
propellant system which falls under the definition of a “firearm” and is, therefore, subject to federal firearms-related regulations.
Many states have regulations restricting the sale and use of stun guns, hand-held shock devices and electronic weapons. We believe
existing stun gun laws and regulations apply to our devices.
In many cases, the law enforcement and corrections market is subject to different regulations than the private citizen market.
Where different regulations exist, we assume the regulations affecting the private citizen market also apply to the private security
markets, except as the applicable regulations otherwise specifically provide.
As of December 31, 2014, the possession of stun guns by the general public, including TASER CEWs, is prohibited in six
states: District of Columbia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Some cities and municipalities also
prohibit private citizen possession or use of our products.
We are also subject to environmental laws and regulations, including restrictions on the presence of certain substances in
electronic products. Reference is made to Section 1A, Risk Factors under the heading “Environmental laws and regulations subject
us to a number of risks and could result in significant liabilities and costs.”
EVIDENCE.com is subject to government regulation of the Internet in many areas, including telecommunications, data
protection, user privacy and online content.
U.S. Export Regulation
CEWs are considered a crime control product by the U.S. government. Accordingly, the export of our devices is regulated
under export administration regulations. As a result, we must obtain export licenses from the Department of Commerce for all
shipments to foreign countries other than Canada. Most of our requests for export licenses have been granted, and the need to obtain
these licenses has not caused a material delay in our shipments. Export regulations also prohibit the further shipment of our products
from foreign markets in which we hold a valid export license to foreign markets in which we do not hold an export license for our
products.

13

The Department of Commerce restricts the export of technology used in our CEWs. These regulations apply to both the
technology incorporated in our CEW systems and to the processes used to produce them. The technology export regulations do not
apply to production that takes place within the U.S. but is applicable to some sub-assemblies and controlled items manufactured
outside the U.S.
Foreign Regulation
Foreign regulations, which may affect our devices, are numerous and often unclear. We prefer to work with a distributor who
is familiar with the applicable import regulations in each of our foreign markets. Experience with foreign distributors in the past
indicates that restrictions may prohibit certain sales of our products in a number of countries. The vast majority of countries permit
TASER devices to be sold and used by law enforcement. We rely on our distributors to inform us of those countries where the
TASER device is prohibited or restricted.
Intellectual Property
We protect our intellectual property with U.S. and foreign patents and trademarks. Our patents and pending patent applications
relate to technology used by us in connection with our products. We also rely on international treaties, organizations and foreign
laws to protect our intellectual property. As of December 31, 2014, we hold 83 U.S. patents and 102 foreign patents and also have
numerous patents and trademarks pending. We continuously assess whether and where to seek formal protection for particular
innovations and technologies based on such factors as the commercial significance of our operations and our competitors’ operations
in particular countries and regions, our strategic technology or product directions in different countries and the degree to which
intellectual property laws exist and are meaningfully enforced in different jurisdictions.
Confidentiality agreements are used with employees, consultants and key suppliers to help ensure the confidentiality of our
trade secrets.
TASER has the exclusive rights to many Internet domain names primarily including ‘TASER.com’ and ‘EVIDENCE.com.’
Research and Development
Our research and development initiatives focus on next generation technology. Internally funded research has been primarily
focused on improvements to existing TASER products and digital evidence management systems, or the development of new
applications for TASER technology that we believe generally will have broad market appeal. Our investment in internally funded
research and development totaled $14.9 million, $9.9 million and $8.1 million in 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.
The Company's team of application developers conduct research and development initiatives for cloud applications and
mobile technologies in law enforcement, focused specifically on new revenue opportunities that align with our AXON product
solutions. The Company plans to continue to invest in additional research and development within the AXON segment with a focus
on continuous improvement, additional functionality for existing products and next generation products and services.
Within the TASER Weapons segment, current research and development initiatives include bio-medical research and
electrical, mechanical and software engineering. We expect that future CEW development projects will focus on extending the
range, improving the functionality and developing new delivery options for our products.
Our return on investment is intended to be realized over the long term, although new systems and technologies often can have
a more immediate impact on our business.
Employees
As of December 31, 2014, we had 426 full-time employees and 141 temporary employees. The breakdown of our full-time
employees by department is as follows: 150 direct manufacturing employees and 276 administrative and manufacturing support
employees. Of the 276 administrative and manufacturing support employees, 97 were involved in sales, marketing, communications
and training. Of the 141 temporary employees, more than 92% worked in direct manufacturing roles. Our employees are not covered
by any collective bargaining agreement, and we have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe that our relations with our
employees are good.
Available Information
We were incorporated in Arizona in September 1993 as ICER Corporation. We changed our name to AIR TASER, Inc. in
December 1993 and to TASER International, Incorporated in April 1998. In January 2001, we reincorporated in Delaware as TASER
International, Inc.
14

Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those
reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge on
our website at http://www.TASER.com as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish
such material to, the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other
information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
Item 1A.

Risk Factors

Because of the following factors, as well as other variables affecting our operating results, our past financial performance may
not be a reliable indicator of our future performance and historical trends should not be used to anticipate our results or trends in
future periods.
We are materially dependent on acceptance of our products by law enforcement markets, both domestic and international. If
law enforcement agencies do not continue to purchase our products, our revenues will be adversely affected.
A substantial number of law enforcement and corrections agencies may not continue to purchase our CEWs or video products.
Law enforcement and corrections agencies may be influenced by claims or perceptions that CEWs, such as our products, are unsafe
or may be used in an abusive manner. Sales of our products to these agencies may be delayed or limited by these claims or
perceptions.
We substantially depend on sales of our TASER X26P and X2 CEWs, and if these products do not continue to be widely
accepted, our growth prospects will be diminished.
In the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, we derived our revenues predominantly from sales of TASER CEW
brand devices and related cartridges, and expect to depend on sales of these products for the foreseeable future. We are seeing a large
number of customers upgrade their devices to the X2 or the new X26P device, which we introduced in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
This is a trend we expect to continue. A decrease in the prices of, or demand for these products, or their failure to maintain broad
market acceptance, would significantly harm our growth prospects, operating results and financial condition.
The success of our EVIDENCE.com Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) delivery model is materially dependent on acceptance of
this business model by our law enforcement customers. Delayed or lengthy time to adoption by law enforcement agencies will
negatively impact our sales and profitability.
A substantial number of law enforcement agencies may be slow to adopt our EVIDENCE.com digital data evidence
management and storage solution, requiring extended periods of trial and evaluation. The hosted service delivery business model is
not presently widely adopted by our law enforcement customer base. As such, the sales cycle has additional complexity with the
need to educate our customers and address issues regarding agency bandwidth requirements, data retention policies, data security
and chain of evidence custody. Delays in successfully securing widespread adoption of EVIDENCE.com services could adversely
affect our revenues, profitability and financial condition.
If we are unable to design, introduce and sell new products or new product features successfully, our business and financial
results could be adversely affected.
Our future success will depend on our ability to develop new products or new product features that achieve market acceptance
in a timely and cost-effective manner. The development of new products and new product features is complex, time consuming and
expensive, and we may experience delays in completing the development and introduction of new products. We cannot provide any
assurance that products that we may develop in the future will achieve market acceptance. If we fail to develop new products or new
product features on a timely basis that achieve market acceptance, our business, financial results and competitive position could be
adversely affected.
Delays in product development schedules may adversely affect our revenues and cash flows.
The development of CEWs, cameras and software products such as EVIDENCE.com is a complex and time-consuming
process. New products and enhancements to existing products can require long development and testing periods. Our increasing
focus on our SaaS platform also presents new and complex development issues. Significant delays in new product or service
releases or significant problems in creating new products or services could adversely affect our revenue.

15

We face risks associated with rapid technological change and new competing products.
The technology associated with law enforcement devices is receiving significant attention and is rapidly evolving. While we
have some patent protection in certain key areas of our CEW, AXON and SaaS technology, it is possible that new technology may
result in competing products that operate outside our patents and could present significant competition for our products which could
adversely affect our revenue.
Defects in our products could reduce demand for our products and result in a loss of sales, delay in market acceptance and
damage to our reputation.
Complex components and assemblies used in our products may contain undetected defects that are subsequently discovered at
any point in the life of the product. Defects in our products may result in a loss of sales, delay in market acceptance and damage to
our reputation and increased warranty costs, which could have a material adverse effect on profitability and financial condition.
If our security measures are breached and unauthorized access is obtained to customers’ data or our data, our network, data
centers and service may be perceived as not being secure, customers may curtail or stop using our service and we may incur
significant legal and financial exposure and liabilities.
Our service involves the storage and transmission of customers’ proprietary information, and security breaches could expose
us to a risk of loss of this information, litigation and possible liability. We devote significant resources to engineer secure products
and ensure security vulnerabilities are mitigated. Despite these efforts, security measures may be breached as a result of third-party
action, employee error, and malfeasance or otherwise. Breaches could occur during transfer of data to data centers or at any time,
and result in unauthorized access to our data or our customers’ data. Third parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees or
customers into disclosing sensitive information such as user names, passwords or other information in order to gain access to our
data or our customers’ data. Additionally, hackers may develop and deploy viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs
that attack or gain access to our networks and data centers. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, or to
sabotage systems, change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate
these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any security breach could result in a loss of confidence in the
security of our service, damage our reputation, lead to legal liability and negatively impact our future sales.
Interruptions or delays in service from our third-party cloud storage providers for our EVIDENCE.com service, or the loss
or corruption of digitally stored evidence, would impair the delivery of our service and harm our business.
We currently serve our EVIDENCE.com customers from third-party cloud storage providers based in the U.S. and other
countries. Interruptions in our service, or loss or corruption of digital evidence, may reduce our revenue, cause us to issue credits or
pay penalties, cause customers to terminate their subscriptions and adversely affect our renewal rates and our ability to attract new
customers. Our business will also be harmed if our customers and potential customers believe our service is unreliable.
Most of our end-user customers are subject to budgetary and political constraints that may delay or prevent sales.
Most of our end-user customers are government agencies. These agencies often do not set their own budgets and therefore,
have limited control over the amount of money they can spend. In addition, these agencies experience political pressure that may
dictate the manner in which they spend money. As a result, even if an agency wants to acquire our products, it may be unable to
purchase them due to budgetary or political constraints, particularly in challenging economic environments. There can be no
assurance that the economic and budgeting issues will not worsen and adversely impact sales of our products. Some government
agency orders may also be canceled or substantially delayed due to budgetary, political or other scheduling delays which frequently
occur in connection with the acquisition of products by such agencies and such cancellations may accelerate or be more severe than
we have experienced historically.
Due to municipal government funding rules, certain of our contracts are subject to appropriation (or similar) cancellation
clauses, which could allow our customers to cancel contracts in the future.
Although TASER has entered into contracts for the delivery of products and services in the future and anticipates the contracts
will be completed, if agencies do not appropriate money in future year budgets, or if other cancellation clauses are invoked, revenue
associated with these bookings will not ultimately be recognized, and result in a reduction to bookings.

16

We expend significant resources in anticipation of a sale due to our lengthy sales cycle and may receive no revenue in return.
Generally, law enforcement and corrections agencies consider a wide range of issues before committing to purchase our
products, including product benefits, training costs, the cost to use our products in addition to, or in place of, other products, budget
constraints and product reliability, safety and efficacy. The length of our sales cycle may range from a few weeks to as long as
several years. Adverse publicity surrounding our products or the safety of such products has in the past, and could in the future,
lengthen our sales cycle with customers. In the past, we believe that the Company’s sales were adversely impacted by negative
publicity surrounding our products or the use of our products. We may incur substantial selling costs and expend significant effort in
connection with the evaluation of our products by potential customers before they place an order. If these potential customers do not
purchase our products, we will have expended significant resources and received no revenue in return.
SaaS revenue for EVIDENCE.com is recognized over the terms of the contracts, which may be several years, and, as such,
trends in new business are not be immediately reflected in our operating results.
Our SaaS product revenue is generally recognized ratably over the terms of the contracts, which generally range from one to
five years. As a result, most of the SaaS revenue we report each quarter is the result of agreements entered into during previous
quarters. Consequently, current positive or negative trends in this portion of our business are not fully reflected in our revenue
results for several periods.
We may face personal injury, wrongful death and other liability claims that harm our reputation and adversely affect our
sales and financial condition.
Our CEW products are often used in aggressive confrontations that may result in serious, permanent bodily injury or death to
those involved. Our CEW products may be associated with these injuries. A person, or the family members of a person, injured in a
confrontation or otherwise in connection with the use of our products may bring legal action against us to recover damages on the
basis of theories including wrongful death, personal injury, negligent design, defective product or inadequate warning. We are
currently subject to a number of such lawsuits and we have recently been subject to significant adverse judgments and settlements.
We may also be subject to lawsuits involving allegations of misuse of our products. If successful, wrongful death, personal injury,
misuse and other claims could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition and could result in
negative publicity about our products. Although we carry product liability insurance, we do incur significant legal expenses within
our self-insured retention in defending these lawsuits and significant litigation could also result in a diversion of management’s
attention and resources, negative publicity and a potential award of monetary damages in excess of our insurance coverage. The
outcome of any litigation is inherently uncertain and there can be no assurance that our existing or any future litigation will not have
a material adverse effect on our revenues, our financial condition or financial results.
Other litigation may subject us to significant litigation costs and judgments and divert management attention from our
business.
We have been or could be in the future involved in numerous other litigation matters relating to our products, contracts and
business relationships, including litigation against persons who we believe have infringed on our intellectual property, infringement
litigation filed against the Company, litigation against a competitor and litigation filed by a former distributor against the Company.
Such matters have resulted, and are expected to continue to result in, substantial costs to us, judgments, settlements and some
diversion of our management’s attention, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results. There is
also a risk of adverse judgments, as the outcome of litigation is inherently uncertain.
If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, we may lose our competitive advantage or incur substantial litigation
costs to protect our rights. We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, which could cause us to incur
litigation costs and divert management attention from our business.
Our future success depends upon our proprietary technology. Our protective measures, including patents, trademarks,
copyrights, trade secret protection, and internet identity registrations, may prove inadequate to protect our proprietary rights and
market advantage. The right to stop others from misusing our trademarks and service marks in commerce depends, to some extent,
on our ability to show evidence of enforcement of our rights against such misuse in commerce. Our efforts to stop improper use, if
insufficient, may lead to loss of trademark and service mark rights, brand loyalty and notoriety among our customers and
prospective customers. The scope of any patent to which we have or may obtain rights to may not prevent others from developing
and selling competing products. The validity and breadth of claims covered in technology patents involve complex legal and factual
questions, and the resolution of such claims may be highly uncertain, lengthy and expensive. In addition, our patents may be held
invalid upon challenge, or others may claim rights in or ownership of our patents. Moreover, we are subject to litigation with parties
that claim, among other matters, that we infringed their patents or other intellectual property rights. The defense and prosecution of
17

patent and other intellectual property claims are both costly and time consuming and could result in a material adverse effect on our
business and financial position.
Also, any intellectual property infringement claims against us, with or without merit, could be costly and time-consuming to
defend and divert our management’s attention from our business. If our products were found to infringe a third party’s proprietary
rights, we could be forced to enter into costly royalty or licensing agreements in order to be able to sell our products or discontinue
use of the protected technology. Such royalty and licensing agreements may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all.
There is no guarantee that our use of conventional technology searching and brand clearance searching will identify all potential
rights holders. Rights holders may demand payment for past infringements and/or force us to accept costly license terms or
discontinue use of protected technology and/or works of authorship that may include, for example, photos, videos, and software. Our
current research and development focus on developing software-based products increases this risk.
In foreign countries we can enforce patent rights only in the jurisdictions in which our patent applications have been
granted.
Our U.S. patents protect us from imported infringing products coming into the U.S. from abroad. We have made applications
for patents in a few foreign countries; however, these may be inadequate to protect markets for our products in other foreign
countries. Each foreign patent is examined and granted according to the law of the country where it was filed independent of
whether a U.S. patent on similar technology was granted. A patent in a foreign country may be subject to cancellation if the claimed
invention has not been sold in that country. Meeting the requirements of working invention differs by country and ranges from sales
in the country to manufacturing in the country. U.S. export law, or the laws of some foreign countries, may prohibit us from
satisfying the requirements for working the invention, creating a risk that some of our foreign patents may become unenforceable.
Government regulations applied to our CEW products may affect our markets for and sales of these products.
We rely on the opinions of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, including the determination that a device that has
projectiles propelled by the release of compressed gas in place of the expanding gases from ignited gunpowder, are not classified as
firearms. Changes in statutes, regulations, and interpretation outside of our control may result in our products being classified or
reclassified as firearms. Our private citizen market could be substantially reduced if consumers are required to obtain a registration
to own a firearm prior to purchasing our products.
Federal regulation of sales in the U.S.: With the exceptions of the TASER XREP, our CEWs are not firearms regulated by the
U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, but our consumer products are regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission. Although there are currently no Federal laws restricting sales of our core CEW products in the U.S., future
Federal regulation could adversely affect sales of our products.
Federal regulation of international sales: Our CEW devices are considered a “crime control” product by the U.S. Department
of Commerce (“DOC”) for export directly from the U.S. Consequently, we must obtain an export license from the DOC for the
export of our CEW devices from the U.S. other than to Canada. In addition, certain of our camera and software products require
classifications from the DOC before they may be shipped internationally. Our inability to obtain DOC export licenses or
classifications on a timely basis for sales of our products to our international customers could significantly and adversely affect our
international sales.
State and local regulation: Our devices are controlled, restricted or their use prohibited by a number of state and local
governments. Our devices are banned from private citizen sale or use by statute in six states: District of Columbia, Hawaii,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Some cities and municipalities also prohibit private citizen possession or
use of our products. Other jurisdictions may ban or restrict the sale of our products and our product sales may be significantly
affected by additional state, county and city governmental regulation.
Foreign regulation: Certain foreign jurisdictions prohibit the importation, sale, possession or use of CEWs, including in some
countries by law enforcement agencies, limiting our international sales opportunities.

18

We face unique regulatory and political challenges presented by international markets.
Our international business, including any expansion in new international markets, may be adversely affected by local laws and
customs and U.S. laws applicable to foreign operations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Risks inherent in international operations also include, among others:
•

Foreign countries could change laws and regulations, change tax structures, or impose currency restrictions and other
restraints;

•

Risks associated with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and local anti-bribery law compliance;

•

Political changes and economic crises may lead to changes in the business environment in which we operate;

•

Local distributors of our products may not comply with existing laws and regulations;

•

Some countries impose burdensome tariffs and quotas; and

•

Economic sanctions may be imposed by the U.S. on some countries, which could disrupt the markets for products we sell,
even if we do not sell in the target country.

Environmental laws and regulations subject us to a number of risks and could result in significant liabilities and costs.
We are subject to various state, federal and international laws and regulations governing the environment, including restricting
the presence of certain substances in our products and making producers for those products financially responsible for the collection,
treatment, recycling and disposal. Environmental legislation within the European Union (“EU”) may increase our cost of doing
business internationally and impact our revenues from EU countries as we comply with and implement these requirements.
The EU has published Directives on the restriction of certain hazardous substances in electronic and electrical equipment (the
“RoHS Directive”) and on electronic and electrical waste management (the “WEEE Directive”). The RoHS Directive restricts the
use of a number of substances, including lead. The WEEE Directive directs members of the EU to enact laws, regulations, and
administrative provisions to ensure that producers of electric and electronic equipment are financially responsible for the collection,
recycling, treatment and environmentally responsible disposal of certain products sold into the EU. In addition, similar
environmental legislation has been or may be enacted in other jurisdictions, including the U.S. (under federal and state laws) and
other countries, the cumulative impact of which could be significant.
We continue to monitor the impact of specific registration and compliance activities required by the RoHS and WEEE
Directives. We endeavor to comply with applicable environmental laws, yet compliance with such laws could increase our
operations and product costs, increase the complexities of product design, procurement, and manufacturing, limit our ability to
manage excess and obsolete non-compliant inventory, limit our sales activities, and impact our future financial results. Any violation
of these laws can subject us to significant liability, including fines, penalties, and prohibiting sales of our products into one or more
states or countries, and result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
New regulations related to conflict minerals may force us to incur additional expenses, may make our supply chain more
complex and may result in damage to our reputation with customers.
In August 2012, the SEC adopted new disclosure requirements for companies that use certain minerals and metals, known as
“conflict minerals,” in their products, whether or not these products are manufactured by third parties. These requirements require
companies to perform due diligence, disclose and report whether or not such minerals originate from the Democratic Republic of
Congo and adjoining countries. We have incurred and will likely continue to incur costs to comply with the disclosure requirements,
including costs related to determining the source of any of the relevant minerals and metals used in our products. In addition, these
new requirements could adversely affect the sourcing, availability and pricing of minerals used in our products. Because our supply
chain is complex, we may not be able to sufficiently verify the origins for these minerals and metals used in our products through the
due diligence procedures that we implement, which may harm our reputation. In such an event, we may also face difficulties in
satisfying customers who require that all of the components of our products are certified as conflict-free.
Our dependence on third-party suppliers for key components of our devices could delay shipment of our products and
reduce our sales.
We depend on certain domestic and foreign suppliers for the delivery of components used in the assembly of our products. Our
reliance on third-party suppliers creates risks related to our potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of components or subassemblies and reduced control over pricing and timing of delivery of components and sub-assemblies. Specifically, we depend on
suppliers of sub-assemblies, machined parts, injection molded plastic parts, printed circuit boards, custom wire fabrications and
other miscellaneous customer parts for our products. We do not have long-term agreements with any of our suppliers and there is no
19

guarantee that supply will not be interrupted. Due to changes imposed for imports of foreign products into the U.S., as well as
potential port closures and delays created by terrorist attacks or threats, public health issues, national disasters or work stoppages,
we are exposed to risk of delays caused by freight carriers or customs clearance issues for our imported parts. Any interruption of
supply for any material components of our products could significantly delay the shipment of our products and have a material
adverse effect on our revenues, profitability and financial condition.
Component shortages could result in our inability to produce at a volume to adequately meet customer demand, which could
result in a loss of sales, delay in deliveries and injury to our reputation.
Single or sole-source components used in the manufacture of our products may become unavailable or discontinued. Delays
caused by industry allocations or obsolescence may take weeks or months to resolve. In some cases, parts obsolescence may require
a product re-design to ensure quality replacement components. These delays could cause significant delays in manufacturing and
loss of sales, leading to adverse effects significantly impacting our financial condition or results of operations and injure our
reputation.
We may experience a decline in gross margins due to rising raw material and transportation costs associated with a future
increase in petroleum prices.
A significant number of our raw materials are comprised of petroleum-based products, or incur some form of landed cost
associated with transporting the raw materials or components to our facility. A significant rise in oil prices could adversely impact
our ability to sustain current gross margins by increasing component pricing.
We may experience a decline in gross margins due to a shift in product sales from CEWs to AXON devices which may
continue to carry a lower gross margin.
We continue to invest in the growth of the AXON segment, and this expected growth may result in a higher percentage of total
revenues being comprised of AXON products and services. Gross margin as a percentage of net sales for the AXON segment is
currently lower than that of the TASER Weapons segment, and may continue to be lower in the future.
To the extent demand for our products increases, our future success will be dependent upon our ability to manage our
growth and to increase manufacturing production capacity, which may be accomplished by the implementation of
customized manufacturing automation equipment.
To the extent demand for our products increases significantly in future periods, one of our key challenges will be to increase
our production capacity to meet sales demand while maintaining product quality. Our primary strategies to accomplish this include
introducing additional shifts, increasing the physical size of our assembly facilities, the hiring of additional production staff, and the
implementation of additional customized automation equipment. The investments we make in this equipment may not yield the
anticipated labor and material efficiencies. Our inability to meet any future increase in sales demand or effectively manage our
expansion could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial results and financial condition.
Our future success is dependent on our ability to expand sales through distributors and direct sales and our inability to
recruit new distributors or increase direct sales would negatively affect our sales.
Our distribution strategy is to pursue sales through multiple channels with an emphasis on independent distributors and direct
sales. Our inability to establish relationships with and retain law enforcement equipment distributors, who we believe can
successfully sell our products, would adversely affect our sales. In addition, our arrangements with our distributors are generally
short-term. We are also focusing on direct sales to larger agencies through our regional sales managers and our inability to grow
sales to these agencies in this manner could adversely affect our sales. If we do not competitively price our products, meet the
requirements of our distributors or end-users, provide adequate marketing support, or comply with the terms of our distribution
arrangements, our distributors may fail to aggressively market our products or may terminate their relationships with us. These
developments would likely have a material adverse effect on our sales. Our reliance on the sales of our products by others also
makes it more difficult to predict our revenues, cash flow and operating results.
The increased focus on direct sales compared to sales through distribution is dependent on our ability to sell into the states
that have established distributor relationships.
In certain states we have decided to pursue sales directly with law enforcement customers, rather than working through
established distribution channels. Our customers may have strong working relationships with distributors and we may face
20

resistance to this change. If we do not overcome this resistance and effectively build a direct relationship with our customers, sales
may be adversely affected.
Acquisitions and joint ventures may have an adverse effect on our business.
We may consider additional acquisitions or joint ventures as part of our long-term business strategy. These transactions
involve significant challenges and risks including that the transaction does not advance our business strategy, that we don’t realize a
satisfactory return on our investment, or that we experience difficulty in the integration or coordination of new employees, business
systems, and technology, or there is a diversion of management’s attention from our other businesses. These events could harm our
operating results or financial condition.
Catastrophic events may disrupt our business.
A disruption or failure of our systems or operations in the event of a major earthquake, weather event, fire, cyber-attack,
terrorist attack, or other catastrophic event could cause delays in completing sales, providing services, or performing other missioncritical functions. A catastrophic event that results in the destruction or disruption of any of our critical business or information
technology systems could harm our ability to conduct normal business operations and our operating results.
Our revenues and operating results may fluctuate unexpectedly from quarter-to-quarter, which may cause our stock price to
decline.
Our revenues and operating results have varied significantly in the past and may vary significantly in the future due to various
factors, including, but not limited to:
•

budgetary cycles of municipal, state and federal law enforcement and corrections agencies;

•

market acceptance of our products and services;

•

the timing of large domestic and international orders;

•

the outcome of any existing or future litigation;

•

adverse publicity surrounding our products, the safety of our products, or the use of our products;

•

changes in our sales mix;

•

new product introduction costs;

•

increased raw material expenses;

•

changes in our operating expenses; and

•

regulatory changes that may affect the marketability of our products.

As a result of these and other factors, we believe that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful
in the short term, and our performance in a particular period may not be indicative of our performance in any future period.
The Company’s financial performance is subject to risks associated with changes in the value of the U.S. dollar versus local
currencies.
For current and potential foreign customers whose contracts are denominated in U.S. dollars, the relative change in currency
values creates fluctuations in our product pricing. These changes in foreign end-user costs may result in lost orders and reduce the
competitiveness of our products in certain foreign markets.
For non-U.S. dollar denominated sales, weakening of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar generally leads us to raise
international pricing, potentially reducing demand for our products. Should we decide not to raise local prices to fully offset the
dollar’s strengthening, or at all, the U.S. dollar value of our foreign currency denominated sales and earnings would be adversely
affected. We do not currently engage in hedging activities. Fluctuations in foreign currency could result in a change in the U.S.
dollar value of our foreign denominated assets and liabilities including accounts receivable. Therefore, the U.S. dollar equivalent
collected on a given sale could be less than the amount invoiced causing the sale to be less profitable than contemplated.
We also import selected components which are used in the manufacturing of some of our products. Although our purchase
orders are generally in U.S. dollars, weakness in the U.S. dollar could lead to price increases for the components.

21

We maintain most of our cash balances, some of which are not insured, at three depository institutions.
We maintain most of our cash accounts at three depository institutions. As of December 31, 2014, our aggregate balances in
such accounts were $48.4 million. The Company’s balances with these institutions regularly exceed Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (“FDIC”) insured limits.
We could suffer losses with respect to the uninsured balances if the depositary institutions failed and the institution’s assets
were insufficient to cover its deposits and/or the Federal government did not take actions to support deposits in excess of existing
FDIC insurance limits. Any such losses could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition and results of
operations.
We have established our international headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and as such will have significant Euro
denominated expenses.
We will be establishing bank accounts in Amsterdam which will denominated in Euros
We depend on our ability to attract and retain our key management and technical personnel.
Our success depends upon the continued service of our key management personnel. Our success also depends on our ability to
continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified technical personnel. Although we have employment agreements with certain of our
officers, the employment of such persons is “at-will” and either we or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at
any time, subject to the applicable terms of the employment agreements. The competition for our key employees is intense. The loss
of the service of one or more of our key personnel could harm our business.

Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

None.
Item 2.

Properties

Our corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities are based in a 100,000 square foot facility in Scottsdale, Arizona,
which we own. We also lease premises in Scottsdale, Arizona; Seattle, Washington; Topsfield, Massachusetts; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
Sao Paulo, Brazil; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Frankfurt, Germany. We believe our existing facilities are well maintained and in
good operating condition. We also believe we have adequate manufacturing capacity for our existing product lines for the
foreseeable future. To the extent that we introduce new products in the future, we will likely need to acquire additional facilities to
locate the associated production lines. However, we believe we can acquire or lease such facilities on reasonable terms. The
Company continues to make investments in capital equipment as needed to meet anticipated demand for its products.

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

See discussion of litigation in Note 9(c) to the consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual
Report on Form 10-K, which discussion is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

None.

22

PART II
Item 5.

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information
Our common stock is quoted under the symbol “TASR” on The NASDAQ Global Select Market. The following table sets
forth the high and low sales prices per share for our common stock as reported by NASDAQ for each quarter of the last two fiscal
years.
High

Year Ended December 31, 2014:
First quarter……………………………………………………………………………….. $
Second quarter…………………………………………………………………………….

Low

20.83 $

14.89

19.17

12.55

Third quarter………………………………………………………………………………

18.76

10.46

Fourth quarter……………………………………………………………………………..

27.65

13.40

High

Year Ended December 31, 2013:
First quarter……………………………………………………………………………….. $
Second quarter…………………………………………………………………………….

Low

9.80 $

6.70

9.79

7.24

Third quarter………………………………………………………………………………

15.30

8.43

Fourth quarter……………………………………………………………………………..

18.52

13.45

Holders
As of December 31, 2014, there were 294 holders of record of our common stock.
Dividends
To date, we have not declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We do not intend to pay cash dividends in the
foreseeable future and our revolving line of credit prohibits the payment of cash dividends.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
In May 2014, the Company's Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program to acquire up to $30.0 million of the
Company’s outstanding common stock subject to stock market conditions and corporate considerations. During the year ended
December 31, 2014, the Company repurchased approximately 1.7 million common shares under this program for a total cost of
approximately $22.4 million, or a weighted average cost of $12.99 per share. The weighted average cost includes the average price
paid per share of $12.96, plus any applicable administrative costs for the transaction. The Company has approximately $7.6 million
remaining on the repurchase authorization as of December 31, 2014. Repurchases may be made from time to time on the open
market. There were no repurchases of our common stock by the Company or on its behalf during the three months ended December
31, 2014.

23

Stock Performance Graph
The following stock performance graph compares the performance of our common stock to the NASDAQ Stock Market (U.S.)
and the Russell 3000 Index. The graph covers the period from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2014. The graph assumes that
the value of the investment in our stock and in each index was $100 at December 31, 2009, and that all dividends were reinvested.
We do not pay dividends on our common stock.

2009

TASER International, Inc.
NASDAQ Composite
Russell 3000

$

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

100.00 $

107.31 $

116.89 $

204.11 $

362.56 $

604.57

100.00

117.61

118.70

139.00

196.83

223.74

100.00

116.93

118.13

137.52

183.66

206.72

24

Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes
thereto, and with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” The statement
of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2014 and
2013, have been derived from, and should be read in conjunction with, our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes
thereto included herein. The statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the balance sheet
data as of December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto
which are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Dollars are in thousands, except per share amounts.
For the Year Ended December 31,

Statement of Operations Data:
Net sales………………………………….. $
Cost of products sold and services
delivered…………………………………..
Excess inventory charges…………………

2014

2013

2012

2011

164,525 $

137,831 $

114,753 $

2010

90,028 $

86,930

62,977

51,988

47,038

41,753

41,563

—

—

—

3,746

—

Gross margin……………………………...

101,548

85,843

67,715

44,529

45,367

Sales, general and administrative expenses
Research and development expenses……..

54,158

46,557

39,247

40,801

39,095

14,885

9,888

8,139

9,989

11,412

Litigation judgments (recoveries)………...

—

1,450

(2,200)

3,301

—

Loss on impairment……………………….

—

—

—

Income (loss) from operations……………
Interest and other (expense) income, net…

32,505

27,948

22,529

86

83

(194)

1,354
(10,916)

—
(5,140)

1,287

26

Income (loss) before provision (benefit)
for income taxes…………………………..
Provision (benefit) for income taxes……...

32,311

28,034

22,612

(9,629)

(5,114)

12,393

9,790

7,874

(2,589)

(730)

Net income (loss)………………………… $

19,918 $

18,244 $

14,738 $

(7,040) $

(4,384)

Net income (loss) per common and
common equivalent shares:
Basic…………………………………. $

0.38 $

0.35 $

0.27 $

(0.12) $

(0.07)

Diluted……………………………….. $

0.37 $

0.34 $

0.27 $

(0.12) $

(0.07)

Weighted average number of common and
common equivalent shares outstanding:
Basic………………………………….

52,948

51,880

53,827

59,436

62,524

Diluted………………………………..

54,500

54,152

54,723

59,436

62,524

As of December 31,
2014

Balance Sheet Data:
Working capital…………………………... $
Total assets………………………………..

2013

107,855 $

2012

74,338 $

2011

60,944 $

2010

45,845 $

70,378

185,368

148,382

116,236

104,963

136,187

Total current liabilities……………………

31,973

23,129

18,109

15,888

11,948

Total long-term debt and capital leases, net
of current portion…………………………

29

67

103

—

—

Total stockholders’ equity………………...

129,106

108,347

87,285

82,456

117,564

25

Item 7.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is designed to provide a
reader of our consolidated financial statements with a narrative from the perspective of our management on our financial condition,
results of operations, liquidity and certain other factors that may affect our future results. Our MD&A should be read in conjunction
with the other sections of this annual report on Form 10-K, including Part I, Item 1A: “Risk Factors”; Part II, Item 6: “Selected
Financial Data”; and Part II, Item 8: “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” The various sections of this MD&A contain a
number of forward-looking statements, all of which are based on our current expectations and could be affected by the uncertainties
and risk factors described throughout this filing. The tables in the MD&A sections below are derived from exact numbers and may
have immaterial rounding differences.
Executive Overview and Key Strategic Initiatives
Our core mission is to protect life and to protect truth through technologies that make communities safer. We are a market
leader in the development and manufacture of advanced conducted electrical weapons (“CEWs”) designed for use by law
enforcement, military, corrections, and private security personnel and by private individuals for personal defense. More recently, to
address challenges faced by law enforcement officers post-incident, we have developed a fully integrated hardware and software
solution to provide our law enforcement customers the capabilities to capture, store, manage, share and analyze video and other
digital evidence.
Technological innovation is the foundation for our long-term growth and we intend to maintain our commitment to the
research and development of our technology for both new and existing products that further our mission. At the same time we have
established industry leading training services to provide our users a comprehensive overview of legal, policy, medical and risk
mitigation issues relating to our products and the use of force. We have built a network of distribution channels for selling and
marketing our products and services to law enforcement agencies, primarily in North America, with ongoing focus and effort placed
on expanding these programs in international, military and other markets. Over 17,000 law enforcement agencies in nearly 150
countries have made initial purchases of our TASER brand devices for testing or deployment. To date, we do not know of any
significant sales of any competing CEW products, but acknowledge the continued emergence of competition within the on-officer
camera, digital evidence management and related technology market.
Our key strategic initiatives include:
•

Continue investment in development of innovative new products, which both compliment and add to our existing
platforms. Our research and development efforts in 2014 were primarily focused on refining our EVIDENCE.com services
and exploring next generation hardware for our TASER Weapons and AXON segments.
We believe that the video evidence capture and management market will continue to grow significantly due to several
factors, including increasing recognition of the benefits and value of video evidence and other mobile technologies. In
2015, we expect to devote significant resources towards both the development of the next revenue generating product for
our AXON segment, and additional functionality for our existing SaaS. We aim to work closely with our customers to
develop new value added features to our existing platform that are necessary to optimize their workflows, as well as
develop adjacent technologies in wearables, cloud, and mobile devices.

•

Increase market penetration in both international and U.S. law enforcement markets:
Internationally, there is a very significant portion of the market where officers do not carry CEWs or wear on-officer
cameras. We believe there is substantial opportunity for more widespread adoption of CEWs and AXON products in
foreign countries. In recent years, we have seen international markets become increasingly attractive and we seek to
maintain that trend as we demonstrate the benefits of large-scale adoptions of our CEWs and AXON products, using
countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia as benchmarks of successful programs. We have also decided to make
focused investments in targeted countries such as France, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia as we see
considerable opportunity for increased sales in those regions. Because the sales cycle to sell into a new international market
can be as long or longer than 18 to 24 months, it is important that we continue to develop our pipeline in terms of both the
number and size of opportunities.
In the U.S., our focus is on driving deeper penetration into law enforcement agencies that do not have a CEW or on-officer
camera on every officer. Our strategy is to create a dominant market position in domestic law enforcement and
internationally over time.

26

•

Focus on increasing bookings and brand awareness for EVIDENCE.com and AXON cameras. We have expanded our
AXON sales team from 14 at the end of 2013 to 16 full-time salespeople at the end of 2014. We expect the additional
salesforce to generate increased bookings in 2015. In addition, during 2015, we expect to continue our concerted efforts to
promote the awareness of the benefits of digital evidence management in general, and EVIDENCE.com specifically,
throughout the law enforcement community. We expect additional efforts will encompass tech summits, sponsorships,
tradeshows, interaction with trade associations (such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police), and other
promotional activities.
Included in our strategy to demonstrate the benefits of EVIDENCE.com, we have optional test and evaluation periods of
the product on-site with customers. We experienced increasing volumes of trial programs in 2014 and believe these trial
programs are the best way for our customers to see the powerful capabilities, benefits and compelling value proposition of
our technology. We anticipate further increases in these trial programs in 2015, ultimately leading to increased sales. As
market acceptance grows, we anticipate fewer and/or shorter trial programs will be necessary to capture sales.

•

Focus on maintaining incremental sales channels by continuing to develop purchasing programs that position the Company
to own municipality budget lines and become the ongoing technology provider for our customers in order to drive sales
growth.

•

Focus on minimizing attrition rates by providing world class products and services that provide the value necessary to
ensure customers continue to renew their contracts.

•

Further develop our presence in federal government and military markets. We intend to continue to place emphasis on
supporting our military customers through our team of professionals with extensive military, homeland defense and law
enforcement experience. The primary focus of this team is to support military use for our existing hardware as well as
increase technology development through contracted support.

•

Continued application for patents and intellectual property rights, both in the U.S. and internationally, to protect key
technology in our products and further attempt to protect and maintain our competitive position.

•

Continued aggressive litigation defense to protect our brand equity. We maintain a team of world class medical experts and
internal legal resources to provide an efficient means of defending the Company against product liability claims.

Results of Operations
The following table presents data from our statements of operations as well as the percentage relationship to total net sales of
items included in our statements of operations (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2014

Net sales……………………………………………… $ 164,525
Cost of products sold and services delivered…………
62,977

2013

100.0 % $ 137,831

2012

100.0 % $ 114,753

100.0 %

38.3

51,988

37.7

47,038

41.0

Gross margin………………………………………….

101,548

61.7

85,843

62.3

67,715

59.0

Operating expenses:
Sales, general and administrative………………..

54,158

32.9

46,557

33.8

39,247

34.2

Research and development………………………

14,885

9.0

9,888

7.2

8,139

7.1

Litigation judgments (recoveries)……………….

—

—

1,450

1.1

(2,200)

(1.9)

Total operating expenses……………………………..

69,043

42.0

57,895

42.0

45,186

39.4

Income from operations……………………………...
Interest and other (expense) income, net…………….

32,505

19.8

27,948

20.3

22,529

19.6

86

0.1

83

0.1

Income before provision for income taxes…………..
Provision for income taxes…………………………..

32,311

19.6

28,034

20.3

22,612

19.7

12,393

7.5

9,790

7.1

7,874

6.9

(194)

Net income…………………………………………... $ 19,918

27

(0.1)

12.1 % $ 18,244

13.2 % $ 14,738

12.8 %

Net sales to the U.S. and other countries are summarized as follows (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2014

2013

2012

United States…………………………………………. $ 132,205
Other Countries……………………………………….
32,320

80.4 % $ 115,674

83.9 % $ 93,427

81.4 %

19.6

16.1

18.6

Total………………………………………………….. $ 164,525
.

100.0 % $ 137,831

22,157

21,326

100.0 % $ 114,753

100.0 %

The Company’s operations are comprised of two reportable segments; the sale of CEWs, accessories and other products and
services (the “TASER Weapons” segment) and the AXON video business, focused on wearables, cloud and mobile products,
including AXON video products, TASER Cam and EVIDENCE.com (the "AXON" segment formerly known as the
“EVIDENCE.com & Video” segment). The Company includes only revenues and costs directly attributable to the AXON segment
in that segment. Included in AXON segment costs are: costs of sales for both products and services, selling expense for the video
sales team, video product management expenses, video trade shows and related expenses, and research and development for
products included in the AXON segment. All other costs are included in the TASER Weapons segment. The Company does not
regularly review assets by segment; therefore we do not allocate assets by segment as part of our financial information presented.
Net Sales
Net sales by product line were as follows for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2014

TASER Weapons segment:
TASER X26P……………………. $

Dollar
Change

2013

Percent
Change

43,512

26.4 % $

21,860

15.9 % $

TASER X2……………………….

21,652

99.0 %

28,774

17.5

26,471

19.2

2,303

8.7

TASER X26……………………...

18,712

11.4

30,883

22.4

(12,171)

(39.4)

TASER C2……………………….

2,084

1.3

2,468

1.8

(384)

(15.6)

TASER M26……………………..

693

0.4

681

0.5

12

1.8

TASER XREP……………………

2,617

1.6

—

—

2,617

*

Single cartridges…………………

38,539

23.4

35,660

25.9

2,879

8.1

Extended warranties including
TAP………………………………
Other……………………………..

6,024

3.7

4,617

3.3

1,407

30.5

4,658

2.8

4,834

3.5

TASER Weapons segment……………

145,613

88.5

127,474

92.5

18,139

14.2

AXON segment:
AXON solutions…………………

9,029

5.5

3,454

2.5

5,575

161.4

EVIDENCE.com………………...

4,039

2.5

1,719

1.2

2,320

135.0

TASER Cam……………………..

4,674

2.8

4,688

3.4

(14)

Other……………………………..

1,170

0.7

496

0.4

674

135.9

8,555

82.6

26,694

19.4

AXON segment………………………
Total net sales………………………... $
*

18,912
164,525

11.5
100.0 % $

not meaningful

28

10,357
137,831

7.5
100.0 % $

(176)

(3.6)

(0.3)

Net unit sales for the TASER Weapons handles and other products and AXON segment products are as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
2014

Unit
Change

2013

Percent
Change

TASER X26P………………………………………...
TASER X2……………………………………….......

51,283

28,107

23,176

82.5 %

26,901

28,164

(1,263)

(4.5)

TASER X26……………………………………….....

17,770

33,769

(15,999)

(47.4)

TASER M26………………………………………....

1,994

2,091

(97)

(4.6)

TASER C2……………………………………….......

7,249

8,116

(867)

(10.7)

StrikeLight……………………………………….......

2,767

3,141

(374)

(11.9)

Cartridges……………………………………….........

1,618,117

1,552,028

AXON flex…………………………………………...

10,034

AXON body…………………………………..……...

13,219

TASER Cam…………………………………..……...

9,303

66,089

4.3

4,903

5,131

104.7

1,888

11,331

600.2

10,686

(1,383)

(12.9)

Net sales were $164.5 million and $137.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, an increase
of $26.7 million or 19.4%. Net sales for the TASER Weapons segment were $145.6 million and $127.5 million for the years ended
December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, an increase of $18.1 million or 14.2%. Net sales for the AXON segment were $18.9
million and $10.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, an increase of $8.6 million or 82.6%.
The increase in net sales for 2014 compared to 2013 in the TASER Weapons segment was primarily driven by the introduction
of the TASER X26P smart weapon. Growing demand is seen in the TASER Weapons segment as customers are upgrading their
legacy CEWs to the new TASER X2 and X26P smart weapons. In the AXON segment, the increase in net sales was driven by the
continued adoption of the AXON on-officer cameras and EVIDENCE.com application in the law enforcement markets. International
customers continued to be a steady contributor to the results with $32.3 million in 2014 versus $22.2 million in 2013. To further
strengthen our international presence, during 2014, the Company established TASER International, B.V. located in Amsterdam,
Netherlands, that will serve as a permanent international headquarters to facilitate transactions with existing customers as well as
allow for continued expansion into other foreign markets. This location will have full-time personnel functioning in sales and
marketing, training, finance and other administrative roles.
To gain more immediate feedback regarding activity for AXON products and EVIDENCE.com services, we also review
bookings for these products. We consider bookings to be a statistical measure defined as the sales price of orders (not invoiced
sales), net of cancellations, placed in the relevant fiscal period, regardless of when the products or services ultimately will be
provided. Some bookings will be invoiced in subsequent years. Due to municipal government funding rules, certain of the future
year amounts included in bookings are subject to budget appropriation or other contract cancellation clauses. Although TASER has
entered into contracts for the delivery of products and services in the future and anticipates the contracts will be completed, if
agencies do not appropriate money in future year budgets or enact a cancellation clause, revenue associated with these bookings will
not ultimately be recognized, resulting in a future reduction to bookings. Bookings related to EVIDENCE.com and the AXON
product line increased to $57.1 million during 2014, compared to $14.5 million in 2013.

29

Net sales by product line were as follows for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2013

TASER Weapons segment:
TASER X26P……………………. $

Dollar
Change

2012

21,860

15.9 % $

TASER X2……………………….

26,471

19.2

25,841

22.5

TASER X26……………..……….

30,883

22.4

35,950

31.3

(5,067)

(14.1)

TASER C2……………………….

2,468

1.8

3,095

2.7

(627)

(20.3)

TASER M26……….…………….

681

0.5

1,233

1.1

(552)

(44.8)

Single cartridges……………...….

35,660

25.9

32,811

28.6

2,849

8.7

Extended warranties including
TAP………………………..…….
Other…………………………….

4,617

3.3

3,589

3.1

1,028

28.6

4,834

3.5

6,536

5.7

(1,702)

(26.0)

TASER Weapons segment……………

127,474

92.5

109,055

95.0

18,419

16.9

AXON segment:
AXON solutions…………………

3,454

2.5

2,055

1.8

1,399

68.1

EVIDENCE.com……………...…
……….
TASER Cam……………………..

1,719

1.2

398

0.3

1,321

331.9

4,688

3.4

3,055

2.7

1,633

53.5

Other……………………………..
.
AXON segment………………………

496

0.4

190

0.2

306

161.1

10,357

7.5

5,698

5.0

4,659

81.8

23,078

20.1

Total net sales………………………... $
*

137,831

100.0 % $

—

—% $

Percent
Change

114,753

21,860

*

630

100.0 % $

2.4 %

not meaningful
Net unit sales for the TASER Weapons handles and other products and AXON segment products are as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
2013

Unit
Change

2012

TASER X26P………………………………………...
TASER X2…………………………………………...

28,107

—

28,164

TASER X26………………………………………….
TASER M26…………………………………………

Percent
Change

28,107

*

30,665

(2,501)

(8.2 )%

33,769

42,340

(8,571)

(20.2)

2,091

3,771

(1,680)

(44.6)

TASER C2…………………………………………...

8,116

11,803

(3,687)

(31.2)

StrikeLight…………………………………………...

3,141

—

3,141

Cartridges…………………………………………….

1,552,028

1,540,838

11,190

0.7

AXON flex…………………………………………...

4,903

2,772

2,131

76.9

AXON body………………………………………….

1,888

—

1,888

TASER Cam………………………………………….

10,686

7,859

2,827

*

*

*
36.0

not meaningful

Net sales were $137.8 million and $114.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, an increase
of $23.1 million or 20.1%. Net sales for the TASER Weapons segment were $127.5 million and $109.1 million for the years ended
December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, an increase of $18.4 million or 16.9%. Net sales for the AXON segment were $10.4
million and $5.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, an increase of $4.7 million or 81.8%.
The increase in net sales for 2013 compared to 2012 in the TASER Weapons segment was primarily driven by the introduction
of the TASER X26P smart weapon. Growing demand was seen in the TASER Weapons segment as customers upgraded their legacy
CEWs to the new TASER X2 and X26P smart weapons. In the AXON segment, the increase in net sales was driven by the continued
adoption of the AXON on-officer cameras and EVIDENCE.com application in the law enforcement markets. International
customers continued to be a steady contributor to the results with $22.2 million in 2013 versus $21.3 million in 2012. International
sales grew slightly in 2013, although decreasing as a percentage of total revenue.
30

Cost of Products Sold and Services Delivered
(dollars in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
2014
TASER Weapons segment:
Cost of products sold…………
Cost as % of sales………

$47,680
32.7 %

2013

$44,025 $

Dollar
Change

3,655

Year Ended December 31,
Percent
Change

8.3 %

34.5 %

2013

$44,025

2012

$39,350 $

34.5 %

36.1 %

Dollar
Change

4,675

Percent
Change

11.9 %

AXON segment:
Cost of products sold…………

13,233

6,074

7,159

117.9

6,074

3,773

2,301

Cost of services delivered…….

2,064

1,889

175

9.3

1,889

3,915

(2,026)

Total cost of products sold and
services delivered…………….

15,297

7,963

7,334

92.1

7,963

7,688

275

3.6

76.9 %

134.9 %
4,950

10.5

Cost as % of sales………
Total cost of products sold and
services delivered…………………..
Cost as % of sales………

80.9 %
$62,977
38.3 %

76.9 %
$51,988 $ 10,989
37.7 %

21.1

$51,988
37.7 %

$47,038 $

61.0
(51.7)

41.0 %

Cost of products sold and services delivered was $63.0 million and $52.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and
2013, respectively, an increase of $11.0 million or 21.1%. As a percentage of net sales, cost of products sold and services delivered
remained relatively consistent at 38.3% in 2014 compared to 37.7% in 2013. Within the TASER Weapons segment, cost of products
sold increased $3.7 million, or 8.3%, to $47.7 million in 2014, compared to $44.0 million in 2013, but decreased as a percent of
sales to 32.7% from 34.5%. The net decrease in cost of products sold as a percent of sales primarily reflects increased leverage due
to higher sales and a higher average selling prices.
Within the AXON segment, cost of products sold and services delivered were $15.3 million, an increase of $7.3 million, or
92.1% from 2013. The increase was driven by growing sales in this segment, increased data storage costs as more agencies utilize
EVIDENCE.com, as well as the introduction of a professional services team. These increases were partially offset by the full
depreciation of the capitalized EVIDENCE.com software development costs as of June 30, 2013. The slight decrease in overall cost
of products sold and services delivered as a percentage of sales was driven by higher sales and by improvements to our
EVIDENCE.com SaaS margins. There are a number of fixed costs for the AXON segment which, as we generate additional traction
in the business, we expect to remain relatively stable and should allow for lower cost of services delivered as a percentage of service
revenue. As a percentage of net sales, cost of products sold and services delivered increased slightly to 80.9% in 2014 from 76.9% in
2013.
Cost of products sold and services delivered, was $52.0 million and $47.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and
2012, respectively, an increase of $5.0 million or 10.5%. As a percentage of net sales, cost of products sold and services delivered
decreased to 37.7% in 2013 from 41.0% in 2012. Within the TASER Weapons segment, cost of products sold increased $4.7 million,
or 11.9%, to $44.0 million in 2013, compared to $39.4 million in 2012, but decreased as a percent of sales to 34.5% from 36.1%.
The net decrease in cost of products sold as a percent of sales primarily reflects increased leverage due to higher sales and a higher
average selling prices.
Within the AXON segment, cost of products sold and services delivered were $8.0 million, an increase of $0.3 million, or
3.6% from 2012. Increased product costs related to the AXON segment due to growing sales in this segment were partially offset by
decreased service costs, resulting in a slight overall increase for 2013 as compared to the prior year. The decrease in service costs is
comprised of cost savings due to efficiencies gained by moving to a third party cloud storage from our data center, as well as the full
depreciation of the capitalized EVIDENCE.com software development costs as of June 30, 2013. The decrease in overall cost of
products sold and services delivered as a percentage of sales was driven by higher sales and by improvements to our
EVIDENCE.com SaaS margins. There are a number of fixed costs for the AXON segment which, as we generate traction in the
business, we expect to remain relatively stable and should allow for lower cost of services delivered as a percentage of service
revenue. As a percentage of net sales, cost of products sold and services delivered decreased to 76.9% in 2013 from 134.9% in 2012.

31

Gross Margin
(dollars in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
2014

TASER Weapons segment…. $ 97,933
AXON segment…………….
3,615

$ 83,449

Total gross margin…………. $ 101,548

$ 85,843

*

Gross margin as % of
sales…………………....
not meaningful

Dollar
Change

2013

$

2,394

61.7 %

$

Year Ended December 31,
Percent
Change

14,484

2013

17.4 % $ 83,449

1,221

51.0

2,394

15,705

18.3

$ 85,843

62.3 %

Dollar
Change

2012

$ 69,705

$ 13,744

(1,990)
$ 67,715

62.3 %

Percent
Change

19.7 %

4,384

*

$ 18,128

26.8

59.0 %

Gross margin increased $15.7 million to $101.5 million for 2014 compared to $85.8 million for 2013. As a percentage of net
sales, gross margin decreased slightly to 61.7% for 2014 compared to 62.3% for 2013. The decrease is primarily attributable to sales
mix and continued growth in the AXON segment. As a percentage of net sales, gross margin for the TASER Weapons segment was
67.3% and 65.5% for 2014 and 2013, respectively, while the same measure for these years for the AXON segment were 19.1% and
23.1%, respectively. Although the Company experienced improvements in margins for the Weapons and AXON segments
individually, due primarily to higher average selling prices, as the AXON segment continues to become a greater percentage of total
sales, the Company expects to see a slight decrease in overall margins as a percentage of sales. The overall increase in margins was
negatively impacted by higher inventory reserves taken towards the end of 2014 as compared to 2013 related primarily to the
reserve for the X26 CEW that was discontinued as of December 31, 2014. The Company also accrued approximately $1.1 million
of inventory losses related to products it may not be able to use in production of certain AXON camera products.
Gross margin increased $18.1 million to $85.8 million in 2013 compared to $67.7 million in 2012. As a percentage of net
sales, gross margin increased to 62.3% for 2013 compared to 59.0% for 2012. The increase in gross margin as a percentage of net
sales for 2014 was primarily attributable to the move of the EVIDENCE.com data center to a third party provider, the full
depreciation of the capitalized EVIDENCE.com software development costs, increased sales of higher margin products and
operational efficiencies.
Sales, General and Administrative Expenses
Sales, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were comprised as follows for 2014 and 2013 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2014

Salaries, benefits and bonus…………………….…… $
Stock-based compensation…………………….…….

Dollar
Change

2013

18,179

$

14,723

$

Percent
Change

3,456

3,558

3,158

Legal, professional and accounting……………….…

4,711

7,323

(2,612)

(35.7)

Sales and marketing…………………………….……

8,124

6,025

2,099

34.8

Consulting and lobbying services……………………

3,417

2,097

1,320

62.9

Travel and meals…………………………………….

4,778

3,305

1,473

44.6

Building……………………………………………...

2,956

3,160

(204)

(6.5)

Supplies………………………………………………

1,898

1,462

436

29.8

Depreciation and amortization……………………….

1,246

1,230

16

1.3

Liability insurance…………………………………...

1,303

2,012

(709)

(35.2)

Other…………………………………………………
Total sales, general and administrative expenses……. $

3,988
54,158

Sales, general, and administrative as a percentage of
net sales

32.9 %

32

400

23.5 %

2,062
$

46,557
33.8 %

$

12.7

1,926

93.4

7,601

16.3

Of the increase in SG&A above, there was increased expense associated with customer-facing positions, including: salaries,
benefits, bonus and stock-based compensation, as well as sales commissions, which are included in the sales and marketing line item
in the table above. Positions were added throughout the year, with the following customer-facing headcount as of the end of each
year:
As of December 31,
2014

2013

2012

TASER Weapons sales representatives………………………………….
AXON sales representatives…………………….……………………….

12

8

8

16

14

7

International sales representatives……………………………………….

5

5

3

Support sales staff………………………………….…………………….

8

8

5

Telesales…………………………………………………………………

17

11

8

Other customer-facing roles……………………………………………..

20

14

12

Total customer-facing roles……………………………………………...

78

60

43

Sales, general and administrative expenses were $54.2 million and $46.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and
2013, respectively, an increase of $7.6 million or 16.3%. As a percentage of total net sales, SG&A expenses decreased to 32.9% for
2014 compared to 33.8% for 2013.
Within the TASER Weapons segment, SG&A increased $2.8 million, or 7.0%, to $43.0 million from $40.2 million in 2013.
Salaries, benefits, bonus and stock-based compensation in the TASER Weapons increased approximately $2.0 million in 2014
compared to 2013 partially due to increased international, telesales, and support sales staff. Incremental administrative functions
were also added in 2014 in order to support the growing business. Travel expenses also increased approximately $0.5 million
compared to the prior year as increased international travel occurred to set up the new international offices in Amsterdam. Offsetting
these increases, efficiencies were realized in liability insurance costs and sales and marketing expenses.
Within the AXON segment, SG&A increased $4.8 million, or 75.0%, to $11.2 million in 2014 in comparison to the prior year.
Salaries, benefits, bonus and stock-based compensation in the AXON segment increased $1.9 million. Sales and marketing expenses
in the AXON segment also increased approximately $1.4 million in comparison to 2013 as a result of a large presence and a hosted
booth at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. We believe these increases in marketing activities will increase customer
awareness of the benefits of EVIDENCE.com and ultimately lead to sales growth in future periods. Sales and marketing expenses
also include increases of approximately $0.9 million in commissions. Increases were also seen in lobbying and consulting fees of
approximately $0.8 million and travel expenses of approximately $0.8 million.
The Company expects to see increases in SG&A in 2015 compared to 2014 as it plans to make additional investments in
customer-facing positions both domestically and internationally along with increased investments in sales and marketing.

33

Sales, general and administrative expenses were comprised as follows for 2013 and 2012 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2013

Salaries, benefits and bonus…………………………. $
Stock-based compensation…………………………...

Dollar
Change

2012

14,723

$

11,385

$

Percent
Change

3,338

29.3 %

3,158

2,629

529

20.1

Legal, professional and accounting…………………..

7,323

6,427

896

13.9

Sales and marketing………………………………….

6,025

4,284

1,741

Consulting and lobbying services……………………

2,097

2,542

(445)

(17.5)

Travel and meals……………………………………..

3,305

3,020

285

9.4

Building……………………………………………...

3,160

2,979

181

6.1

Supplies………………………………………………

1,462

1,340

122

9.1

Depreciation and amortization……………………….

1,230

1,492

(262)

(17.6)

Liability insurance…………………………………...

2,012

1,821

191

10.5

Other…………………………………………………

2,062

1,328

734

55.3

7,310

18.6

Total sales, general and administrative expenses……. $

46,557

Sales, general, and administrative as a percentage of
net sales

33.8 %

$

39,247

$

40.6

34.2 %

Sales, general and administrative expenses were $46.6 million and $39.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and
2012, respectively, an increase of $7.3 million or 18.6%. As a percentage of total net sales, SG&A expenses decreased to 33.8% for
2013 compared to 34.2% for 2012.
Within the TASER Weapons segment, SG&A increased $4.4 million, or 12.4%, to $40.2 million from $35.7 million in 2012.
Salaries, benefits, bonus and stock-based compensation in the TASER Weapons increased approximately $2.6 million in 2013
compared to 2012 partially due to increased international, telesales, and support sales staff. Incremental administrative functions
were also added in 2013 in order to support the growing business. Sales and marketing expenses, many of which are variable, also
increased approximately $0.9 million within the TASER Weapons segment compared to the prior year, due to higher commissions of
$0.8 million on higher overall sales. Legal fees increased within the TASER Weapons segment compared to 2012 by approximately
$0.3 million as the Company worked through its pre-2009 litigation. This was partially offset by a benefit of $0.5 million from the
reimbursement of legal expenses due to insurance coverage after the Turner reversal. Financial advisory fees within the TASER
Weapons segment are also up year over year by approximately $0.4 million. Included in “Other” are higher expenses related to
litigation activities and credit card processing fees. Reductions were seen in depreciation expense and consulting costs.
Within the AXON segment, SG&A increased $2.9 million, or 81.9%, to $6.4 million in 2013 in comparison to the prior year.
Salaries, benefits, bonus and stock-based compensation in the AXON segment increased $1.2 million primarily as a result of the
Company doubling its video salesforce and hiring incremental functions such as customer service and account management and
other customer-facing roles. Sales and marketing expenses in the AXON segment also increased approximately $0.8 million in
comparison to 2012 as a result of EVIDENCE.com promotions and advertising efforts during the year, including a large presence
and a hosted booth at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference. Sales and marketing expenses also include
increases of approximately $0.3 million in commissions.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development (“R&D”) expenses were $14.9 million and $9.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2014
and 2013, respectively, an increase of $5.0 million, or 50.5%. As a percentage of net sales, R&D increased to 9.0% in 2014 in
comparison to 7.2% in 2013.
Within the TASER Weapons segment, R&D expenses decreased $0.4 million, or 10.2%, to $3.9 million in 2014, which was
primarily driven by a shift in personnel resources to the AXON segment and reduced testing materials expense. Reductions were
partially offset by increases in professional and consulting fees.
Within the AXON segment, R&D expenses increased $5.4 million, or 97.5%, to $11.0 million in 2014 from the prior year. The
increase for 2014 compared to 2013 is primarily driven by additional headcount and higher consulting fees.

34

Research and development expenses were $9.9 million and $8.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012,
respectively, an increase of $1.7 million, or 21.5%. As a percentage of net sales, R&D increased to 7.2% from 2013 in comparison
to 7.1% in 2012.
Within the TASER Weapons segment, R&D expenses increased $0.4 million, or 9.5%, to $4.3 million in 2013, which is
primarily driven by increased headcount, professional fees and indirect materials. These increases were partially offset by lower
depreciation expense.
Within the AXON segment, R&D expenses increased $1.4 million, or 32.8%, to $5.6 million in 2013 from 2012. The increase
for 2013 compared to 2012 was driven by additional headcount, partially related to the Familiar acquisition that occurred in the
fourth quarter of 2013. These individuals joined the Company to research and develop the next products for TASER in the AXON
segment. Offsetting these increases was a one-time benefit in 2013 for an Arizona sales and use tax refund of approximately $0.3
million.
Litigation Judgments and Recoveries
In February 2012, the Company was served with a complaint in the matter of AA & Saba Consultants, Inc. v. TASER
International, Inc. that was filed in the Superior Court for the County of Maricopa, Arizona, which alleged that the Company
breached a contract by unilaterally terminating a distributor agreement between the Company and plaintiff without good cause. The
complaint sought an award for damages, costs, expenses and attorneys’ fees. TASER filed a counterclaim for breach of contract and
fraud. During 2012, the Company made a settlement offer of $0.8 million to plaintiff, which was recorded as an expense in SG&A in
that year. The offer was not accepted by the plaintiff and thereafter was withdrawn. On February 28, 2014, the jury returned a
verdict of $3.3 million against the Company. The Company recorded an additional $2.6 million of expense in the fourth quarter of
2013 as Litigation judgments (recoveries) on the consolidated statements of operations.
On May 6, 2014 the court issued a Minute Entry Order awarding Plaintiff approximately $1.2 million in attorneys’ fees, which
was recorded as a litigation settlement in the second quarter of 2014. In May 2014 the matter was resolved and dismissed.
Interest and Other (Expense) Income, Net
Interest and other expense was $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to income of $0.1 million for
each of the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012. Other income amounts for 2014, 2013 and 2012 consisted primarily of
investment interest income. In 2014, the other income was more than offset by loss on foreign currency transaction adjustments.
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes was $12.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The effective income tax rate for
2014 was 38.4%. The effect of state income tax of $1.4 million was largely offset by a benefit of $0.6 million from incentive stock
option deductions as well as $0.5 million of research and development credits in the current year. When an employee exercises ISOs
and sells the related stock prior to the end of the mandatory holding period, the associated expense becomes a reduction to the
Company’s taxable income.
The provision for income taxes was $9.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. The effective income tax rate for
2013 was 34.9%. The effect of state income tax of $1.3 million was largely offset by a benefit of $0.5 million from incentive stock
option deductions as well as $0.4 million of research and development credits and a $0.4 million favorable return to provision
adjustment in the current year. When an employee exercises ISOs and sells the related stock prior to the mandatory holding period,
the associated expense becomes a reduction to the Company’s taxable income. The 2013 return to provision adjustment was driven
by the domestic production activities deduction which decreased taxable income, and therefore, reduced the effective tax rate.
The provision for income taxes was $7.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. The effective income tax rate for
2012 was 34.8%. During 2012, the Company reversed a $1.4 million valuation allowance originally established in 2011. The
valuation allowance related to a portion of the Arizona R&D tax credit that was expected to expire unused. Due to the Company’s
return to profitability in 2012, among other things, management believes it is more likely than not the tax credit will be realized. The
reversal of the $1.4 million valuation allowance resulted in a reduction to the Company’s effective tax rate. However, this favorable
result was more than offset by the effects of state income tax and the change in the liability for unrecognized tax benefits of $1.0
million and $0.9 million, respectively. Other items combined for a net favorable impact in the Company’s effective tax rate.
Excluding the effect of the reversal of the valuation allowance, the Company’s effective tax rate would have been 41.1%.

35

Net Income
Our net income improved by $1.7 million to $19.9 million for 2014 compared to $18.2 million for 2013. Net income per basic
share was $0.38 and $0.37 per diluted share, respectively, for 2014 compared to $0.35 and $0.34 per basic and diluted share,
respectively for 2013.
Our net income improved by $3.5 million to $18.2 million of 2013 compared to $14.7 million for 2012. Net income per basic
and diluted share was $0.35 and $0.34 for 2013, respectively, compared to $0.27 per basic and diluted share for 2012.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Summary
As of December 31, 2014, we had $48.4 million of cash and cash equivalents, an increase of $6.1 million from the end of
2013.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities for each of the past three
years (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2014

Operating activities……………………………………………………… $
Investing activities……………………………………………………….
Financing activities………………………………………………………
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents…………
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents………………………………. $

2013

35,432 $

2012

32,426 $

26,517

(24,581)

(23,062)

1,681

(4,840)

(3,189)

(13,363)

85

(31)

6,096 $

6,144 $

(9)
14,826

Operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities in 2014 of $35.4 million consists of $19.9 million in net income, the net add-back of
non-cash income statement items totaling $9.6 million and a positive $5.9 million net change in operating assets and liabilities.
Included in the non-cash items are $4.3 million in depreciation and amortization expense and $5.6 million in stock-based
compensation expense. These additions were partially offset by an $8.0 million reduction related to excess tax benefit from stockbased compensation that is treated as a financing activity for cash flow purposes. The most significant increase to the portion of cash
from operating activities related to the changes in operating assets and liabilities is a $15.5 million increase to deferred revenue. Of
the increase in deferred revenue, $6.1 million resulted from additional extended warranty sales, $3.9 million resulted from increased
hardware deferred revenue from TASER Assurance Program ("TAP") sales, and $5.3 million related to prepayments for AXON
SaaS services. In addition, the $9.5 million increase to cash from operating activities related to increases in accounts payable,
accrued and other liabilities that was primarily caused by current income tax expense, which would have resulted in an increase to
income tax payable, if it had not been reduced by the excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation discussed above. These
increases to operating cash flow were partially offset by an increase in accounts and notes receivable of $8.4 million due to higher
sales in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to the same quarter in 2013, and an increase in inventory of $9.4 million in anticipation
of higher sales in 2015.
Net cash provided by operating activities in 2013 of $32.4 million consists of $18.2 million in net income, the net add-back of
non-cash income statement items totaling $5.6 million and a positive $8.6 million net change in operating assets (net of operating
liabilities). Included in the non-cash items are $5.1 million in depreciation and amortization expense and $4.3 million in stock-based
compensation expense. These additions were partially offset by a $6.8 million reduction related to excess tax benefit from stockbased compensation that is treated as a financing activity for cash flow purposes. The most significant increase to cash from
operating activities related to the changes in operating assets and liabilities was an $8.1 million increase to deferred revenue. Of the
increase in deferred revenue, $5.1 million results from additional extended warranty sales and the remainder is primarily a result of
prepayments for our EVIDENCE.com SaaS. In addition, the $5.6 million increase to cash from operating activities related to
increases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities was primarily caused by current income tax expense, which would have
resulted in an increase to income tax payable, if it had not been reduced by the excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation
discussed above. These increases to operating cash flow were partially offset by an increase in accounts and notes receivable of $4.4
million. The fluctuation in accounts and notes receivable was primarily driven by sales, which increased 20.1% during 2013 as
36

compared to 2012, and 24.6% in the three months ended December 31, 2013, as compared to the same three-month period in the
2012.
Net cash provided by operating activities in 2012 of $26.5 million consists of $14.7 million in net income, the net add-back of
non-cash income statement items totaling $9.1 million and a $2.7 million net change in operating assets (net of operating liabilities).
Included in the non-cash items are $6.5 million in depreciation and amortization expense and $3.4 million in stock-based
compensation expense. These additions were partially offset by a reduction to operating cash flows of $4.7 million related to excess
tax benefit from stock-based compensation that is included in financing activities. The most significant changes in operating assets
and liabilities was an increase of $4.2 million related to a change in deferred revenue. Deferred revenue increased $4.2 million due
to increased sales of extended warranties as well as sales of EVIDENCE.com service and maintenance. In addition, the $4.4 million
increase to cash from operating activities related to increases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities was primarily caused by
current income tax expense, which would have resulted in an increase to income tax payable, if it had not been reduced by the
excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation discussed above. These changes were partially offset by an increase in accounts
and notes receivable of $6.1 million. The fluctuation in accounts and notes receivable was primarily driven by sales, which increased
27.5% during 2012 as compared to 2011, and 50.6% in the three months ended December 31, 2012, as compared to the same threemonth period in 2011. The net $0.5 million positive change in accounts payable and other accrued liabilities resulted from increases
in accrued liabilities including a $1.6 million increase due to supply purchases to support higher sales activity, as well as $1.0
million in accrued legal settlements during 2012, and a $0.9 million increase in accrued payroll, offset by the $2.2 million reversal
of the Turner legal judgment.
Investing activities
Primarily as a result of investing cash generated from operating activities, we used $24.6 million for investing activities in
2014. Purchases of investments, net of calls and maturities, were $21.9 million. The Company also invested $2.7 million in the
purchase of property and equipment and intangibles.
Primarily as a result of investing cash generated from operating activities, we used $23.1 million from investing activities in
2013. Purchases of investments, net of calls and maturities, were $19.7 million. The Company also invested $2.1 million in the
purchase of property and equipment and intangibles, as well as $1.3 million, net, to purchase Familiar, Inc.
We generated $1.7 million from investing activities in 2012, comprised principally of $3.4 million of net proceeds from
call/maturity of short-term investments, offset by $1.7 million for the acquisition of various production and computer equipment and
intangible assets, net of proceeds from asset disposals.
Financing activities
Net cash used by financing activities was $4.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The repurchase of $22.4 million
of the Company’s common stock, which was purchased for a weighted average cost of $12.99 per share per share, was partially
offset by $11.0 million of proceeds from the exercise of stock options, and $8.0 million of excess tax benefit from stock proceeds.
The purchase of common stock was made under a stock repurchase program authorized by TASER’s Board of Directors. The
Company has approximately $7.6 million remaining on the repurchase authorization as of December 31, 2014. Repurchases may be
made from time to time on the open market.
Net cash used by financing activities was $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. The repurchase of $25.0 million
of the Company’s common stock, which was purchased for a weighted average cost of $8.20 per share, was offset by $15.4 million
of proceeds from the exercise of stock options, and $6.8 million of excess tax benefit from stock proceeds. The purchase of common
stock was made under a stock repurchase program authorized by TASER’s Board of Directors. We completed the authorized
repurchases as of June 2013.
During 2013, the Company recorded $6.8 million for excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation. The tax benefit
relates to exercises occurring from the years 2004 through 2013.
During 2012, net cash used by financing activities was $13.4 million, primarily attributable to the repurchase of $20.0 million
of the Company’s common stock, which was purchased for an average of $5.22 per share, offset by $1.9 million of proceeds from
the exercise of stock options. The purchase of common stock was made under a stock repurchase program authorized by TASER’s
Board of Directors.
During 2012, the Company recorded $4.7 million for excess tax benefit related to stock-based compensation. The tax benefit
relates to exercises occurring from the years 2006 through 2012 which gave rise to tax attribute carry forwards such as net operating

37

losses and tax credits. The Company was able to recognize this benefit in 2012 due to its positive taxable income during the period
that allowed for the utilization of those tax attributes for which no benefit had previously been recorded.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our most significant sources of liquidity continue to be funds generated by operating activities and available cash and cash
equivalents. In addition, our $10.0 million revolving credit facility is available for additional working capital needs or investment
opportunities. Under the terms of the line of credit, available borrowings are reduced by outstanding letters of credit. The line is
secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company, and bears interest at varying rates currently LIBOR plus 1.5% or Prime
less 0.75%. As of December 31, 2014, we had letters of credit outstanding of $0.4 million, leaving the net amount available for
borrowing of $9.6 million. The facility matures on July 31, 2016. There can be no assurance that we will continue to generate cash
flows at or above current levels or that we will be able to maintain our ability to borrow under our revolving credit facility. At
December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were no borrowings under the line.
Our agreement with the bank requires us to comply with certain financial and other covenants including maintenance of a
minimum leverage ratio and fixed charge coverage ratio. The leverage ratio (ratio of total liabilities to tangible net worth) can be no
greater than 1:1, and the fixed charge coverage ratio can be no less than 1.25:1, based upon a trailing twelve-month period. At
December 31, 2014, the Company’s tangible net worth ratio was 0.45:1 and its fixed charge coverage ratio was 2.82:1. Accordingly,
the Company was in compliance with these covenants.
Based on our strong balance sheet and the fact that we had just $0.1 million in total long-term debt and capital lease
obligations at December 31, 2014, we believe financing will be available, both through our existing credit line and possible
additional financing. However, there is no assurance that such funding will be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
We believe funds generated from our expected results of operations, as well as available cash and investments, will be
sufficient to finance our operations and strategic initiatives for 2015 and the foreseeable future. From time to time, our board of
directors considers repurchases of our common stock. Further repurchases of our common stock will take place on the open market,
will be financed with available cash and are subject to authorization as well as market and business conditions.

Contractual Obligations
The following table outlines our future contractual financial obligations by period in which payment is expected, as of
December 31, 2014 (dollars in thousands):
Less than
1 Year

Total

Non-cancelable operating leases
Capital leases including interest

$

Open purchase orders
Total contractual obligations

$

4,022 $

560 $

1 - 3 Years

4 - 5 Years

More than
5 Years

1,174 $

1,039 $

71

41

30

—

1,249
—

19,113

19,113

—

—

—

23,206 $

19,714 $

1,204 $

1,039 $

1,249

Open purchase orders in the above table primarily represent non-cancelable purchase orders with key vendors, which are
included in this table due to the Company’s strategic relationships with these vendors.
We are subject to U.S. Federal income tax as well as income taxes imposed by several states and foreign jurisdictions. As of
December 31, 2014, we had $1.5 million of unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions. The settlement period for
our long-term income tax liabilities cannot be determined; however, the liabilities are not expected to significantly increase or
decrease within the next 12 months.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2014.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We have identified the following accounting estimates as critical to our business operations and the understanding of our
results of operations. The preparation of this Annual Report on Form 10-K requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect
38

the reported amount of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our consolidated financial
statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. While we don’t believe that a change in
these estimates is reasonably likely, there can be no assurance that our actual results will not differ from these estimates. The effect
of these estimates on our business operations is discussed below.
Product Warranties
The Company warranties its CEWs, AXON cameras and E-Docks from manufacturing defects on a limited basis for a period
of one year after purchase and, thereafter, will replace any defective unit for a fee. Estimated costs for our standard warranty are
charged to cost of products sold and services delivered when revenue is recorded for the related product. We estimate future
warranty costs based on historical data related to returns and warranty costs on a quarterly basis and apply this rate to current
product anticipated returns from our customers. We have also historically increased our reserve amount if we become aware of a
component failure that could result in larger than anticipated returns from our customers. The accrued warranty liability is reviewed
quarterly to evaluate whether it sufficiently reflects the remaining warranty obligations based on the anticipated expenditures over
the balance of the warranty obligation period, and adjustments are made when actual warranty claim experience differs from
estimates. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, our reserve for warranty returns was approximately $0.7 million and $1.0 million,
respectively. Warranty expense in the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $0.4 million, $1.0 million and $0.5
million, respectively.
Revenue related to separately-priced extended warranties is recorded as deferred revenue at its contractual amount and
subsequently recognized in net sales on a straight-line basis over the delivery period. Costs related to extended warranties are
charged to cost of products sold and services delivered when incurred.
Inventory
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined using the weighted average cost of raw materials,
which approximates the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method, and an allocation of manufacturing labor and overhead costs. The
allocation of manufacturing labor and overhead costs includes management’s judgments of what constitutes normal capacity of our
production facilities and a determination of what costs are considered to be abnormal fixed production costs, which are expensed as
current period charges. Provisions are made to reduce potentially excess, obsolete or slow-moving inventories to their net realizable
value. These provisions are based on our best estimates after considering historical demand, projected future demand, inventory
purchase commitments, industry and market trends and conditions and other factors. Our reserve for excess and obsolete inventory
increased to $1.4 million at December 31, 2014, compared to $1.0 million at December 31, 2013. This increase is attributable
primarily to a reserve taken for X26 CEW inventory which ended production during the year ended December 31, 2014. The
Company also accrued approximately $1.1 million of inventory losses related to products it may not be able to use in production of
certain AXON camera products. In the event that actual excess, obsolete or slow-moving inventories differ from these estimates,
changes to inventory reserves may be necessary.
Revenue Recognition, Deferred Revenue and Accounts and Notes Receivable
We derive our revenue from two primary sources: (1) the sale of physical products, including our CEWs, AXON cameras, EDocks, corresponding hardware extended warranties, and related accessories such as cartridges and batteries, and (2) subscription to
our EVIDENCE.com digital evidence management SaaS (including data storage fees and other ancillary services), which includes
varying levels of support. To a lesser extent, we also recognize training and other revenue. Revenue is recognized when persuasive
evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, title has transferred, the price is fixed and
collectability is reasonably assured. Extended warranty revenue, SaaS revenue and related data storage revenue are recognized
ratably over the term of the contract beginning on the commencement date of each contract.
Revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables are divided into separate units and revenue is allocated using the relative
selling price method based upon vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price or third-party evidence of the selling prices if
vendor-specific objective evidence of selling prices does not exist. If neither vendor-specific objective evidence nor third-party
evidence exists, management uses its best estimate of selling price.
EVIDENCE.com, AXON cameras and E-docks are sometimes sold separately, but in most instances are sold together. In these
instances, customers typically purchase and pay for the equipment and one year of EVIDENCE.com in advance. Additional years of
service are generally billed annually over a specified service term, which has typically ranged from one to five years. AXON
equipment represents a deliverable that is provided to the customer at the time of sale, while EVIDENCE.com services are provided
over the specified term of the contract. The Company recognizes revenue for the AXON equipment at the time of the sale consistent
with the discussion of multiple deliverable arrangements above. Revenue for EVIDENCE.com is deferred at the time of the sale and
39

recognized over the service period. In certain circumstances, not all requirements are met for the recognition of revenue relative to
equipment sold in conjunction with EVIDENCE.com at the time the equipment is provided to customers. In such circumstances,
based on limitations associated with the allocation of arrangement consideration, part of the revenue may be recognized ratably over
the specified term of the contract, or when all conditions for revenue recognition are met, if sooner.
Deferred revenue consists of payments received in advance related to products and services for which the criteria for revenue
recognition have not yet been met. Deferred revenue that will be recognized during the succeeding twelve month period is recorded
as current deferred revenue and the remaining portion is recorded as long-term. Deferred revenue does not include future revenue
from multi-year contracts for which no invoice has yet been created. We generally bill customers in annual installments.
Sales are typically made on credit and we generally do not require collateral. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our
customers’ financial condition and maintain an allowance for estimated potential losses. Uncollectible accounts are written off when
deemed uncollectible, and accounts and notes receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. This allowance
represents our best estimate and is based on our judgment after considering a number of factors including third-party credit reports,
actual payment history, customer-specific financial information and broader market and economic trends and conditions. In the
event that actual uncollectible amounts differ from our estimates, additional expense could be necessary.
Valuation of Goodwill, Intangibles and Long-lived Assets
In the fourth quarter of 2013, we recorded goodwill related to the Familiar business acquisition. The recoverability of the
goodwill is evaluated and tested for impairment at least annually during the fourth quarter or more often, if and when circumstances
indicate that goodwill may not be recoverable. Finite-lived intangible assets and other long-lived assets are amortized over their
useful lives. We evaluate whether events and circumstances have occurred that indicate the remaining estimated useful life of longlived assets and intangible assets may warrant revision or that the remaining balance of these assets, including intangible assets with
indefinite lives, may not be recoverable.
Circumstances that might indicate long-lived assets might not be recoverable could include, but are not limited to, a change in
the product mix, a change in the way products are created, produced or delivered, or a significant change in the way our products are
branded and marketed. When performing a review for recoverability, we estimate the future undiscounted cash flows expected to
result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. The amount of the impairment loss, if impairment exists, is calculated
based on the excess of the carrying amounts of the assets over their estimated fair value computed using discounted cash flows. No
impairment losses were recorded in 2014, 2013 or 2012.
Income Taxes
We recognize federal, state and foreign current tax liabilities or assets based on our estimate of taxes payable or refundable in
the current fiscal year by tax jurisdiction. We also recognize federal, state and foreign deferred tax assets or liabilities, as
appropriate, for our estimate of future tax effects attributable to temporary differences and carry forwards.
We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be
sustained based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the consolidated financial statements from
such positions are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon
ultimate resolution. Management must also assess whether uncertain tax positions as filed could result in the recognition of a
liability for possible interest and penalties if any. We have completed research and development tax credit studies which identified
approximately $10.4 million in tax credits for federal, Arizona and California income tax purposes related to the 2003 through 2014
tax years, net of the federal benefit on the Arizona and California research and development tax credits. Management determined
that it was more likely than not that the full benefit of the research and development tax credit would not be sustained on
examination and accordingly, has established a liability for unrecognized tax benefits of $3.1 million as of December 31, 2014. In
addition, we established a $0.2 million liability related to uncertain tax positions for certain state income tax liabilities, for a total
unrecognized tax benefit at December 31, 2014 of $3.3 million. As of December 31, 2014, management expects the amount of the
unrecognized tax benefit liability to decrease within the next 12 months due to completion of the current ongoing IRS examination
for the year ended December 31, 2012. Should the unrecognized tax benefit of $3.3 million be recognized, the Company’s effective
tax rate would be favorably impacted. Our estimates are based on the information available to us at the time we prepare the income
tax provisions. Our income tax returns are subject to audit by federal, state, and local governments, generally years after the returns
are filed. These returns could be subject to material adjustments or differing interpretations of the tax laws.
Our calculation of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities is based on certain estimates and judgments and involves
dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws. Our estimates of current and deferred tax assets and liabilities may
change based, in part, on added certainty or finality to an anticipated outcome, changes in accounting or tax laws in the U.S. and
40

overseas, or changes in other facts or circumstances. In addition, we recognize liabilities for potential U.S. tax contingencies based
on our estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes may be due. If we determine that payment of these amounts is
unnecessary, or if the recorded tax liability is less than our current assessment, we may be required to recognize an income tax
benefit, or additional income tax expense, respectively, in our consolidated financial statements.
In preparing our consolidated financial statements, management assesses the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be
realized from future taxable income. In evaluating our ability to recover our deferred income tax assets, management considers all
available positive and negative evidence, including operating results, ongoing tax planning and forecasts of future taxable income on
a jurisdiction by jurisdiction basis. A valuation allowance is established if we determine that it is more likely than not that some
portion or all of the net deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Although management believes that its tax estimates are reasonable, the ultimate tax determination involves significant
judgments that could become subject to audit by tax authorities in the ordinary course of business. As of December 31, 2014, the
Company would need to generate approximately $42.3 million of pre-tax book income in order to realize the net deferred tax assets
for which a benefit has been recorded. This estimate considers the reversal of approximately $5.1 million of gross deferred tax
liabilities, $1.9 million tax-effected. We also have state NOLs of $1.3 million, which produce deferred tax assets of $114,000, which
expire at various dates between 2016 and 2031. We anticipate the Company’s future income to continue to trend upward from our
2014 results, with sufficient pre-tax book income to realize a large portion of our deferred tax assets. However, based on specific
income projections in years in which certain tax assets are set to expire, a reserve of approximately $0.5 million has been recorded
as a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2014.
Stock-Based Compensation
We have historically granted stock-based compensation to key employees and non-employee directors as a means of attracting
and retaining quality personnel. We have utilized restricted stock units and stock options; however, no stock options were issued
during 2014, 2013 or 2012. The fair value of restricted stock units is estimated as the closing price of our common stock on the date
of grant. We estimate the fair value of granted stock options by using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model, which
requires the input of highly subjective assumptions. These assumptions include estimating the length of time employees will retain
their stock options before exercising them (expected term), the estimated volatility of our common stock price over the expected
term and the number of options that will ultimately not vest (forfeitures). The expense for both restricted stock units and stock
options is recorded over the life of the grant, net of forfeitures.
We have granted a total of approximately 1.6 million performance-based awards (options and restricted stock units) of which
approximately 0.5 million are outstanding as of December 31, 2014, the vesting of which is contingent upon the achievement of
certain performance criteria including the successful development and market acceptance of future product introductions as well as
our future sales targets and operating performance. These awards will vest and compensation expense will be recognized based on
management’s best estimate of the probability of the performance criteria being satisfied using the most currently available
projections of future product adoption and operating performance, adjusted at each balance sheet date. Changes in the subjective and
probability-based assumptions can materially affect the estimate of fair value of stock-based compensation and consequently, the
related amount recognized in our statements of operations. Refer to Note 1(q) to our consolidated financial statements included
elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion of our valuation assumptions.
Contingencies and Accrued Litigation Expense
We are subject to the possibility of various loss contingencies including product-related litigation, arising in the ordinary
course of business. We consider the likelihood of loss or impairment of an asset or the incurrence of a liability, as well as our ability
to reasonably estimate the amount of loss in determining loss contingencies. An estimated loss contingency is accrued when it is
probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. We
regularly evaluate current information available to us to determine whether such accruals should be adjusted and whether new
accruals are required. Refer to Note 9(c) of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report on Form
10-K for further discussion of our contingencies and accrued litigation expense.

41

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Interest Rate Risk
We typically invest in a limited number of financial instruments, consisting principally of investments in money market
accounts, certificates of deposit and corporate and municipal bonds with a typical long-term debt rating of “AA” or better by any
nationally recognized statistical rating organization, denominated in U.S. dollars. All of our cash equivalents and investments are
treated as “held-to-maturity.” Investments in fixed-rate interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk as their
market value may be adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates. As a result, we may suffer losses in principal if we sell
securities that have declined in market value due to changes in interest rates. However, because we classify our debt securities as
“held-to-maturity” based on our intent and ability to hold these instruments to maturity, no gains or losses are recognized due to
changes in interest rates. These securities are reported at amortized cost. As of December 31, 2014, we estimate that a 10 basis point
increase or decrease in interest rates would result in a change in the fair market value of these instruments of less than $0.1 million
and would result in a change in annual interest income of less than $0.1 million.
Additionally, we have access to a line of credit borrowing facility which bears interest at varying rates, currently at LIBOR
plus 1.5% or Prime less 0.75%. Under the terms of the line of credit, available borrowings are reduced by outstanding letters of
credit, which totaled $0.4 million at December 31, 2014. At December 31, 2014, there was no amount outstanding under the line of
credit and the available borrowing under the line of credit was $9.6 million. We have not borrowed any funds under the line of credit
since its inception; however; should we need to do so in the future, such borrowings could be subject to adverse or favorable
changes in the underlying interest rate.
Exchange Rate Risk
Our results of operations and cash flows are subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates,
particularly changes in the Euro related to transactions by TASER Europe. To date, we have not engaged in any currency hedging
activities, although we may do so in the future. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates could harm our business in the future.
The majority of our sales to international customers are transacted in U.S. dollars and therefore, are not subject to exchange
rate fluctuations on these transactions. However, the cost of our products to our customers increases when the U.S. dollar
strengthens against their local currency and the Company may have more sales and expenses denominated in foreign currencies in
2015 which would increase its foreign exchange rate risk.

42

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

Page

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013

44

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

45

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

46

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

47

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

48

Selected Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)

70

43

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share data)
December 31,
2014

ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents…………………………………………………………………... $
Short-term investments………………………………………………………………………
Accounts and notes receivable, net of allowance of $251 and 200 as of December 31, 2014
and 2013, respectively……………………………………………………………………….
Inventory, net………………………………………………………………………………...
Prepaid expenses and other current assets…………………………………………………..
Deferred income tax assets, net……………………………………………………………...
Total current assets……………………………………………………………………...
Property and equipment, net…………………………………………………………………
Deferred income tax assets, net……………………………………………………………...
Intangible assets, net…………………………………………………………………………
Goodwill, net…………………………………………………………………………………
Long-term investments………………………………………………………………………
Other assets…………………………………………………………………………………..
Total assets………………………………………………………………………………. $
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable……………………………………………………………………………. $
Accrued liabilities……………………………………………………………………………
Current portion of deferred revenue…………………………………………………………
Customer deposits……………………………………………………………………………
Current portion of capital lease………………………………………………………………
payable……………………………………………………...
Total current liabilities…………………………………………………………………..
Deferred revenue, net of current portion……………………………………………………..
Liability for unrecognized tax benefits………………………………………………………
Long-term deferred compensation……………………………………………………….…..
Long-term portion of capital lease payable………………………………………………….
Total liabilities…………………………………………………………………………...
Commitments and contingencies (Note 9)
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $0.00001 par value; 25,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and
outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and 2013…………………………………………….
Common stock, $0.00001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 53,000,867 and
52,725,247 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively
Additional paid-in capital……………………………………………………………………
Treasury stock at cost, 18,139,958 and 16,412,755 shares as of December 31, 2014 and
2013, respectively……………………………………………………………………………
Retained earnings…………………………………………………………………………….
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).…………………………………………..
Total stockholders’ equity……………………………………………………………….
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity………………………………………………. $

48,367 $
32,774

42,271
9,101

30,735
18,323
4,443
5,186
139,828
17,523
10,877
3,115
2,206
9,296
2,523
185,368 $

22,488
11,109
5,397
7,101
97,467
19,043
13,679
3,317
2,235
12,023
618
148,382

7,682 $
9,245
14,020
988
38
31,973
21,668
1,471
1,121
29
56,262

6,221
8,840
6,878
1,154
36
23,129
13,341
3,122
376
67
40,035

—

—

1
162,641

1
139,424

(114,645)
81,045
64
129,106
185,368 $

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

44

2013

(92,203)
61,127
(2)
108,347
148,382

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(in thousands, except per share data)
For the Years Ended December 31,
2014

2013

2012

Net sales…………………………………………………………………………. $
Cost of products sold and services delivered……………………………………

164,525 $

137,831 $

114,753

62,977

51,988

47,038

Gross margin…………………………………………………………………….

101,548

85,843

67,715

Operating expenses:
Sales, general and administrative…………………………………………...

54,158

46,557

39,247

Research and development………………………………………………….

14,885

9,888

8,139

Litigation judgments (recoveries)…………………………………………..

—

1,450

(2,200)

Total operating expenses………………………………………………………...

69,043

57,895

45,186

Income from operations…………………………………………………………
Interest and other (expense) income, net…………………………...……………

32,505

27,948

22,529

86

83

Income before provision for income taxes………………………………………
Provision for income taxes………………………………………………………

32,311

28,034

22,612

12,393

9,790

7,874

Net income………………………………………………………………………. $

19,918 $

18,244 $

14,738

Net income per common and common equivalent shares:
Basic……………………………………………………………………….. $
Diluted……………………………………………………………………… $

0.38 $

0.35 $

0.27

0.37 $

0.34 $

0.27

(194)

Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares
outstanding:
Basic………………………………………………………………………..

52,948

51,880

Diluted………………………………………………………………………

53,827

54,500
54,152
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Net income………………………………………………………………………. $
19,918 $
18,244 $
Foreign currency translation adjustments………………………………………..
66
55

54,723

Comprehensive income…………………………………………………………. $

14,762

19,984 $

18,299 $

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

45

14,738
24

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in thousands, except share data)

Additional
Paid-in
Capital

Common Stock
Shares

Amount

Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)

Treasury Stock
Shares

Amount

Balance, December 31, 2011………………………...

55,696,608

Stock options exercised and RSUs vested…………...

881,390

—

1,929

—

—

Stock-based compensation…………………………..

—

—

3,422

—

—

—

—

4,713

—

—

—

—

3,807,606

Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation…
Purchase of treasury stock…………………………...

$

(3,807,606)

1 $

101,597

9,556,183 $

(47,207) $

(19,996)

(81) $

Retained
Earnings

Total
Stockholders’
Equity

28,145 $

82,455

—

—

1,929

—

—

3,422

—

—

4,713

—

—

(19,996)

Net income…………………………………………...

—

—

—

—

—

—

14,738

14,738

Foreign currency translation adjustments……………

—

—

—

—

—

24

—

24

Balance, December 31, 2012………………………..

52,770,392

1

111,661

13,363,789

42,883

87,285

Stock options exercised and RSUs vested, net of
withholdings…………………………………………

2,896,072

—

15,048

—

—

—

—

15,048

Stock-based compensation…………………………..

—

—

4,340

—

—

—

—

4,340

Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation…

—

—

6,797

—

—

—

—

6,797

Purchase of treasury stock…………………………...

—

—

3,048,966

—

—

(25,000)

107,749

—

1,578

—

—

—

—

1,578

Net income…………………………………………...

—

—

—

—

—

—

18,244

18,244

Foreign currency translation adjustments……………

—

—

—

—

—

55

—

55

Balance, December 31, 2013………………………...

52,725,247

1

139,424

16,412,755

61,127

108,347

Stock options exercised and RSUs vested, net of
withholdings…………………………………………

2,002,823

—

9,653

—

—

—

—

9,653

Stock-based compensation…………………………..

—

—

5,579

—

—

—

—

5,579

—

—

7,985

—

—

—

—

7,985

—

—

1,727,203

—

—

(22,442)

Purchase of treasury stock…………………………...

(1,727,203)

(25,000)

(57)

Shares issued related to business acquisition………..

Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation…

(3,048,966)

(67,203)

(92,203)

(22,442)

(2)

Net income…………………………………………...

—

—

—

—

—

—

19,918

19,918

Foreign currency translation adjustments……………

—

—

—

—

—

66

—

66

Balance, December 31, 2014………………………...

53,000,867

162,641

18,139,958

$

1 $

$

(114,645) $

64 $

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

46

81,045 $

129,106

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
For the Years Ended December 31,
2014

Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income…………………………………………………………………... $
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
Depreciation and amortization………………………………………….
Loss (gain) on write-down / disposal of property and equipment, net….
Loss on disposal of intangibles…………………………………………
Bond premium amortization……………………………………………
Provision (recovery) for doubtful accounts…………………………….
Provision for excess and obsolete inventory……………………………
Provision for warranty…………………………………………………..
Stock-based compensation……………………………………………...
Deferred income taxes…………………………………………………..
Unrecognized tax benefits………………………………………………
Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation…………………….
Change in assets and liabilities:
Accounts and notes receivable………………………………………….
Inventory………………………………………………………………..
Prepaid expenses and other current assets………………………………
Accounts payable, accrued and other liabilities………………………...
Deferred revenue………………………………………………………..
Customer deposits………………………………………………………
Net cash provided by operating activities…………………………………...

2013

2012

19,918 $

18,244 $

14,738

4,317
17
215
957
142
2,157
396
5,579
3,598
202
(7,985)

5,131
(27)
168
289
24
595
1,001
4,340
621
219
(6,797)

6,519
161
195
29
(242)
554
527
3,422
1,683
920
(4,713)

(8,389)
(9,371)
(1,080)
9,456
15,469
(166)
35,432

(4,411)
(711)
(569)
5,559
8,096
654
32,426

(6,080)
(62)
177
4,433
4,169
87
26,517

Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of investments………………………………………………
Proceeds from call / maturity of investments………………………….
Purchases of property and equipment………………………………….
Proceeds from disposal of fixed assets…………………………………
Purchases of intangible assets………………………………………….
Business acquisition, net of cash acquired……………………………...
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities………………………….

(32,900)
10,997
(2,505)
10
(183)
—
(24,581)

(29,112)
9,380
(1,783)
34
(323)
(1,258)
(23,062)

(6,242)
9,640
(1,334)
46
(429)
—
1,681

Cash flows from financing activities:
Repurchase of common stock…………………………………………..
Proceeds from options exercised……………………………………….
Payroll tax payments for net-settled stock awards……………………..
Payments on capital lease obligation…………………………………...
Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation……………….……
Net cash used in financing activities………………………………………...

(22,442)
11,000
(1,347)
(36)
7,985
(4,840)

(25,000)
15,357
(309)
(34)
6,797
(3,189)

(19,996)
1,929
—
(9)
4,713
(13,363)

85

(31)

(9)

6,096
42,271
48,367 $

6,144
36,127
42,271 $

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents…………………………………...
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year……………………………….
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year……………………………………... $

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
47

14,826
21,301
36,127

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
1. Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
TASER International, Inc. (“TASER” or the “Company”) is a developer and manufacturer of advanced conducted electrical
weapons (“CEWs”) designed for use for use by law enforcement, military, corrections, and private security personnel and by private
individuals for personal defense. In addition, the Company has developed full technology solutions for the capture, storage and
management of video/audio evidence as well as other tactical capabilities for use in law enforcement. The Company sells its
products worldwide through its direct sales force, distribution partners, online store and third-party resellers. The Company was
incorporated in Arizona in September 1993, and reincorporated in Delaware in January 2001. The Company’s corporate headquarters
and manufacturing facilities are located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Company’s software development unit facility is located in
Seattle, Washington.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, and its wholly owned subsidiaries,
including TASER International Europe SE (“TASER Europe”). TASER Europe was established in 2009 to facilitate sales and
provide customer service to our customers in the European region. All material intercompany accounts, transactions, and profits
have been eliminated.
In 2014, the Company established TASER International, B.V. located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that will serve as its
international headquarters. No transactions were recorded within TASER International, B.V. during the year ended December 31,
2014.
a. Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the U.S. of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires management to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and
liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting
period. Significant estimates and assumptions in these consolidated financial statements include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

product warranty reserves,
inventory valuation reserves,
revenue recognition allocated in multiple-deliverable contracts or arrangements,
valuation of goodwill, intangibles and long-lived assets,
recognition, measurement and valuation of current and deferred income taxes,
fair value of stock awards issued, the estimated vesting period for performance-based stock awards and forfeiture rates, and
recognition and measurement of contingencies and accrued litigation expense.

Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
b. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments
Cash, cash equivalents and investments include cash, money market funds, certificates of deposit, state and municipal
obligations and corporate bonds. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with high quality financial institutions. Balances
with these institutions regularly exceed FDIC insured limits; however, to manage the related credit exposure, the Company
continually monitors the creditworthiness of the financial institutions where it has deposits.
Cash and cash equivalents include funds on hand and highly liquid investments purchased with initial maturity of three months
or less. Short-term investments include securities with an expected maturity date within one year of the balance sheet date that do
not meet the definition of a cash equivalent, and long-term investments are securities with an expected maturity date greater than one
year. Based on management’s intent and ability, the Company’s investments are classified as held to maturity investments and are
recorded at amortized cost. Held-to-maturity investments are reviewed quarterly for impairment to determine if other-thantemporary declines in the carrying value have occurred for any individual investment. Other-than-temporary declines in the value of
held-to-maturity investments are recorded as expense in the period the determination is made.
c. Inventory
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market. Cost is determined using the weighted average cost of raw materials
which approximates the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method and includes allocations of manufacturing labor and overhead. Provisions
are made to reduce potentially excess, obsolete or slow-moving inventories to their net realizable value. These provisions are based
48

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
on management’s best estimate after considering historical demand, projected future demand, inventory purchase commitments,
industry and market trends and conditions and other factors. Management evaluates inventory costs for abnormal costs due to excess
production capacity and treats such costs as period costs.
d. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Additions and improvements are
capitalized, while ordinary maintenance and repair expenditures are charged to expense as incurred. Depreciation is calculated using
the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.
e. Software Development Costs
The Company expenses software development costs, including costs to develop software products or the software component
of products to be marketed to external users, before technological feasibility of such products is reached. The Company has
determined that technological feasibility is reached shortly before the release of those products and as a result, the development costs
incurred after the establishment of technological feasibility and before the release of those products are not material.
Software development costs also include costs to develop software programs to be used solely to meet the Company's internal
needs and cloud based applications used to deliver its services. The Company capitalizes development costs related to these software
applications once the preliminary project stage is complete and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will
be used to perform the intended function. Additionally, the Company capitalizes qualifying costs incurred for upgrades and
enhancements to existing software that result in additional functionality. Costs related to preliminary project planning activities,
post-implementation activities, maintenance and minor modifications are expensed as incurred. Internal-use software is amortized on
a straight line basis over its estimated useful life. There were no software development costs capitalized for the years ending
December 31, 2014, 2013 or 2012. The capitalized development costs related to the Company’s software-as-a-service (“SaaS”)
product, EVIDENCE.com, were fully amortized as of December 31, 2013. Amortization of capitalized software development costs
was $0.6 million and $1.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Management evaluates the useful lives of these assets on an annual basis and tests for impairment whenever events or changes
in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets.
f. Valuation of Goodwill, Intangibles and Long-lived Assets
In the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company recorded goodwill related to the acquisition of Familiar, Inc. ("Familiar"). The
recoverability of goodwill is evaluated and tested for impairment at least annually during the fourth quarter or more often, if and
when circumstances indicate that goodwill may not be recoverable. Finite-lived intangible assets and other long-lived assets are
amortized over their useful lives. Management evaluates whether events and circumstances have occurred that indicate the
remaining estimated useful life of long-lived assets and intangible assets may warrant revision or that the remaining balance of these
assets, including intangible assets with indefinite lives, may not be recoverable.
Circumstances that might indicate long-lived assets might not be recoverable could include, but are not limited to, a change in
the product mix, a change in the way products are created, produced or delivered, or a significant change in the way the Company's
products are branded and marketed. When performing a review for recoverability, management estimates the future undiscounted
cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. The amount of the impairment loss, if
impairment exists, is calculated based on the excess of the carrying amounts of the assets over their estimated fair value computed
using discounted cash flows. No impairment losses were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
g. Customer Deposits
The Company requires deposits in advance of shipment for certain customer sales orders. Customer deposits are recorded
as a current liability in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

49

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
h. Revenue Recognition, Deferred Revenue and Accounts and Notes Receivable
The Company derives revenue from two primary sources: (1) the sale of physical products, including our CEWs, AXON
cameras, corresponding extended warranties, and related accessories such as cartridges and batteries, and (2) subscription to the
Company's EVIDENCE.com SaaS (including data storage fees and other ancillary services), which includes varying levels of
support. To a lesser extent, the Company also recognizes training and other revenue. Revenue is recognized when persuasive
evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, title has transferred, the price is fixed and
collectability is reasonably assured. Extended warranty revenue, SaaS revenue and related data storage revenue are recognized
ratably over the term of the contract beginning on the commencement date of each contract.
Revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables are divided into separate units and revenue is allocated using the relative
selling price method based upon vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price or third-party evidence of the selling prices if
vendor-specific objective evidence of selling prices does not exist. If neither vendor-specific objective evidence nor third-party
evidence exists, management uses its best estimate of selling price.
The Company offers the right to purchase extended warranties that include additional services and coverage beyond the
limited warranty for certain products. Revenue for extended warranty purchases is deferred at the time of sale and recognized over
the warranty period commencing on the date of sale. Extended warranties range from one to five years.
EVIDENCE.com and AXON cameras are sometimes sold separately, but in most instances are sold together. In these
instances, customers typically purchase and pay for the equipment and one year of EVIDENCE.com in advance. Additional years of
service are generally billed annually over a specified service term, which has typically ranged from one to five years. AXON
equipment has stand-alone value and represents a deliverable that is provided to the customer at the time of sale, while
EVIDENCE.com services are provided over the specified term of the contract. The Company recognizes revenue for the AXON
equipment at the time of the sale consistent with the discussion of multiple deliverable arrangements above. Revenue for
EVIDENCE.com is deferred at the time of the sale and recognized over the service period. In certain circumstances, not all
requirements are met for the recognition of revenue relative to equipment sold in conjunction with EVIDENCE.com at the time the
equipment is provided to customers. In such circumstances, based on limitations associated with the allocation of arrangement
consideration, part of the revenue may be recognized ratably over the specified term of the contract, or when all conditions for
revenue recognition are met, if sooner.
In 2012, the Company introduced a program, the TASER Assurance Program (“TAP”) whereby a customer purchasing a
product and joining the program will have the right to trade-in the original product for a new product of the same or like model in the
future. Upon joining TAP, customers also receive an extended warranty for the initial products purchased and spare inventory. Under
this program the customer generally pays additional annual installments over the contract period, generally three to five years. The
Company records consideration received related to the future product purchase as deferred revenue until all revenue recognition
criteria are met, which is generally at the end of the contract period.
Sales tax collected on sales is netted against government remittances and thus, recorded on a net basis. Training revenue is
recorded as the service is provided.
Deferred revenue consists of payments received in advance related to products and services for which the criteria for revenue
recognition have not yet been met. Deferred revenue that will be recognized during the succeeding twelve month period is recorded
as current deferred revenue and the remaining portion is recorded as long-term. Deferred revenue does not include future revenue
from multi-year contracts for which no invoice has yet been created. Generally, customers are billed in annual installments. See Note
7 for further disclosures about of the Company’s deferred revenue.
Sales are typically made on credit and the Company generally does not require collateral. Management performs ongoing
credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and maintains an allowance for estimated potential losses. Uncollectible
accounts are charged to expense when deemed uncollectible, and accounts and notes receivable are presented net of an allowance for
doubtful accounts. This allowance represents management’s best estimate and is based on their judgment after considering a number
of factors, including third-party credit reports, actual payment history, cash discounts, customer-specific financial information and
broader market and economic trends and conditions.
The Company may, from time to time, enter into agreements with its customers to finance their purchases with a note
receivable that may range in terms up to five years. Sales are recorded at the fair value of the note, which is generally sold and
50

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
assigned to a third-party financing company. The terms of the assignments are such that the Company expects to receive payment
within 30 days of the original sale. The assignments are non-recourse and the Company has no obligations or continuing
involvement with the notes receivable. Prior to entering into an assignment, the Company evaluates the credit quality and financial
condition of the third-party financing company. The Company does not generally record interest income on notes receivable due to
minimal holding periods, nor has the Company recognized gains or losses upon the assignment of the notes. As of December 31,
2014 and 2013, there was no balance in accounts and notes receivable related to such arrangements.
i. Cost of Products Sold and Services Provided
Cost of products sold represents manufacturing costs, consisting of materials, labor and overhead related to finished goods and
components. Shipping costs incurred related to product delivery are also included in cost of products sold. Cost of services delivered
includes third party cloud services, and software maintenance costs, including personnel costs, associated with supporting
EVIDENCE.com.
j. Advertising Costs
The Company expenses advertising costs in the period in which they are incurred. The Company incurred advertising costs of
$0.3 million, $0.2 million and $0.2 million in the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Advertising costs
are included in sales, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statements of operations.
k. Standard Warranties
The Company warranties its CEWs, AXON cameras and E-Docks from manufacturing defects on a limited basis for a period
of one year after purchase and, thereafter, will replace any defective unit for a fee. Estimated costs for the standard warranty are
charged to cost of products sold and services delivered when revenue is recorded for the related product. Future warranty costs are
estimated based on historical data related to returns and warranty costs on a quarterly basis and this rate is applied to current product
sales. Historically, reserve amounts have been increased if management becomes aware of a component failure that could result in
larger than anticipated returns from customers. The accrued warranty liability expense is reviewed quarterly to verify that it
sufficiently reflects the remaining warranty obligations based on the anticipated expenditures over the balance of the warranty
obligation period, and adjustments are made when actual warranty claim experience differs from estimates. Costs related to extended
warranties are charged to cost of products sold and services delivered when incurred. The reserve for warranty returns is included in
accrued liabilities on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
Changes in the Company’s estimated product warranty liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
2014

Balance, January 1…………………………………………………... $
Utilization of accrual………………………………………………...

2013

955 $
(676)

Warranty expense……………………………………………………

396

Balance, December 31……………………………………………..... $

675 $

2012

484 $
(530)
1,001
955 $

427
(470)
527
484

l. Research and Development Expenses
The Company expenses as incurred research and development costs that do not meet the qualifications to be capitalized. The
Company incurred research and development expense of $14.9 million, $9.9 million and $8.1 million, in 2014, 2013 and 2012,
respectively.
m. Income Taxes
Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the
future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement amounts of assets and liabilities and their
respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carry forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted
tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in future years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or
settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rate is recognized in income in the period that includes the
enactment date. Deferred tax assets are reduced through the establishment of a valuation allowance if, based upon available
evidence, it is determined that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
51

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position
will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized
in the consolidated financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50%
likelihood of being realized upon ultimate resolution. Management also assesses whether uncertain tax positions, as filed, could
result in the recognition of a liability for possible interest and penalties. The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties
related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. Refer to Note 10 for additional information regarding
the change in unrecognized tax benefits.
n. Concentration of Credit Risk and Major Customers / Suppliers
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of accounts and notes
receivable and cash. Sales are typically made on credit and the Company generally does not require collateral. Management
performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and maintains an allowance for estimated losses.
Uncollectible accounts are written off when deemed uncollectible, and accounts receivable are presented net of an allowance for
doubtful accounts, which totaled $0.3 million and $0.2 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Historically, the
Company has experienced a low level of write-offs related to doubtful accounts.
The Company maintains the majority of its cash and cash equivalents accounts at three depository institutions. As of
December 31, 2014, the aggregate balances in such accounts were $48.4 million. The Company’s cash balances with these
institutions regularly exceed FDIC insured limits; however, to manage the related credit exposure, management continually monitors
the creditworthiness of the financial institutions where the Company has deposits.
The Company sells its products primarily through a network of unaffiliated distributors. The Company also reserves the right
to sell directly to the end user to secure the customer’s account. In 2014, no customer represented more than 10% of total net sales.
In 2013 and 2012 one distributor represented 12.2% and 12.8%, respectively, of total net sales with no other customers exceeding
10%.
At December 31, 2014, the Company had a trade receivable from one unaffiliated customer comprising 13.4% of the aggregate
accounts receivable balance. At December 31, 2013, the Company had a trade receivable from one unaffiliated customer comprising
17.4% of the aggregate accounts receivable balance.
The Company currently purchases finished circuit boards and injection-molded plastic components from suppliers located in
the U.S. Although the Company currently obtains many of these components from single source suppliers, the Company owns the
injection molded component tooling used in their production. As a result, management believes it could obtain alternative suppliers
in most cases without incurring significant production delays. The Company also purchases small, machined parts from a vendor in
Taiwan, custom cartridge assemblies from a proprietary vendor in the U.S., and electronic components from a variety of foreign and
domestic distributors. Management believes that there are readily available alternative suppliers in most cases who can consistently
meet the Company's needs for these components. The Company acquires most of its components on a purchase order basis and does
not have long-term contracts with suppliers.
o. Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company uses the fair value framework that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques for measuring financial assets
and liabilities measured on a recurring basis and for non-financial assets and liabilities when these items are re-measured. Fair value
is considered to be the exchange price in an orderly transaction between market participants, to sell an asset or transfer a liability at
the measurement date. The hierarchy below lists three levels of fair value based on the extent to which inputs used in measuring fair
value are observable in the market. The Company categorizes each of its fair value measurements in one of these three levels based
on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. These levels are:
•

Level 1 – Valuation techniques in which all significant inputs are unadjusted quoted prices from active markets for assets or
liabilities that are identical to the assets or liabilities being measured.

•

Level 2 – Valuation techniques in which significant inputs include quoted prices from active markets for assets or liabilities
that are similar to the assets or liabilities being measured and/or quoted prices for assets or liabilities that are identical or
similar to the assets or liabilities being measured from markets that are not active. Also, model-derived valuations in which
all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets are Level 2 valuation techniques.

52

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
•

Level 3 – Valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
Unobservable inputs are valuation technique inputs that reflect the Company's own assumptions about inputs that market
participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.

The Company has cash equivalents and investments, which at December 31, 2014 and 2013, were comprised of money market
funds, state and municipal obligations, corporate bonds, and certificates of deposits. See additional disclosure regarding the fair
value of the Company’s cash equivalents and investments in Note 2. Included in the balance of other assets as of December 31, 2014
and 2013 was $1.1 million and $0.4 million, respectively, related to corporate-owned life insurance policies which are used to fund
the Company’s deferred compensation plan. The Company determines the fair value of its insurance contracts by obtaining the cash
surrender value of the contracts from the issuer, a Level 2 valuation technique.
The Company’s financial instruments also include accounts and notes receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Due
to the short-term nature of these instruments, their fair values approximate their carrying values on the balance sheet.
p. Segment and Geographic Information
The Company is comprised of two reportable segments: the sale of CEWs, accessories and other products and services (the
“TASER Weapons” segment); and the video business which includes the TASER Cam, AXON camera products and
EVIDENCE.com (the “AXON” segment). Reportable segments are determined based on discrete financial information reviewed by
the Company’s Chief Executive Officer who is the Chief Operating Decision Maker (the “CODM”) for the Company. The Company
organizes and reviews operations based on products and services, and currently there are no operating segments that are aggregated.
The Company performs an annual analysis of its reportable segments. Additional information related to the Company’s business
segments is summarized in Note 15.
For the three years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, net sales by geographic area were as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2014

United States……………………………... $
Other Countries…………………………...

132,205

Total……………………………………… $

164,525

32,320

2013

80.4 % $
19.6
100.0 % $

115,674
22,157
137,831

2012

83.9 % $

93,427

81.4 %

16.1

21,326

18.6

114,753

100.0 %

100.0 % $

Sales to customers outside of the U.S. are typically denominated in U.S. dollars and are attributed to each country based on the
shipping address of the distributor or customer. For the three years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, no individual country
outside the U.S. represented more than 10% of net sales. Substantially all of the Company’s assets are located in the U.S.
q. Stock-Based Compensation
The Company calculates the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing valuation model, which
incorporates various assumptions including volatility, expected life and risk-free interest rates. The fair value of restricted stock units
is estimated as the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. No options were awarded during the years ended
December 31, 2014, 2013 or 2012.
The expected life of the options represents the estimated period of time from grant date until exercise and is based on historical
experience of similar awards, giving consideration to the contractual terms, vesting schedules and expectations of future employee
behavior. Expected stock price volatility is based on a combination of historical volatility of the Company’s stock and the one-year
implied volatility of its publicly traded options for the related vesting periods. The risk-free interest rate is based on the implied yield
available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with an equivalent remaining term. The Company has not paid dividends in the past
and does not plan to pay any dividends in the near future.
The estimated fair value of stock-based compensation awards is amortized to expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite
service periods. As stock-based compensation expense recognized is based on awards ultimately expected to vest, it is reduced for
estimated forfeitures. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual
forfeitures differ from those estimates. The Company’s forfeiture rate was calculated based on its historical experience of awards
which ultimately vested. See Note 12 for further disclosure about of the Company’s stock-based compensation.
53

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
r. Income per Common Share
Basic income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares
outstanding during the periods presented. Diluted income per share reflects the potential dilution that would occur if outstanding
stock options were exercised utilizing the treasury stock method. The calculation of the weighted average number of shares
outstanding and earnings per share are as follows (in thousands except per share data):
For the Year Ended December 31,
2014

2013

2012

Numerator for basic and diluted earnings per share:
Net income……………………………………………………... $

19,918 $

18,244 $

14,738

Denominator:
Weighted average shares outstanding—basic…………………..

52,948

51,880

53,827

Dilutive effect of stock-based awards…………………………..

1,552

2,272

896

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding…………………..

54,500

54,152

54,723

Anti-dilutive stock-based awards excluded…………………….
Net income per common share:

177

507

3,205

0.38 $

0.35 $

0.27

0.37 $

0.34 $

0.27

Basic……………………………………………………………. $
Diluted………………………………………………………….. $
s. Recently Issued Accounting Guidance

In June 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 201412, “Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved
after the Requisite Service Period” (“ASU 2014-12”). The amendments in ASU 2014-12 require that a performance target that
affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity
should apply existing guidance in Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 718, “Compensation—Stock Compensation” (“ASC
718”), as it relates to awards with performance conditions that affect vesting to account for such awards. The amendments in ASU
2014-12 are effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early
adoption is permitted. Entities may apply the amendments in ASU 2014-12 either: (i) prospectively to all awards granted or modified
after the effective date; or (ii) retrospectively to all awards with performance targets that are outstanding as of the beginning of the
earliest annual period presented in the financial statements and to all new or modified awards thereafter. The Company is currently
evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements, however does not expect
there to be a material impact at this time.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”).
The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to
customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or
services. To achieve that core principle, ASU 2014-09 provides for the following steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer;
(ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the
performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. ASU
2014-09 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 605, “Revenue
Recognition,” most industry-specific guidance throughout the industry topics of the Accounting Standards Codification, and some
cost guidance related to construction-type and production-type contracts. ASU 2014-09 is effective for public entities for annual
periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is not permitted.
Companies may use either a full retrospective or a modified retrospective approach to adopt ASU 2014-09. The Company is
currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
In July 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-11 to standardize the balance sheet presentation of unrecognized tax benefits.
This update applies to all entities that have unrecognized tax benefits when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a
tax credit carryforward exists at the reporting date. The new guidance was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15,
2013. The adoption of this guidance resulted in an immaterial reclassification on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

54

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
t. Foreign Currency Translation
The Company’s foreign subsidiary uses the local currency as its functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at
exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average monthly exchange rates
during the year. Resulting translation adjustments are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
on the consolidated balance sheets.
u. Reclassification of Prior Year Presentation
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current year presentation. These
reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations.
2. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments
The following tables summarize the Company's cash, cash equivalents, and held-to-maturity investments at December 31
(in thousands):
As of December 31, 2014
Amortized
Cost

Cash…………………………….... $

44,260 $

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

Gross
Unrealized
Losses

— $

— $

Fair Value

Cash and
Cash
Equivalents

44,260 $

Short-Term
Investments

44,260 $

Long-Term
Investments

— $

—

Level 1:
Money market funds…………..

3,932

—

—

3,932

3,932

—

—

Corporate bonds……………….

20,388

—

(34)

20,354

—

15,656

4,732

Subtotal…………………….
.

24,320

—

(34)

24,286

3,932

15,656

4,732

State and municipal obligations

19,145

18

—

19,163

175

15,891

3,079

Certificates of deposit…………

2,712

—

—

2,712

—

1,227

1,485

Subtotal…………………….

21,857

18

—

21,875

175

17,118

4,564

90,437 $

18 $

32,774 $

9,296

Level 2:

Total……………………………… $

(34) $

90,421 $

48,367 $

As of December 31, 2013
Amortized
Cost

Cash…………………………….... $

37,196 $

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

Gross
Unrealized
Losses

— $

— $

Fair Value

Cash and
Cash
Equivalents

37,196 $

Short-Term
Investments

37,196 $

Long-Term
Investments

— $

—

Level 1:
Money market funds…………..

5,030

—

—

5,030

5,030

—

—

Corporate bonds……………….

7,743

3

(14)

7,732

—

1,102

6,641

Subtotal…………………….
.

12,773

3

(14)

12,762

5,030

1,102

6,641

State and municipal obligations

10,807

14

—

10,821

45

5,626

5,136

Certificates of deposit…………

2,619

—

—

2,619

—

2,373

246

Subtotal…………………….

13,426

14

—

13,440

45

7,999

5,382

63,395 $

17 $

Level 2:

Total……………………………… $

55

(14) $

63,398 $

42,271 $

9,101 $

12,023

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
The Company believes the unrealized losses on the Company’s investments are due to interest rate fluctuations. As these
investments are either short-term in nature, are expected to be redeemed at par value and/or because the Company has the ability and
intent to hold these investments to maturity, the Company does not consider these investments to be other than temporarily impaired
at December 31, 2014. None of Company’s investments have been in an unrealized loss position for more than one year.
The following table summarizes the amortized cost and fair value of the short-term and long-term investments held by the
Company at December 31, 2014 by contractual maturity (in thousands):
Amortized Cost

Due in less than one year………………………………………………………………… $
Due after one year, through two years……………………………………………………

Fair Value

32,774 $

Due after two years……………………………………………………………………….
Total short-term and long-term investments……………………………………………... $

33,773

9,048

9,032

248

248

42,070 $

43,053

3. Inventory
Inventories consisted of the following at December 31 (in thousands):
2014

Raw materials……………………………………………………………………………. $
Work-in-process………………………………………………………………………….

2013

12,229 $

7,376

111

44

Finished goods…………………………………………..……………………………….

7,337

4,688

Reserve for excess and obsolete inventory………………………………………………

(1,354)

Total inventory…………………………………………..………………………………. $

18,323 $

(999)
11,109

4. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment consisted of the following at December 31 (in thousands):
Estimated
Useful Life

2014

N/A $

2013

Land………………………………………………………………...
Building and leasehold improvements……………………………..

39 years

14,302

13,922

Production equipment………………………………………………

3-7 years

18,443

18,047

Computer equipment……………………………………………….

3-5 years

7,209

7,789

Furniture and office equipment…………………………………….

5-7 years

3,066

2,646

Vehicles…………………………………………………………….

5 years

270

270

Website development costs…………………………………………

3 years

601

601

Capitalized software development costs…………………………...

3 years

3,670

3,670

Construction-in-process……………………………………………

N/A

Total cost…………………………………………………………...
Less: Accumulated depreciation……………………………………
Property and equipment, net………………………………………..

$

2,900 $

2,900

968

576

51,429

50,421

(33,906)

(31,378)

17,523 $

19,043

During the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 the Company recognized a net (loss) gain of approximately
$(17,000), $27,000 and $(0.2) million, respectively, for write-down and disposal of property and equipment.
Depreciation and amortization expense relative to property and equipment, including equipment under capital lease, was $4.0
million, $4.8 million and $6.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, of which $2.8 million,
$3.7 million and $4.7 million is included in cost of products sold and services provided for the respective years.
56

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
5. Goodwill and Intangible Assets
In the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company recorded goodwill related to the Familiar business acquisition. Goodwill is
calculated as the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the identifiable tangible and intangible assets. The balance of
goodwill at December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $2.2 million.
Intangible assets (other than goodwill) consisted of the following (in thousands):
December 31, 2014
Gross
Carrying
Amount

Useful
Life

Amortized:
Domain names…………

5 years $

Accumulated
Amortization

125 $

(114) $

December 31, 2013
Net
Carrying
Amount

11 $

Gross
Carrying
Amount

Accumulated
Amortization

125 $

(102) $

Net
Carrying
Amount

23

Issued patents………….

4-15 years

1,759

(549)

1,210

1,529

(441)

1,088

Issued trademarks……..

9-11 years

566

(205)

361

437

(147)

290

Total amortized………...

2,450

(868)

1,582

2,091

(690)

1,401

Not amortized:
TASER trademark……..

900

900

900

900

Patents and trademarks
pending………………...

633

633

1,016

1,016

Total not amortized……

1,533

1,533

1,916

1,916

3,115 $

4,007 $

Total intangible assets…….

$

3,983 $

(868) $

(690) $

3,317

Amortization expense relative to intangible assets was $0.2 million, $0.2 million and $0.1 million for the years ended
December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Estimated amortization for intangible assets with definitive lives for the next five
years is as follows for the year ended December 31 (in thousands):
2015……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. $

178

2016…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

172

2017…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

167

2018…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

158

2019…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

148

Thereafter………………………………………………………………………………………………………

759

Total…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… $

1,582

6. Other Long-Term Assets
Other long-term assets consisted primarily of approximately $1.1 million related to the cash surrender value of corporateowned life insurance policies (see Note 1) and approximately $1.1 million of long-term prepaid commissions. The remaining
balance includes amounts for long-term prepaid licenses and other deposits.

57

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
7. Deferred Revenue
Deferred revenue consisted of the following at December 31 (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2014

Warranty………………………………………………………………………………….. $
AXON services…………………………………………………………………………...

2013

21,973 $

15,889

9,286

4,026

Hardware equipment……………………………………………………………………...

4,252

304

Other………………………………………………………………………………………

177

—

Total deferred revenue…………………………………………………………………….
Total current portion of deferred revenue…...……………………………………………

35,688

20,219

14,020

6,878

Total long-term portion of deferred revenue……………………………………………... $

21,668 $

13,341

The current portion of deferred revenue consists primarily of approximately $5.7 million related to AXON related services,
$7.3 million related to warranties and $0.9 million related to deferred hardware. For more information relating to the Company’s
revenue recognition policies please refer to Note 1(h).
8. Accrued Liabilities
Accrued liabilities consisted of the following at December 31 (in thousands):
2014

Accrued salaries and benefits…………………………………………………………….. $
Accrued judgments and settlements………………………………………………………

2013

3,699 $

2,328

202

3,350

Accrued professional fees………………………………………………………………...

257

286

Accrued warranty expense………………………………………………………………..

675

955

Accrued income and other taxes………………………………………………………….

539

437

Other accrued expenses…………………………………………………………………...

3,873

1,484

Accrued liabilities………………………………………………………………………... $

9,245 $

8,840

9. Commitments and Contingencies
a. Operating and capital lease obligations
The Company has entered into operating leases for various office space, storage facilities and equipment. Rent expense under
all operating leases, including both cancelable and non-cancelable leases, was $0.9 million, $0.8 million and $0.9 million for the
years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.
Included in property and equipment in the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014, is approximately $61,000 of
office equipment the Company acquired under a capital lease during 2012. The leased equipment has an original cost of
approximately $147,000 and associated accumulated amortization of approximately $86,000 as of December 31, 2014. The
Company’s capital lease obligation as of December 31, 2014, was approximately $67,000 and bears an interest rate of 6.2%.

58

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable leases at December 31, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):
Operating

Capital

2015………………………………………………………………………………………. $

560 $

41

2016……………………………………………………………………………………….

583

30

2017……………………………………………………………………………………….
2018……………………………………………………………………………………….
2019……………………………………………………………………………………….
Thereafter…………………………………………………………………………………

591
590
449
1,249

—
—
—
—

Total minimum lease payments………………………………………………………….. $

4,022

71

Less: Amount representing interest………………………………………………………
Capital lease obligation…………………………………………………………………..

$

(4)
67

b. Purchase commitments
The Company routinely enters into cancelable purchase orders with many of its key vendors. Based on the strategic
relationships with many of these vendors, the Company’s ability to cancel these purchase orders and maintain a favorable
relationship would be limited. As of December 31, 2014, the Company has $19.1 million of open purchase orders.
c. Litigation
Product Litigation
The Company is currently named as a defendant in 12 lawsuits in which the plaintiffs allege either wrongful death or personal
injury in situations in which a TASER CEW was used (or present) by law enforcement officers in connection with arrests or during
training exercises. In addition, two other product litigation matters in which the Company is involved are currently on appeal. While
the facts vary from case to case, the product liability claims are typically based on an alleged product defect resulting in injury or
death, usually involving a failure to warn, and the plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages.
As a general rule, it is the Company’s policy not to settle suspect injury or death cases. Exceptions are sometimes made where
the settlement is strategically beneficial to the Company. Also, on occasion, the Company’s insurance company has settled such
lawsuits over the Company’s objection where the risk is over the Company’s liability insurance deductibles. Due to the
confidentiality of our litigation strategy and the confidentiality agreements that are executed in the event of a settlement, the
Company does not identify or comment on which specific lawsuits have been settled or the amount of any settlement.
In 2009, the Company implemented new risk management strategies, including revisions to product warnings and training to
better protect both the Company and its customers from litigation based on ‘failure to warn’ theories – which comprise the vast
majority of the cases against the Company. These risk management strategies have been highly effective in reducing the rate and
exposure from litigation post-2009. From the third quarter of 2011 to the fourth quarter of 2014, product liability cases have been
reduced from 55 active to 12 active cases, with two new lawsuits filed in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Management believes that pre-2009 cases have a different risk profile than cases which have occurred since the risk
management procedures were introduced in 2009. Therefore, the Company necessarily treats certain pre-2009 cases as exceptions to
the Company’s general no settlement policy in order to reduce caseload, legal costs and liability exposure. The Company intends to
continue its successful practice of aggressively defending and generally not settling litigation except in very limited and unusual
circumstances as described above.

59

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
With respect to each of the pending lawsuits, the following table lists the name of plaintiff, the date the Company was served
with process, the jurisdiction in which the case is pending, the type of claim and the status of the matter.
Plaintiff

Month
Served

Jurisdiction

Claim Type

Status

Koon

Dec-08

17th Judicial Circuit Court, Broward County, FL

Training Injury

Discovery Phase

Derbyshire

Nov-09

Ontario, Canada Superior Court of Justice

Officer Injury

Discovery Phase

Thompson

Mar-10

11th Judicial Circuit Court, Miami-Dade County, FL

Suspect Injury During Arrest

Discovery Phase

Doan

Apr-10

The Queen's Bench Alberta, Red Deer Judicial Dist.

Wrongful Death

Discovery Phase

Shymko

Dec-10

The Queen's Bench, Winnipeg Centre, Manitoba

Wrongful Death

Pleading Phase

Ramsey

Jan-12

17th Judicial Circuit Court, Broward County, FL

Wrongful Death

Discovery Phase

Firman

Apr-12

Ontario, Canada Superior Court of Justice

Wrongful Death

Pleading Phase

Ricks

May-12

US District Court, WD LA

Wrongful Death

Motion Phase

Rascon

Apr-14

US district Court, AZ

Wrongful Death

Discovery Phase

Schrock

Sep-14

San Bernardino County Superior Court, CA

Wrongful Death

Pleading Phase

Moore

Nov-14

St. Louis County Circuit Court, MO

Wrongful Death

Pleading Phase

Jones

Jan-15

Los Angeles County Superior Court, CA

Suspect Injury

Pleading Phase

In addition, other product litigation matters in which the Company is involved that are currently on appeal are listed below:
Plaintiff

Month
Served

Jurisdiction

Claim Type

Status

Mitchell

Apr-12

US District Court, ED MI

Wrongful Death

Notice of Appeal filed August 2014; Briefing Phase

Thomas
(Pikes)

Oct-08

US District Court, WD LA

Wrongful Death

Notice of Appeal filed January 2015

Cases that were dismissed or judgment entered during the fourth quarter of 2014 and through the filing date of this Annual
Report on Form 10-K are listed in the table below. Cases that were dismissed or judgment entered in prior fiscal quarters are not
included in this table.
Plaintiff
Grable

Month
Served

Jurisdiction

Claim Type

Status

Aug-08

6th Judicial Circuit Court, Pinellas County, FL

Training Injury

Dismissed

Juran

Dec-10

Hennepin County District Court, 4th Judicial District

Officer Injury

Dismissed

Wilson

May-11

US District Court, ED MO

Wrongful Death

Dismissed

Miller

Jan-13

New Castle County Superior Court, DE

Wrongful Death

Dismissed

Ward

Oct-14

Richmond County Superior Court, GA

Officer Fired

Dismissed

60

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
The claims, and in some instances the defense, of each of these lawsuits have been submitted to the Company’s insurance
carriers that maintained insurance coverage during the applicable periods. The Company continues to maintain product liability
insurance coverage with varying limits and deductibles. The following table provides information regarding the Company’s product
liability insurance. Remaining insurance coverage is based on information received from the Company’s insurance provider (in
millions).
Policy
Start
Date

Policy Year

Policy
End
Date

Insurance
Coverage
2.0 $

Deductible
Amount

Defense
Costs
Covered

Remaining
Insurance
Coverage

Active Cases and Cases on
Appeal

2004
2005

12/1/2003

12/1/2004 $

0.1

N $

2.0

n/a

12/1/2004

12/1/2005

10.0

0.3

Y

7.0

n/a

2006

12/1/2005

12/1/2006

10.0

0.3

Y

3.7

n/a

2007

12/1/2006

12/1/2007

10.0

0.3

Y

8.0

n/a

2008

12/1/2007

12/15/2008

10.0

0.5

Y

—

Koon, Thomas (Pikes)

2009

12/15/2008

12/15/2009

10.0

1.0

N

10.0

Derbyshire

2010

12/15/2009

12/15/2010

10.0

1.0

N

10.0

Thompson, Shymko, Doan

2011

12/15/2010

12/15/2011

10.0

1.0

N

10.0

n/a

Jan-Jun 2012

12/15/2011

6/25/2012

7.0

1.0

N

7.0

Jul-Dec 2012

6/25/2012

12/15/2012

12.0

1.0

N

12.0

n/a

2013

12/15/2012

12/15/2013

12.0

1.0

N

12.0

n/a

2014

12/15/2013

12/15/2014

11.0

4.0

N

11.0

Schrock, Moore, Rascon

2015

12/15/2014

12/15/2015

10.0

5.0

N

10.0

Jones

Ramsey, Mitchell, Firman, Ricks

Other Litigation
None
General
From time to time, the Company is notified that it may be a party to a lawsuit or that a claim is being made against it. It is the
Company’s policy to not disclose the specifics of any claim or threatened lawsuit until the summons and complaint are actually
served on the Company. After carefully assessing the claim, and assuming we determine that we are not at fault or we disagree with
the damages or relief demanded, we vigorously defend any lawsuit filed against the Company. In certain legal matters, we record a
liability when losses are deemed probable and reasonably estimable. In evaluating matters for accrual and disclosure purposes, we
take into consideration factors such as our historical experience with matters of a similar nature, the specific facts and circumstances
asserted, the likelihood of our prevailing, and the severity of any potential loss. We reevaluate and update our accruals as matters
progress over time.
Based on our assessment of outstanding litigation and claims as of December 31, 2014, the Company has determined that it is
not reasonably possible that these lawsuits will individually, or in the aggregate, materially affect our results of operations, financial
condition or cash flows. However, the outcome of any litigation is inherently uncertain and there can be no assurance that any
expense, liability or damages that may ultimately result from the resolution of these matters will be covered by our insurance or will
not be in excess of amounts recognized or provided by insurance coverage and will not have a material adverse effect on our
operating results, financial condition or cash flows.
d. Employment Agreements
The Company has employment agreements with certain key executives. The Company may terminate the agreements with or
without cause. Should the Company terminate the agreements without cause, or upon a change of control of the Company or death
or disability of the employee, the employee, or family of the employee, are entitled to additional compensation. Under these
circumstances, these officers and employees would receive the amounts remaining under their contracts upon termination, which
total approximately $1.0 million in the aggregate at December 31, 2014. In March 2015, the Company finalized its severance
agreement with a former executive whose position was eliminated in 2014, and accordingly, the Company accrued approximately
$0.5 million as of December 31, 2014.

61

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
10. Income Taxes
Significant components of the Company’s deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows at December 31 (in
thousands):
2014

Deferred income tax assets:
Net operating loss carryforward……………………………………………………... $

2013

343 $

513

Deferred warranty revenue…………………………………………………………..

4,141

2,837

Inventory reserve…………………………………………………………………….

508

389

Non-qualified and non-employee stock option expense……………………………..

3,094

3,518

Capitalized research and development……………………………………………….

4,847

6,588

Alternative minimum tax carryforward……………………………………………...

1,081

1,466

Research and development tax credit carryforward………………………………….

2,139

3,165

Deferred legal settlement…………………………………………………………….

—

1,294

IRC section 481(a) adjustment—tangible property………………………………….

—

1,316

Reserves, accruals, and other………………………………………………………...

2,320

2,066

Total deferred income tax assets……………………………………………………..

18,473

23,152

(1,674)

(2,136)

Deferred income tax liabilities:
Depreciation………………………………………………………………………….
Amortization…………………………………………………………………………

(236)

(236)

Total deferred income tax liabilities…………………………………………………

(1,910)

(2,372)

Net deferred income tax assets before valuation allowance……………………………...
Valuation allowance………………………………………………………………….

16,563

20,780

Net deferred income tax assets…………………………………………………………… $

16,063 $

(500)

—
20,780

The Company’s net deferred tax assets are presented as follows on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets at
December 31 (in thousands):
2014

2013

Current deferred tax assets, net…………………………………………………………... $
Long-term deferred tax assets, net………………………………………………………..

5,186 $

7,101

10,877

13,679

Total………………………………………………………………………………………. $

16,063 $

20,780

For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 the provision for income taxes includes $8.0 million, $6.8 million and
$4.7 million, respectively, of tax expense resulting from the fact that stock-based compensation tax benefits have been recorded as
increases to additional paid-in capital on the consolidated statement of changes in stockholders’ equity.
The Company has deferred tax assets of $0.1 million related to state NOLs which expire at various dates between 2016 and
2031. The Company also has deferred tax assets of approximately $0.2 million related to federal NOLs which expire between 2031
and 2033, and are subject to limitation under IRC Section 382. The Company has Arizona R&D credit carry forwards for financial
reporting purposes of $3.2 million, which expire at various dates between 2018 and 2028, and California R&D credit carry forwards
for financial reporting purposes of $0.2 million which do not expire. The Company has a minimum tax credit carryover of $1.1
million which does not expire.
The Company recognizes the income tax benefits associated with certain stock compensation deductions only when such
deductions produce a reduction to the Company’s actual tax liability. Accordingly, in 2014 and 2013, the Company recognized
benefits of $8.0 million and $6.8 million, respectively, for the reduction of federal and state taxes payable, which was recorded as a
credit to additional paid-in capital. At each of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company had income tax receivables of $1.3
million and $2.3 million, respectively.
62

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
In preparing the Company’s consolidated financial statements, management has assessed the likelihood that deferred income
tax assets will be realized from future taxable income. In evaluating the ability to recover its deferred income tax assets,
management considers all available evidence, positive and negative; including the Company’s operating results, ongoing tax
planning and forecasts of future taxable income on a jurisdiction by jurisdiction basis. A valuation allowance is established if it is
determined that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the net deferred income tax assets will not be realized.
Management exercises significant judgment in determining the Company’s provisions for income taxes, its deferred income tax
assets and liabilities and its future taxable income for purposes of assessing its ability to utilize any future tax benefit from its
deferred income tax assets.
Although management believes that its tax estimates are reasonable, the ultimate tax determination involves significant
judgments that could become subject to audit by tax authorities in the ordinary course of business. As of each reporting date,
management considers new evidence, both positive and negative, that could impact management’s view with regards to future
realization of deferred tax assets. As of December 31, 2012, in part because in that year the Company achieved three years of
cumulative pre-tax income in the U.S. federal and Arizona tax jurisdictions, management determined that sufficient positive
evidence existed to conclude that it is more likely than not that additional deferred taxes related to Arizona R&D credits are
realizable, and therefore, reversed in full the valuation allowance related to that item. As of December 31, 2014, the Company
continues to demonstrate three-year cumulative pre-tax income in the U.S. federal and Arizona tax jurisdictions; however, the
Arizona R&D Tax Credits start to expire in 2018 with a significant tranche with a gross value of $1.2 million expiring in 2019.
Under the Company’s new tax structure, it appears that long term investments which impact short term profits will likely result in
some of the R&D credits expiring before they are utilized. Therefore, management has concluded that it is more likely than not that a
portion of the Company’s deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Significant components of the provision for income taxes are as follows for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):
2014

Current:
Federal………………………………………………………….. $
State……………………………………………………………..

2013

7,793 $

2012

7,963 $

4,605

800

987

666

Total current…………………………………………………….

8,593

8,950

5,271

Deferred:
Federal…………………………………………………………..

2,656

764

3,168

(143)

(1,485)

621

1,683

State……………………………………………………………..

942

Total deferred…………………………………………………...

3,598

Tax provision recorded as an increase in liability for unrecorded tax
benefits………………………………………………………………
Provision for income taxes………………………………………….. $

63

202

219

12,393 $

9,790 $

920
7,874

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
The Company is subject to federal, state, local and foreign taxes; however, no separate calculation of the foreign provision for
deferred tax assets was calculated for the periods presented due to the minimal amount of book income in the Company’s foreign
subsidiary and the comparability of the foreign tax rate to the tax rate in the U.S. A reconciliation of the Company’s effective income
tax rate to the federal statutory rate for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 is as follows (in thousands):
2014

Federal income tax at the statutory rate……………………………... $
State income taxes, net of federal benefit……………………………

2013

11,236

$

1,433

(i)

2012

9,812

$

7,914

1,283

969

Permanent differences ……………………………………..………

98

(96)

156

Research and development…………………………………………..

(452)

(386)

(327)

Return to provision adjustment (ii)

28

(361)

(270)

Change in liability for unrecognized tax benefits……………………

202

219

921

Incentive stock option detriment/(benefit)…………………...……...

(616)

(538)

174

Change in valuation allowance………………………………………

500

—

Other…………………………………………………………………
Provision for income taxes………………………………………….. $

(36)
12,393

Effective tax rate…………………………………………………….

(1,429)

(143)
$

9,790

38.4 %

(234)
$

7,874

34.9 %

34.8 %

(i) Permanent differences include certain expenses that are not deductible for tax purposes including lobbying fees as well as
favorable items including the domestic production activities deduction
(ii) The 2012 return to provision adjustment was driven by higher than estimated 2011 R&D tax credits which increased the net
tax benefit and therefore, reduced the effective tax rate. The 2013 return to provision adjustment was driven by the domestic
production activities deduction which decreased taxable income, and therefore, reduced the effective tax rate.
The Company has completed research and development tax credit studies which identified approximately $10.4 million in tax
credits for federal, Arizona and California income tax purposes related to the 2003 through 2014 tax years. Management has made
the determination that it is more likely than not that the full benefit of the R&D tax credit will not be sustained on examination and
recorded a liability for unrecognized tax benefits of $3.1 million as of December 31, 2013. In addition, management accrued
approximately $0.2 million for estimated uncertain tax positions related to certain state income tax liabilities. The Company is
currently under an IRS audit for the tax year 2012. Depending on the outcome of the audit, the uncertain tax positions relating to
2012 may significantly change in the next 12 months. Should the unrecognized tax benefit of $3.3 million be recognized, the
Company’s effective tax rate would be favorably impacted.
The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the income tax expense line in the
accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, the Company had accrued
interest of $46,000 and $12,000.
The following table presents a roll forward of our liability for unrecognized tax benefits, exclusive of accrued interest, as
of December 31 (in thousands):
2014

Balance, beginning of period………………………………………... $
Increase in previous year tax positions………………………………

2013

2012

3,110 $

2,903 $

1,982

—

57

659

Increase in current year tax positions………………………………..

121

144

151

Increase (decrease) related to adjustment of previous estimates of
activity……………………………………………………………….

94

6

111

3,325 $

3,110 $

Balance, end of period………………………………………………. $

64

2,903

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
Federal income tax returns for 2004 through 2013 remain open to examination by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the
“IRS”), while state and local income tax returns for 2004 through 2013 also remain open to examination. The 2004 through 2009
income tax returns are only open to the extent that net operating loss or other tax attributes carrying forward from those years were
utilized in 2010 through 2013. The foreign tax returns for 2011 through 2013 also remain open to examination. The Company is
currently under examination by the IRS for tax year 2012. As of December 31, 2014 the exam is still ongoing. No adjustments have
been proposed to date. The Company has not been notified by any major state tax jurisdiction that it will be subject to examination.
11. Line of Credit
The Company has a $10.0 million revolving line of credit with a domestic bank. At December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were
no borrowings under the line. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had letters of credit outstanding of $0.4 million under the
facility and available borrowing of $9.6 million. The line is secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company, and bears
interest at varying rates (currently LIBOR plus 1.5% or Prime less 0.75%). The line of credit matures on July 31, 2016, and requires
monthly payments of interest only. The Company’s agreement with the bank requires it to comply with certain financial and other
covenants including maintenance of a minimum leverage ratio and fixed charge coverage ratio. The leverage ratio (ratio of total
liabilities to tangible net worth) can be no greater than 1:1, and the fixed charge coverage ratio can be no less than 1.25:1, based
upon a trailing twelve-month period. At December 31, 2014, the Company’s tangible net worth ratio was 0.45:1 and its fixed charge
coverage ratio was 2.82:1. Accordingly, the Company was in compliance with these covenants.
12. Stockholders’ Equity
a. Common Stock and Preferred Stock
The Company has authorized the issuance of two classes of stock designated as “common stock” and “preferred stock,” each
having a par value of $0.00001 per share. The Company is authorized to issue 200 million shares of common stock and 25 million
shares of preferred stock.
b. Stock Repurchase
In May 2014, the Company announced that TASER’s Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program to acquire up
to $30.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock subject to stock market conditions and corporate considerations.
Under this program, the Company purchased approximately 1.7 million common shares for a total cost of approximately $22.4
million, or a weighted average cost, including commissions of $12.99 per share. As of December 31, 2014, $7.6 million remains
available under the plan for future purchases.
In February 2013, the Company announced that TASER’s Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program to acquire
up to $25 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock subject to stock market conditions and corporate considerations.
Under this program, which was completed in the second quarter of 2013, the Company purchased approximately 3.0 million
common shares for a total cost of approximately $25.0 million, or a weighted average cost, including commissions, of $8.20 per
share.
On April 25, 2012, TASER’s Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program to acquire up to $20.0 million of the
Company’s outstanding common stock subject to stock market conditions and corporate considerations. The Company purchased
approximately 3.8 million common shares under this program for a total cost of $20.0 million, or a weighted average cost, including
commissions, of $5.22 per share. The buyback was completed in the third quarter of 2012.
c. Stock-based Compensation Plans
The Company has historically utilized stock-based compensation, consisting of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and stock
options, for key employees and non-employee directors as a means of attracting and retaining quality personnel. Service-based
grants generally have a vesting period of 3 to 4 years and a contractual maturity of ten years. Performance-based grants generally
have vesting periods ranging from 1 to 4 years and a contractual maturity of ten years.
On February 25, 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the 2013 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan) which was
subsequently approved by stockholders at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders on May 23, 2013. Under the 2013 Plan, the Company
reserved for future grants: (i) 1.6 million shares of common stock, plus (ii) the number of shares of common stock that were
65

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
authorized but unissued under the Company’s 2009 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2009 Plan”) as of the effective date of the 2013 Plan,
and (iii) the number of shares of stock that have been granted under the 2009 Plan that either terminate, expire or lapse for any
reason after the effective date of the 2013 Plan. As of December 31, 2014, 1.7 million shares remain available for future grants.
Shares issued upon exercise of stock awards from these plans have historically been issued from the Company’s authorized unissued
shares.
d. Performance-based stock awards
The Company has issued performance-based stock options and performance-based RSUs, the vesting of which is contingent
upon the achievement of certain performance criteria related to the operating performance of the Company as well as successful and
timely development and market acceptance of future product introductions. In addition, certain of the performance RSUs have
additional service requirements subsequent to the achievement of the performance criteria. Compensation expense is recognized
over the implicit service period (the longer of the period the performance condition is expected to be achieved or the required service
period) based on management’s estimate of the probability of the performance criteria being satisfied, adjusted at each balance sheet
date.
e. Restricted Stock Units
The following table summarizes RSU activity for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:
2014
Number
of
Units

2013
Weighted
Average
Grant-Date
Fair Value

Number
of
Units

Units outstanding, beginning of
year…………………………...
Granted……………………….

1,279,123 $

9.67

554,328

16.98

Released………………………

(432,706)

7.61

Forfeited………………………

(174,657)

13.08

Units outstanding, end of year
Aggregate intrinsic value at
year end (in thousands)………. $

1,226,088

13.23

582,212 $
1,054,293

2012
Weighted
Average
Grant-Date
Fair Value

5.42

Number
of
Units

1,096 $

Weighted
Average
Grant-Date
Fair Value

4.76

10.72

713,148

5.40

(257,693)

5.44

(97,007)

5.30

(99,689)

6.86

(35,025)

5.29

9.67

582,212

5.42

1,279,123

32,467

Aggregate intrinsic value represents the Company’s closing stock price on the last trading day of the period, which was $26.48
per share, multiplied by the number of restricted stock units. In 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Company granted approximately 0.1
million, 0.3 million and 0.2 million performance-based RSUs, respectively (included in the table above). As of December 31, 2014,
the performance criteria has been met for approximately 0.1 million of the 0.2 million performance-based RSUs outstanding. The
Company recognized $1.0 million, $1.4 million and $0.7 million of compensation expense related to performance-based RSUs
during the years ended December 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Certain RSUs that vested in 2014 were net-share settled such that the Company withheld shares with value equivalent to the
employees’ minimum statutory obligation for the applicable income and other employment taxes, and remitted the cash to the
appropriate taxing authorities. Total shares withheld were approximately 74,000 and had a value of approximately $1.3 million on
their respective vesting dates as determined by the Company’s closing stock price. Payments for the employees’ tax obligations are
reflected as a financing activity within the statement of cash flows. These net-share settlements had the effect of share repurchases
by the Company as they reduced the amount of shares that would have otherwise been issued as a result of the vesting.

66

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
f. Stock Option Activity
The following table summarizes stock option activity for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:
2014
Number
of
Options

Options outstanding, beginning of year
Granted………………………………...

2013
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

3,365,692 $

6.15

—

Number
of
Options

6,321,076 $

—

2012
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

6.05

—

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

Number
of
Options

7,576,493 $

—

5.75

—

Exercised………………………………

(1,644,146)

6.69

(2,671,058)

5.75

(784,383)

2.46

Expired / terminated…………………...

(80,463)

16.59

(284,326)

7.83

(471,034)

7.15

Options outstanding, end of year………

1,641,083

5.26

3,365,692

6.15

6,321,076

6.05

Options exercisable, end of year………

1,605,789

5.27

3,217,146

6.22

5,278,243

6.31

Options expected to vest, end of year…

4,443

4.66

No stock options were granted in 2014, 2013 or 2012. Total intrinsic value of options exercised was $20.2 million, $15.7
million and $3.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The intrinsic value for options
exercised was calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying stock option awards and the market price of
the Company’s common stock on the date of exercise.
The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding and exercisable as of December 31, 2014:
Options Outstanding

Range of
Exercise Price

Number of
Options
Outstanding

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

Options Exercisable
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life (Years)

Number of
Options
Exercisable

Weighted
Average
Price

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life (Years)

$3.85 - $5.00
$5.01 - $7.00

1,206,798 $

4.63

4.8

1,172,329 $

4.63

4.8

210,663

5.58

4.0

209,838

5.58

4.0

$7.01 - $10.00

151,761

7.38

2.9

151,761

7.38

2.9

$10.01 - $16.23

71,861

10.29

2.4

71,861

10.29

2.4

$3.85 - $16.23

1,641,083

5.26

4.4

1,605,789

5.27

4.4

The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding and options exercisable at December 31, 2014, was $34.8 million and
$34.1 million, respectively. Aggregate intrinsic value represents the difference between the exercise price of the underlying stock
option awards and the closing market price of the Company’s common stock of $26.48 on December 31, 2014.
At December 31, 2014, the Company had 35,294 unvested options outstanding with a weighted average exercise price of
$4.74 per share, weighted average fair value of $2.51 per share and weighted average remaining contractual life of 4.3 years. The
aggregate intrinsic value of unvested options at December 31, 2014 was $0.8 million.
The Company granted approximately 1.0 million performance-based stock options (included in the table above) from 2008
through 2011. As of December 31, 2014, approximately 0.3 million performance-based stock options are outstanding, of which
approximately 30,600 are unvested and none are expected to vest. The aggregate grant-date fair value of the 0.3 million
performance-based stock options vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2014 is approximately $0.8 million. Performancebased stock options were expensed in full as of December 31, 2013. The Company recognized $0.1 million of stock-based
compensation expense related to performance-based stock options during each of 2013 and 2012.

67

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
g. Stock-based Compensation Expense
The Company accounts for stock-based compensation using the fair-value method. Reported stock-based compensation was
classified as follows for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):
2014

Cost of products sold and services delivered……………………….. $
Sales, general and administrative expenses………………………….

2013

204 $

2012

175 $

3,555

3,158

Research and development expenses………………………………...

1,820

1,007

Total stock-based compensation…………………………………….. $

5,579 $

4,340 $

172
2,647
603
3,422

Total stock-based compensation expense recognized in the statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014,
2013 and 2012 includes $28,000, $0.1 million and $0.5 million, respectively, related to ISOs for which no tax benefit is recognized.
The Company recorded a tax benefit in 2014, 2013, and 2012 of $2.5 million, $6.8 million, and $4.7 million, respectively, to offset
taxes payable related to the non-qualified disposition of ISOs exercised and sold. The total future tax benefits related to nonqualified and restricted stock units was $3.1 million and $3.5 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
As of December 31, 2014, there was $11.1 million in unrecognized compensation costs related to RSUs under the Company's
stock plans. The Company expects to recognize the cost related to the RSUs over a weighted average period of 2.5 years.
13. Related Party Transactions
The Company engages Mark Kroll, a member of the Board of Directors, to provide consulting services. The expenses related
to these services were $0.2 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. At December 31, 2014 and
2013, the Company had accrued liabilities of approximately $8,000 and $12,000, respectively, related to these services.
14. Employee Benefit Plans
The Company has a defined contribution profit sharing 401(k) plan for eligible employees, which is qualified under Sections
401(a) and 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Employees are entitled to make tax-deferred contributions of
up to the maximum allowed by law of their eligible compensation.
The Company also has a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for certain executives, key employees and non-employee
directors through which participants may elect to postpone the receipt and taxation of a portion of their compensation, including
stock-based compensation, received from the Company. The non-qualified deferred compensation plan allows eligible participants
to defer up to 80% of their base salary and up to 100% of other types of compensation. The plan also allows for (i) matching and
discretionary employer contributions and (ii) the deferral of vested RSU awards. Employee deferrals are deemed 100% vested upon
contribution. Distributions from the plan are made upon retirement, death, separation of service, specified date or upon the
occurrence of an unforeseeable emergency. Distributions can be paid in a variety of forms from lump sum to installments over a
period of years. Participants in the plan are entitled to select from a wide variety of investments available under the plan and are
allocated gains or losses based upon the performance of the investments selected by the participant. All gains or losses are allocated
fully to plan participants and the Company does not guarantee a rate of return on deferred balances. Assets related to this plan
consist of corporate-owned life insurance contracts and are included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Participants
have no rights or claims with respect to any plan assets and any such assets are subject to the claims of the Company’s general
creditors.
Contributions to the plans are made by both the employee and the Company. Company contributions are based on the level of
employee contributions and are immediately vested. The Company’s matching contributions to the plan for the years ended
December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, were approximately $0.9 million, $0.7 million and $0.5 million, respectively. The Company
expects to make contributions to the non-qualified deferred compensation plan related to the year ended December 31, 2014, of
approximately $27,000. Future matching or profit sharing contributions to the plans are at the Company’s sole discretion.

68

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
15. Segment Data
The Company’s operations are comprised of two reportable segments: the sale of CEWs, accessories and other products and
services (the “TASER Weapons” segment); and the video business, which includes the TASER Cam, AXON video products and
EVIDENCE.com (the “AXON” segment). The Company includes only revenues and costs directly attributable to the AXON
segment in that segment. Included in AXON segment costs are: costs of sales for both products and services, overhead allocation
based on direct labor, selling expense for the video sales team, video product management expenses, video trade shows and related
expenses, and research and development for products included in the AXON segment. All other costs are included in the TASER
Weapons segment. The CODM does not review assets by segment as part of the financial information provided; therefore, no asset
information is provided in the following tables.
Information relative to the Company’s reportable segments is as follows (in thousands):
For the year ended December 31, 2014
TASER
Weapons

AXON

Total

Product sales…………………………………………………….. $
Service revenue………………………………………………….

145,613 $

14,700 $

160,313

—

4,212

4,212

Net sales………………………………………………….………

145,613

18,912

164,525

Cost of products sold…………………………………………….
Cost of services delivered………………………………………..

47,680

13,233

60,913

—

2,064

2,064

Gross margin……………………………………………………..

97,933

3,615

101,548

Sales, general and administrative………………………………..
Research and development………………………………………

42,989

11,169

54,158

3,872

11,013

14,885

Income (loss) from operations…………………………………... $

51,072 $

(18,567) $

32,505

Purchase of property and equipment……………………………. $
Purchase of intangible assets…………………………………….

2,233 $
180

272 $
3

2,505
183

Depreciation and amortization…………………………………..

3,936

381

4,317

For the year ended December 31, 2013
TASER
Weapons

AXON

Total

Product sales…………………………………………………….. $
Service revenue………………………………………………….

127,474 $
—

1,708

1,708

Net sales………………………………………………….………

127,474

10,357

137,831

Cost of products sold…………………………………………….
Cost of services delivered………………………………………..

44,025

6,074

50,099

—

1,889

1,889

Gross margin……………………………………………………..

83,449

2,394

85,843

Sales, general and administrative………………………………..
Research and development………………………………………

40,174

6,383

46,557

4,311

5,577

9,888

Litigation judgment……………………………………………...

136,123

—

1,450

Income (loss) from operations…………………………………... $

37,514 $

(9,566) $

27,948

Purchase of property and equipment……………………………. $
Purchase of intangible assets…………………………………….

1,324 $
307

459 $
16

1,783
323

Depreciation and amortization…………………………………..

4,011

69

1,450

8,649 $

1,120

5,131

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)
For the year ended December 31, 2012
TASER
Weapons

AXON

Total

Product sales…………………………………………………….. $
Service revenue………………………………………………….

109,055 $
—

627

627

Net sales………………………………………………….………

109,055

5,698

114,753

Cost of products sold…………………………………………….
Cost of services delivered………………………………………..

39,350

3,773

43,123

—

3,915

3,915

Gross margin……………………………………………………..

69,705

(1,990)

67,715

Sales, general and administrative………………………………..
Research and development………………………………………

35,737

3,510

39,247

3,938

4,201

Litigation recovery……………………………………………...

(2,200)

Income (loss) from operations…………………………………... $
Purchase of property and equipment……………………………. $
Purchase of intangible assets…………………………………….
Depreciation and amortization…………………………………..

5,071 $

114,126

8,139

—

(2,200)

32,230 $

(9,701) $

22,529

922 $
429

412 $
—

1,334
429

4,327

2,192

6,519

16. Selected Quarterly Financial Data (unaudited)
Selected quarterly financial data for years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 follows (in thousands, except per share data):
Quarter Ended

Net sales……………………………………………... $
Gross margin…………………………………………

March 31,

June 30,

September 30,

December 31,

2014

2014

2014

2014

36,185 $

37,175 $

44,349 $

46,816

22,208

23,214

28,713

27,413

3,391

3,883

7,558

5,086

Net income…………………………………………...
Earnings per share (1):
Basic……………………………………………. $
Diluted………………………………………….. $

0.06 $

0.07 $

0.14 $

0.10

0.06 $

0.07 $

0.14 $

0.09

Quarter Ended

Net sales……………………………………………... $
Gross margin…………………………………………

March 31,

June 30,

September 30,

December 31,

2013

2013

2013

2013

30,434 $

32,175 $

35,197 $

40,025

18,451

19,742

22,096

25,554

3,298

4,457

5,114

5,375

Net income…………………………………………...
(1)

Earnings per share :
Basic……………………………………………. $
Diluted………………………………………….. $
(1)

0.06 $

0.09 $

0.10 $

0.10

0.06 $

0.08 $

0.10 $

0.10

Basic and diluted earnings per share are computed independently for each of the quarters presented. Therefore, the sum of
quarterly basic and diluted per share information may not equal annual basic and diluted earnings per share.

70

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

17. Supplemental Disclosure to Cash Flows
Supplemental non-cash and other cash flow information are as follows for the years ended December 31 (in thousands),
2014

2013

2012

Cash paid for income taxes—net………………………………………... $
Non Cash Transactions:

386 $

3,625 $

1,079

Stock issued for business acquisition………………………………. $
Property and equipment purchases in accounts payable……………

— $

1,578 $

—

Purchase of assets under capital lease obligations………………….

71

270

279

113

—

—

147

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Board of Directors and Stockholders
TASER International, Inc.
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of TASER International, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) and
subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of operations and
comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014. Our
audits of the basic consolidated financial statements included the financial statement schedule listed in the index appearing under
Item 15(a)(2). These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are
free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the
financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management,
as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our
opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of
TASER International, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the results of their operations and their cash
flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014 in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation
to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth
therein.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal
Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”),
and our report dated March 11, 2015, expressed an unqualified opinion.
/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP
Phoenix, Arizona
March 11, 2015

72

Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.
Item 9A.

Controls and Procedures

Attached as exhibits to this Form 10-K are certifications of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial
Officer (CFO), which are required in accordance with Rule 13a-14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”). This “Controls and Procedures” section includes information concerning the controls and controls evaluation
referred to in the certifications. This section should be read in conjunction with the certifications and the Grant Thornton LLP
attestation report for a more complete understanding of the topics presented.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we evaluated under the supervision of our CEO and
our CFO, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Exchange
Act). Based on this evaluation, our CEO and our CFO have concluded that as of December 31, 2014 our disclosure controls and
procedures were effective to ensure that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange
Act (i) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission
rules and forms, and (ii) is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our CEO and our CFO, as appropriate to
allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management Report On Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in
Rule 13a-15(f) of the 1934 Act. Management has assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as
of December 31, 2014 based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. As a result of this assessment, management concluded that, as
of December 31, 2014, our internal control over financial reporting was effective in providing reasonable assurance regarding the
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles. Grant Thornton LLP has independently assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over
financial reporting and its report is included below.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During the quarter ended December 31, 2014, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting identified in
connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rule 13a-15 or Rule 15d-15 that has materially affected, or is
reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

73

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Board of Directors and Stockholders
TASER International, Inc.
We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of TASER International, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) and subsidiaries
(the “Company”) as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework
issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). The Company’s management is
responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal
control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control
over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control
over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating
effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the
circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability
of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of
the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being
made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance
regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a
material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also,
projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because
of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by COSO.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the
consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014, and our report dated March 11,
2015, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP
Phoenix, Arizona
March 11, 2015

74

Item 9B.

Other Information

None.
PART III
Item 10.

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

The information required to be disclosed by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our definitive proxy statement for
the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2015 Proxy Statement”) which proxy statement we expect to file with the Securities
and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2014.
Item 11.

Executive Compensation

The information required to be disclosed by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2015 Proxy Statement.
Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Equity Compensation Plan Information
A description of our equity compensation plans approved by our stockholders is included in Note 12 (c) to the
Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following table
provides details of our equity compensation plans at December 31, 2014:

Plan Category

Number of Securities to
be Issued upon Exercise
of Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
(a)

Weighted-Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
(b) (1)

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

2,867,171 $

Total

2,867,171 $

(1)

5.26

Number of Securities
Remaining Available
Under Equity
Compensation Plans for
Future Issuance
(Excluding Securities
Reflected
in Column (a))
(c)

1,717,292

—

—
—

1,717,292

The weighted average exercise price is calculated based solely on the exercise prices of the outstanding options and does not
reflect the shares that will be issued upon the vesting of outstanding awards of restricted stock units which have no exercise
price.

All other information required to be disclosed by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2015 Proxy Statement.
Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

The information required to be disclosed by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2015 Proxy Statement.
Item 14.

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

The information required to be disclosed by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our 2015 Proxy Statement.

75

PART IV
Item 15.

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this report:
1.

Consolidated financial statements: All consolidated financial statements as set forth under Part II, Item 8 of this report.

2.

Supplementary Financial Statement Schedules: Schedule II — Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

Other schedules have not been included because they are not applicable or because the information is included elsewhere in
this report. (Dollars in thousands)
SCHEDULE II – VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS

Description

Allowance for doubtful accounts:
Year ended December 31, 2014…………. $
Year ended December 31, 2013………….
Year ended December 31, 2012………….

Balance at
Beginning
of Period

Charged to
Costs and
Expenses

200 $

142 $

Charged to
Other
Accounts

Deductions

Balance at
End of
Period

— $

(91) $

251

200

24

—

(24)

200

450

(242)

—

(8)

200

Allowance for excess and obsolete inventory:
Year ended December 31, 2014…………. $
Year ended December 31, 2013………….

— $

(1,802) $

2,320

595

—

(1,916)

999

Year ended December 31, 2012………….

4,431

554

—

(2,665)

2,320

396 $

999 $

2,157 $

1,354

Warranty reserve:
Year ended December 31, 2014…………. $
Year ended December 31, 2013………….

955 $

— $

(676) $

675

484

1,001

—

(530)

955

Year ended December 31, 2012………….

427

527

—

(470)

484

76

3. Exhibits:
Exhibit
Number

Description

3.1
3.2
3.3
4.1
10.1*
10.2*
10.3*
10.4*
10.5*
10.6*
10.7*
10.8*
10.9*
10.10*
10.11*
10.12*
10.13**
21.1**
23.1**
24.1**
31.1**
31.2**
32**
101.INS**
101.SCH**
101.CAL**
101.LAB**
101.PRE**

*
**

Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Registration Statement
on Form SB-2, effective May 11, 2001 (Registration No. 333-55658))
Bylaws, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Registration Statement on Form SB-2,
effective May 11, 2001 (Registration No. 333-55658))
Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation dated September 1, 2004 (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, filed March 31, 2005)
Form of Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Registration Statement on
Form SB-2, effective May 11, 2001 (Registration No. 333-55658))
Executive Employment Agreement with Patrick W. Smith, dated July 1, 1998 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.1 to Registration Statement on Form SB-2, effective May 11, 2001 (Registration No. 333-55658))
Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Company and its directors (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.4 to Registration Statement on Form SB-2, effective May 11, 2001 (Registration No. 333-55658))
Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Company and its officers (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.15 to Registration Statement on Form SB-2, effective May 11, 2001 (Registration No. 33355658))
2001 Stock Option Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to Registration Statement on Form SB-2,
effective May 11, 2001 (Registration No. 333-55658))
Executive Employment Agreement with Douglas E. Klint, dated December 15, 2002 (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.14 to Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, filed March 14, 2003)
Executive Employment Agreement with Daniel Behrendt, dated April 28, 2004 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.14 to Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, filed March 31, 2005)
2004 Stock Option Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Annual Report on Form 10-KSB,
filed March 31, 2005)
2004 Outside Director Stock Option Plan, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, filed March 31, 2005)
2009 Stock Incentive Plan. (incorporated by reference to Appendix A to 2009 Proxy Statement, filed April
15, 2009)
Executive Employment Agreement with Jeff Kukowski, dated August 9, 2010 (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.18 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed March 8, 2013)
2013 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Appendix of 2013 Proxy Statement, filed on April
3, 2013)
TASER International, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form
8-K, filed on July 12, 2013)
Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated August 18, 2014 between the Company and JP Morgan
Chase Bank, NA
List of Subsidiaries
Consent of Grant Thornton, LLP, independent registered public accounting firm
Powers of attorney (see signature page)
Principal Executive Officer Certification pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)
Principal Financial Officer Certification pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)
Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
XBRL Instance Document
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document
XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document
XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document

Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement
Filed herewith
77

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused
this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Date: March 11, 2015
By:

/s/ PATRICK W. SMITH
Chief Executive Officer, Director

Date: March 11, 2015

By:

/s/ DANIEL M. BEHRENDT
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and
Accounting Officer)

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints
Patrick W. Smith his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or
her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form
10-K, and to file the same, including all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act
and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully and to all intents and purposes as he or she might or
could do in person hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or substitutes, may
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following persons on behalf
of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

78

Signature

/s/ HADI PARTOVI

Title

Date

Director

March 11, 2015

Director

March 11, 2015

Director

March 11, 2015

Director

March 11, 2015

Director

March 11, 2015

Director

March 11, 2015

Director

March 11, 2015

Hadi Partovi
/s/ JUDY MARTZ
Judy Martz
/s/ MARK W. KROLL
Mark W. Kroll
/s/ MICHAEL GARNREITER
Michael Garnreiter
/s/ JOHN S. CALDWELL
John S. Caldwell
/s/ RICHARD H. CARMONA
Richard H. Carmona
/s/ BRET S. TAYLOR
Bret S. Taylor

79

EXHIBIT 21.1
List of Subsidiaries
TASER International Europe SE
Familiar, Inc.
TASER International, B.V.

80

EXHIBIT 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We have issued our reports dated March 11, 2015, with respect to the consolidated financial statements, schedule, and internal
control over financial reporting included in the Annual Report of TASER International, Inc. on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2014. We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference of said reports in the Registration Statements of
TASER International, Inc. on Forms S-8 (File No. 333-190442; File No. 333-190441; File No. 333-125455; File No. 33389434).

/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP
Phoenix, Arizona
March 11, 2015

81

EXHIBIT 31.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of Chief Executive Officer
I, Patrick W. Smith, certify that:
1.

I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of TASER International, Inc.;

2.

Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.

Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly
present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of,
and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.

The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over
financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a)

Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures
to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant,
including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,
particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)

Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial
reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c)

Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in
this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the
end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)

5.

Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that
occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the
case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal
control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of
directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control
over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to
record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a
significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: March 11, 2015

By:

/s/ Patrick W. Smith
Chief Executive Officer

82

EXHIBIT 31.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of Chief Financial Officer
I, Daniel M. Behrendt, certify that:
1.

I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of TASER International, Inc.;

2.

Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.

Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly
present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of,
and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.

The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over
financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a)

Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures
to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant,
including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,
particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)

Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial
reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c)

Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in
this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the
end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)

5.

Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that
occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the
case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal
control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of
directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control
over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to
record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a
significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: March 11, 2015

By:

/s/ Daniel M. Behrendt
Daniel M. Behrendt
Chief Financial Officer

83

EXHIBIT 32
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of TASER International, Inc. (the “Company”) for the year ended
December 31, 2014 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Patrick W.
Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of
operations of the Company.

/s/ Patrick W. Smith
Patrick W. Smith
Chief Executive Officer
March 11, 2015
In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of TASER International, Inc. (the “Company”) for the year ended
December 31, 2014 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Daniel M.
Behrendt, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of
operations of the Company.
/s/ Daniel M. Behrendt
Daniel M. Behrendt
Chief Financial Officer
March 11, 2015

84

THE NEW
AXON BRAND.
COMING SOON IN 2015.

AXON CAMERAS:
#
1 IN MAJOR
CITY DEPLOYMENTS
Los Angeles. San Diego. San Francisco. Fort Worth.
The list is growing.

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TASER INTERNATIONAL
ANNUAL REPORT

PROTECT LIFE.
PROTECT TRUTH.

2014

ø
TASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
17800 NORTH 85TH ST
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA 85255 USA

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