Taser just got a nice jolt.
Shares of Taser International climbed nearly 10 percent Friday on speculation that its body cameras will be in demand by police departments across the country after an officer killed an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Mo.
While Taser is best known for its stun guns, its Axon cameras have been garnering attention amid concerns over a spate of deaths at the hands of police officers, in particular the Missouri shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Taser saw its stock rise 9.4 percent on Friday, to close at $13.91, on expectations that there will be a surge in orders.
Indeed, Public Advocate Letitia James called this week for a pilot program to outfit New York City’s finest with body cameras.
The idea was sparked by the death of an unarmed man in Staten Island at the hands of police who were trying to arrest him. She estimated the cost of equipping just 15 percent of the city’s police force at under $5 million.
Taser also told investors it has been seeing strong demand for the cameras in the current quarter.
Earlier this month, Taser said it had received multiple new orders that it expects to ship in the third quarter, including 194 body cameras for the Winston-Salem Police Department in North Carolina, and 90 body cameras for the Madison County Sheriff’s Department in Alabama.
The cameras, which can be worn by officers and attached to guns, come with a digital evidence management system, known as Evidence.com.
Taser also had orders this quarter from the Hanford Police Department in California, the Flagstaff Police Department in Arizona and the Burlington Police Department in Vermont.