By DAMIEN FISHER, InDepthNH.org
In a report released Friday afternoon by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, former Department of Corrections Assistant Commissioner Paul Raymond is getting the lion’s share of the blame in the DOC’s $2 million Taser fiasco.
“The AGO concludes that the shipment of Taser 10 systems to NHDOC was the result of a lack of relevant training and experience on the part of Mr. Raymond, and not because of any criminal intent on his part or the part of any other NHDOC or Axon employee,” the report states.
DOC officials tried multiple times in 2024 and 2025 to get approval from the Executive Council for a $2 million deal with Taser weapons manufacturer Axon. At the same time, DOC leaders hid from the Executive Council the fact that the agency already had the 192 Tasers it wanted to officially buy or lease sitting in a warehouse in New Hampshire.
Raymond was placed on leave in May of 2025 when the Executive Council became aware that the Tasers they had not approved for purchase had been in the state for more than a year. The same day he was placed on leave, then-Commissioner Helen Hanks resigned her post. Raymond resigned a few months later.
Bill Christie, Raymond’s attorney, told InDepthNH.org that the report clears Raymond of any criminal wrongdoing when it comes to the Tasers.
“The report makes clear that this situation resulted from process and training gaps – not intent to violate procurement rules or mislead anyone. For the second time, very serious allegations were made against Mr. Raymond and in both matters, the allegations were investigated by the AGs office and he’s been cleared of wrongdoing. Mr. Raymond was not interviewed in this matter. Throughout his more than two decades service in public safety and government, Mr. Raymond has always taken his responsibilities seriously and remains proud of his service,” Christie said.
Hanks’ attorney, John-Mark Turner, did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. He’s previously insisted that the Taser issue had nothing to do with his client’s decision to resign as commissioner.
Raymond did not have the appropriate training for his position, according to the report, and did not understand the purchase process when Hanks put him in charge of getting new Tasers for the department.
“At the time, I did not understand that my signature on that quote or the letter would authorize or initiate the shipment of the Tasers,” Raymond wrote in a letter to investigators. “As a newer Assistant Commissioner at that time, I did not fully appreciate the implications of my actions.”
Raymond signed a quote proposal and a letter of intent to purchase prepared by Axon in December of 2023. In April of 2024, the company sent the Taser 10 weapons and accessories to DOC in New Hampshire, even though the Taser proposal had never been brought to the Executive Council, which by law must approve large purchases by all state agencies.
Raymond was reportedly surprised by the shipment, and wanted to get them in the hands of corrections staff as soon as possible, according to an email he sent in April of 2024.
“The Axon T10 Tasers were delivered this week. Unexpectedly. Now we need to develop a deployment plan ASAP so they aren’t sitting in the warehouse or armory for months,” Raymond wrote.
When Raymond learned that he had to get approval from the Executive Council for the purchase, the Tasers stayed in the warehouse and he put together a $2 million purchase proposal for official review. But the Council balked at the price when it took up Raymond’s proposal in June and July of 2024.
Hanks then stepped in during an August, 2024 meeting and told the Council she was withdrawing the $2 million purchase and would send out a public bid request, or RFP.
At this point, Raymond was no longer leading the Taser purchase project, according to the report. DOC officials made requests for Axon to retrieve the Tasers, but those discussions never resulted in the Tasers getting shipped back to the company.
Instead, the DOC drafted a general RFP for electroshock weapons. The RFP, however, required the weapons to be compatible with the DOC’s Axon-brand body-worn cameras. That requirement effectively ruled out every company except Axon.
In April of 2025, Hanks brought back a 10-year, $2 million lease proposal for Axon’s 192 Tasers, telling the Executive Council this was the best bid from the RFP process. Again, the Council pushed back on the price, and the appearance that the bids could only be fulfilled by Axon due to the body-worn camera requirement. In May of 2025, the Council learned that the Tasers had been in New Hampshire since April of 2024.
Executive Councilor John Stephen, R-Manchester, said the whole process was unacceptable and demonstrated a troubling lack of leadership within the DOC.
“The equipment sat there for more than a year, across four separate votes of the Council that tabled or rejected the underlying purchase. The Tasers were only returned to the manufacturer after the Commissioner resigned, the Assistant Commissioner was placed on administrative leave, and the Public Integrity Unit had opened a formal criminal investigation. A ‘no’ vote of the Governor and Council, it turns out, was not enough,” Stephen said in a statement.
The Attorney General’s report states Raymond did not commit any crimes throughout this bungled purchase. While he did have a friendly relationship with Axon representatives, there is no indication he was benefitting from his dealing with the company, according to the report.