About

In February 2024, Staff Sergeant J.D. Hodges decided to do something about needle accidents. After seeing narcotics officers and other first responders suffer from needle mishaps, he realized that most of these could have been prevented.

When a needle-related incident affects our frontline heroes, they undergo recurring drug testing, which pulls them off their shift (resulting in others working overtime).

Others may take short term medical leave until they are mission ready again. However, these accidents turn into tragedy when an officer is forced to separate from their unit. This typically involves worker compensation for a serious injury that resulted from a needle infection.

During the California COVID mission, the National Guard was tasked with supporting vaccination efforts across the state. But during the long hours of service, some soldiers and airmen got stuck with needles - resulting in being pulled away from the line to undergo mishap protocol.

These events motivated Hodges to design a safety tool that would mitigate, and possibly eliminate the risk of recapping needles. After fourteen prototypes and extensive field testing, the NeedleZero was invented.

It received a patent from the USPTO, and NeedleZero is a trademark of Hodges Designs (located in Burlingame, CA).

Mission:

To see NeedleZero inside of the gear bag (or vehicle) of every first responder in America, as well as labs and hospitals.

Family and career:

J.D. and his wife Jackie live live in San Francisco and he is a native of the Bay Area. He is currently on active duty orders with the California National Guard, and has a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance. Previous to the military, he worked as a financial analyst in the tech sector.