Czech Police Use TASER X26

On June 16, 2008, Czechoslovakian law enforcement officials used a stun gun on a wanted man who was hiding in an apartment. Police used their new TASER X26 on the man because they believed that he was armed.

According to police spokesperson Tomas Hulan, the officers who were involved were pleased with the way their TASER X26 performed. “We hope that the weapon will become widely available to other policemen as it clearly is a very efficient but safe means of pacifying attackers,” he said.

The TASER X26 weighs only 0.2 kilograms and its probes have a range of 10.5 meters. It is made of high impact plastic and requires a mere two 3-volt batteries. It can record the time, date, burst duration, and other information for about 1,500 firings. When the two electrodes are fired, they deliver a powerful electrical jolt which disables the target by interfering with the body’s ability to control its muscles.

At this time 50 TASERS are available for use by law enforcement officials across the nation. The decision to allow specially trained officers to use TASERs came in 2005 after an extensive testing program by the Czech Proof House for Firearms and Ammunition (CUZZS).

“Victims can see and hear everything that goes on around them. They are fully conscious but cannot move for a few seconds and simply collapse,” said Hulan. In his opinion, Tasers have an advantage over other electrical weapons, such as stun guns because, “Unlike other weapons, this model has a ten-meter range and thus allows us to disable attackers without risk to officers.”