St. Paul Approves Taser Deployment in Time for RNC

The Republican National Convention will soon be held in St. Paul, Minnesota. Attendees and residents will be kept safer due to a recent move by its police department to arm all its officers with Tasers. These non lethal weapons are designed to use Neuromuscular Incapacitation (NMI) to interfere with the would-be attacker’s ability to press the assault.

The SPPD wants to add 230 Tasers to its existing cache thereby arming all its 370 officers with stun power. The $210,000 price tag will be covered by money confiscated during drug raids. Based on its reluctance to speak to the issue specifically, the city does not want to be perceived as adding weapons just for the convention.

Once the St. Paul City Council approves the purchases, arrangements are in place to insure that the Tasers arrive in time for the Republican National Convention. The timing has prompted speculation that the weapons are being rushed specifically for the RNC.

Spokesman Tom Walsh told the local Fox 9 News that, “Our hope is that n o one will have to use any degree of force. If it becomes necessary, will that be one of the tools available to them? I suppose that’s safe to say.”

SPPD officers assert that Tasers are a relatively safe method for upping the level of safety for the Minnesota city.

Walsh also said, “The bottom line is the Taser is an effective device that does not require the use of deadly force.”