The Police Chief in Tiverton, Rhode Island wants to add Taser guns to the arsenal of officers on the local police force. Thomas Blakey, Police Chief, wants to spend some of the $30,000 seized in drug raids or from other drug-related cases, to purchase enough of the non lethal weapons to equip his deputies.

Blakey wants to have Taser guns ready and available to issue to officers once they are trained to use them. He has put in considerable time and energy researching the use of Taser guns. The non lethal weapons can immobilize suspects by immobilizing them during and after shooting them with Taser’s barbed probes.

Even though Tasers are widely used and are considered a viable method for de-escalating a potentially lethal situation, when he put the case to the city council, Blakey met with resistance. Council members said they wanted time to consider the issue before issuing a definitive answer.

Council reserve is understandable as the result of controversy surrounding Taser usage in the United States and in Canada.

Tasers have been shown to minimize injuries to police officers who find themselves in dangerous situations and the non lethal weapons are also considered safe to use with the general populace.

Blakey agrees that it is inadvisable to use Taser guns “on people with known cardiac conditions, neuromuscular disorders, the elderly, pregnant women, people in wheelchairs, people driving a car or children weighing less than 80 pounds.”