More Cities Add Tasers to Their Arsenals

About a dozen police officers in three police districts in North Philadelphia have been trained to use Tasers and by the end of 2008 they hope to have in the neighborhood of 160 trained officers. After sifting through data on prison inmates with mental health issues, the various municipalities decided to focus on de-escalation training techniques and tactics.

During many a fracas it is readily evident that some people are obviously in a “mental crisis” state and need to be subdued non-lethally, rather than set upon with batons and other weapons which can injure or maim.

The Board of Selectmen in Westport recently voted to allow officers to use the Tasers which were already purchased with money left over from an unfilled staff position. Officers and administrators want Tasers to subdue uncooperative suspects. Every officer will have his or her own weapon.

In May the township of Somerset approved Tasers for every officer on the force. The model Taser chosen by Somerset has a 25-foot range and can deliver a 50,000-volt charge through the wires attached to its barbed probes. The charge interferes with voluntary muscle activity long enough for officers to take suspects into custody safely.