Local Police Expanding Use Of Stun Guns; Guilderland Devices Offer Another Option For Subduing People
Copyright 2003 The Hearst Corporation
The Times Union (Albany, NY)
March 26, 2003
The violent domestic dispute early Sunday was a scenario police officers dread. But instead of risking injury by wrestling with a man at the scene, an officer standing a few feet away immobilized him with a Taser stun gun.
“The only other course you would have is two or three officers jump on the guy,” Guilderland Police Chief James Murley said Tuesday.
The incident was only the second time that town police have used one of the guns. Four Tasers are issued to specially trained officers on each shift. On Feb. 27, officers used Tasers to break up a fight in a bar parking lot on Western Avenue, Lt. Curtis Cox said.
On Tuesday, Colonie began training patrol officers to use Tasers, 25 of which were recently installed in squad cars. By the end of May, said Colonie Police Chief John Grebert, every patrol officer on the force will be qualified to use the Tasers.
“With each passing week the number on the street will increase,” Grebert said.
In Schenectady, Lt. Pete Frisoni said that two officers have trained with Colonie police to use the weapon.
“We’re looking for funding and researching the feasibility,” Frisoni said. The department cannot afford the $400 guns right now, he said.
When fired, Tasers shoot two darts that stay connected to the weapon by insulated wires, according to Taser International spokesman Steve Tuttle.
The device emits an electric current through the wire and into the dart that debilitates victims but causes no permanent damage other than a slight skin rash in some people.
For more information on Taser Internation, visit www.taser.com