By Alia Wilson
San Jose Mercury New
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — The Sunnyvale City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to authorize the purchase of Tasers for Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety employees.
The stun guns will be a completely new tool for Sunnyvale sworn officers and community service officers to use.
“We have looked at them a few times over the last several years, but this is the first time we have actually taken the request to council,” Capt.
David Verbrugge said in an email. “The Taser will be another tool for officers to utilize to protect the citizens and themselves during confrontations with uncooperative subjects.”
In the past, Sunnyvale DPS used a variety of other less lethal enforcement tools, including bean bag projectiles deployed from shotguns, shoulder-mounted weapons that deploy rubber projectiles and pepper spray.
Purchasing 208 units and two dataport kits, which are used to download Taser activation information, will cost about $226,000. The funds will come from asset forfeiture and the supplemental law enforcement services accounts.
Copyright 2012 San Jose Mercury News