The Associated Press
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - Officials have decided against buying 83 Taser stun guns due to safety concerns, the city’s police chief said.
However, the city might evaluate some of the weapons as part of a pilot program, said Fort Wayne Police Chief Rusty York.
“If all my questions about the safety were answered, I think this is a wonderful device for police. But, I’ve heard enough concerns and just want to be very careful with this,” York said Tuesday.
The northeastern Indiana city had planned to spend an $86,000 Department of Justice grant to buy the stun guns early next year. York said he would decide within a few months whether to buy 12 Tasers to evaluate.
Fort Wayne police Officer Tim Hannon, who spent nearly two years researching the weapons, has said they are not dangerous when used properly.
The guns produce an electric current transmitted to the target by way of an air cartridge. When the current zaps a person’s body, muscles contract, weakening the person.
The guns have been under scrutiny because they can cause severe injury and even death.
In Indiana, the family of Monroe County Jail inmate James Borden, who died in 2003 after a jailer shocked him with a Taser gun, is suing the county. Prosecutors have charged the jailer with felony counts of battery with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious bodily injury.
Taser International has defended its product, which thousands of police agencies have issued to their officers. The company claims the stun guns have saved more than 4,000 lives since 1999 by giving police officers a non-lethal way to subdue violent people.
York said Taser president Tom Smith visited Fort Wayne a few weeks ago to give a presentation on the devices’ safety.
“They had a very optimistic view of problems,” York said. “I don’t think it’s good to spend $90,000 of taxpayer’s money at once while there is a possibility of flaw.”
Police in several counties and cities already use the weapons. Bluffton expects to receive 17 Tasers next month.