Friday, January 25, 2008
Lawrence city commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to allow the Lawrence Police Department to buy 10 tasers.
Police Chief W. Ronald Olin said the tasers would only be used by police for self-defense.
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—Deployment: Gas propelled hooks lodge themselves into the skin and initiate several electric shocks, which override an individual’s coordinated neuromuscular control. —Range: The range of the devices proposed by the department reach up to 15, 21 or 35 feet, depending on the cartridge used. —Benefits: The benefits of allowing the use of tasers include avoiding the use of lethal force, reducing suspect injury and decreasing police officer injuries in hostile situations. —Risks: The criticisms of taser use include injury as a result of falling, hook penetration to sensitive areas and contact burns from drive stuns.
“The purpose for these tasers is to stop an attack,” Olin said. “We’re very conservative with our baton and I can promise you it will be no different with these new tasers.”
Olin said there will be three officers armed with tasers on patrol at all times, but not until the officers have received taser training, which shouldn’t be for several weeks. No officer will be authorized to handle a taser before receiving proper training, which includes taking a taser hit themselves, he said.
Captain Steve Zarnowiec said the tasers also record the date, time and officer on duty whenever one is deployed.
“These tasers can be traced back to each and every time they’re used,” he said. “The record can’t be tampered with by officers in the field.”
David Strano, member of East Lawrence Neighborhood Safety Network, was the only person at the meeting to speak out against the proposal.
“Who determines when a reasonable time is to use these things?” Strano asked. “I really think the homeless population will be targeted with these tasers and there will be no group to reinforce regulations.”
Strano’s comments sparked debate among commissioners over the need for a citizen review board to provide police oversight.
Mike McAtee, chairman of the Lawrence Police Officers Association, said he thought a new oversight board was unnecessary.
“We have plenty of oversight and overview,” McAtee said. “I think we have a citizen review board and it’s sitting right here.”
All five commissioners agreed that transparency was an important issue, but only two supported the idea of creating a new review board that would concentrate specifically on taser use by police officers. Commissioners Mike Amyk, Sue Hack and Michael Dever recommended simply expanding the responsibilities of the existing board. No official decision was reached on the issue.
The use of tasers has become a controversial issue in the United States since an incident in 2007 at the University of Florida in which a student was tasered for heckling John Kerry at a public forum.
City commissioners will convene again in six months to listen to the department’s evaluation on the success of the new technology.
—Edited by Samuel Lamb
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