Best defense

After using them for several months, area police agree — Tasers are the best defense against combative suspects.

Portland, Dunkirk and Jay County police, who have been armed with Taser stun guns since last year, are happy with their performance.

Police consider the guns very valuable tools when it comes to officer safety.

“I believe it’s an excellent investment for any (police) department,” said Portland Police Chief Bob Sours. “It can save injuries both to the suspect and the officers.”

“It helps limit injuries to our officers. The day of hand-to-hand fighting is basically over,” said Jay County Sheriff Todd Penrod. He believes the financial cost of the Tasers, which cost about $900 each, is money well spent.

“(Taser is) an excellent tool for law enforcement,” said Penrod.

Dunkirk Police Chief Arnold Clevenger said the stun gun is very effective in apprehending criminals.

“You get hit with this Taser, and it stops everything,” said Clevenger.

The weapons shoot 50,000 volts and 26 watts of electricity through two small probes and 21 feet of wire. This shock overrides the body’s nervous control system, which causes muscles to lock up. The electric current lasts for five seconds, or until the trigger is released. Each gun weighs about three pounds.

The probes are made of stainless steel or brass, and the needle has a barb on the end, similar to a fishing hook. Once the electrical shock ends, the person receiving it recovers immediately. The only lasting effects of the hit are the two small puncture wounds caused by the probes.

The probes and wires are kept in a cartridge, which releases them when the Taser is fired. The gun can hold two cartridges at a time. The weapons can also be used without the cartridges as stun guns when placed against the skin.

Portland police began carrying Tasers in July of 2004. They have been used four times with the cartridge and once without during four altercations, Sours said.

The Jay County Sheriff’s Department has one Taser for each of its full-time officers. County officers started using the X-26 models in the summer of 2004. The weapon has been used once with the cartridge and twice as a stun gun in three incidents.

County police purchased two of the larger M-26 models two years ago. At that time, the department decided not to purchase any more of the stun guns because they were big and only two officers had been trained to use them, Penrod said.

Redkey police currently own one M-26 model.

Redkey investigator Donnie James said the weapon has never been used because no one has been trained to use it. The Taser was donated to the police department about a year ago.

James said there has been a lot of staff turnover in the department, which has kept officers very busy and made it difficult to find time for Taser training.

Before anyone can be trained to use the weapon, Redkey police Sgt. Mike Daniels said this morning, the issue would go before the town council because the town would have to pay for the training.

“It’s not that we don’t think this is a good instrument,” said James.

The Taser-trained county officers taught Dunkirk police how to use those weapons in April 2004. But no Dunkirk officers have needed to use the Taser on duty, Clevenger said.

There have been times when his officers have come close to using the weapon, but have decided it was not necessary, Clevenger said. But he added Tasers are most helpful in suicidal situations because they cane be used to subdue the distraught individual.

Sours said the stun guns are often used when a combative suspect resists arrest. Most times officers opt for using a Taser over pepper spray in these situations. Pepper spray hasn’t been used since the officers began carrying the Tasers, he said.

One advantage is that the Taser only affects the suspect, said Sours. After use, the pepper spray lingers in the air and an officer can also be overcome by the irritant.

As an alternative to Tasers, Dunkirk police sometimes use guns that shoot bean bags. Clevenger said the impact can be compared to being hit by a professional fighter.

Area officers agree with their supervisors’’ assessment of the Tasers.

Portland police officer Joshua Stephenson has used the Taser in three incidents. He finds it easy to use and very effective.

“It’s probably one of the best less-lethal tools that we have on the department,” said Stephenson. “With Taser, as soon as (the suspects) get five seconds (of electrical shock), they instantly want to cooperate.”

Whenever Stephenson thinks he might need to use the Taser, he makes sure to have another officer present to back him up. The other officer will clean the wounds made by the probes and help arrest the suspect.

Before he starts his shift, Stephenson makes sure the stun gun is working properly by doing a test fire.

Although Taser might improve the safety of officers, there have been reports of people dying after being shocked by the weapons used by other police departments throughout the United States.

Despite these reports, Sours feels the stun guns are safe for those being shot.

“I feel confident in allowing our officers to use Tasers,” said Sours. “They have been proven in the field to be safe to use.”

Sours said he continues to monitor the safety of the devices by reading news stories and getting updates from Taser International, the company which manufactures the weapons.

Tasers are not used by the Indiana State Police officers at the Redkey Post.[[In-content Ad]]