Right tool for tough job (6/12/04)

Having the right tools can make any job easier.

That’s true whether you’re an auto mechanic or a carpenter or even if you’re a police officer.

Within the next several weeks, Portland police officers will join thousands around the country who have a better tool at their disposal.

It’s called a Taser, and it can prove invaluable when it comes to dealing with volatile situations without resorting to deadly force.

Dunkirk police received training on the use of the Taser earlier this year and said it provides officers with a degree of peace of mind that a handgun does not.

A Taser shoots electricity through two small probes with enough of a jolt to disable even the biggest individual, and it does so without doing lasting physical damage.

In situations involving subjects who are intoxicated, irrational, or on drugs, it provides a safe, manageable alternative to drawing a gun. In short, it gives officers control without violence.

And that’s a tool that we’re glad to see made available. — J.R.

[[In-content Ad]]