FORT SMITH : Police to obtain 85 Tasers
Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008
FORT SMITH — The Police Department will get to spend more than $ 130, 000 on weapons that can do their intended job without being fired.
The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Tuesday authorized the spending of the department’s federal asset forfeiture money to purchase 85 Tasers and related equipment.
“No one wants to get hit with these Tasers,” Director Bill Maddox said after Tuesday’s unanimous vote. “We should have had them five years ago. I think every officer will appreciate having them.” Police Chief Kevin Lindsey made the request after a sixmonth test using 17 of the lessthan-lethal weapons, mostly on patrol. After the test, he said in a memo to directors he believes the Tasers will reduce the number of injuries to officers and to unruly suspects being arrested.
“We felt it was a real good use of asset forfeiture money,” Lindsey said Wednesday.
Officers like the Taser because it allows them to avoid physical struggles with suspects. Fort Smith Police Department’s training officer, Sgt. James Hays, said just the sight of an unholstered Taser will make suspects comply with officers.
“I have seen times that simply displaying the Taser completely diffuses the situation that would have normally escalated into a physical confrontation,” officer Wayne Barnett wrote recently about his experience with the Taser.
Officer Eric Williams wrote that he assisted another officer in arresting a suspect who resisted. Afterward, the suspect thanked the officer for not using the Taser on him.
The Taser is loaded with a plastic cartridge with two barbs with wires attached. When the barbs are fired into the suspect, the officer pulls the trigger and administers a shock lasting from five to 20 seconds.
The dose is 1, 200 volts but 0. 0021 amp, which Hays said is what delivers the shock. By comparison, he said, an electrical wall outlet will deliver 15 to 20 amps.
He said there have been no aftereffects and no one has been injured after the Taser has been used by Fort Smith police.
Another useful feature of the Taser is the Taser Cam, which is a video camera and audio recorder that is activated when the Taser is turned on.
“It shows everybody exactly why the person had to be ‘ tased, ’” Washington County sheriff ’s deputy John Wood said.
Hays said many officers use the camera feature on the Taser, without “tasing” someone, in order to record a suspect’s behavior or admission of guilt for use as evidence.
Wood, training officer for his sheriff’s office, said he believes the Taser is an invaluable law enforcement tool because it offers a lower level of force by the officer to get compliance from suspects.
He said there is a time and a need for impact weapons like batons or even deadlier forms of force. But Taser’s offer an alternative.
“Why do that if you can go one step lower ?” he said.
Officers in Fort Smith are given eight hours of instruction on how to use the Taser and will be given an annual refresher course. They also are instructed on when to use it. Hays said rules on the use of Tasers are the same as for the use of pepper spray.
Hays said the Sebastian County sheriff’s office, Van Buren police and Barling police use Tasers. Washington County sheriff’s office also uses Tasers, Wood said.
The Arkansas State Police spent $ 51, 000 to buy 50 Tasers in 2004, but troopers don’t carry them because the agency has not established a policy for their use, according to an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article in February.
Sebastian County Chief Deputy Tommy Young said his agency has issued 20 Tasers to deputies on patrol, bailiffs and jailers. The deputies rarely have to use them, he said, because of the startling effect on suspects made by just showing the weapon.
“Putting the red dot (red laser targeting light ) on them usually ends the conflict,” Young said.
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