The Virginian-Pilot
©
CHESAPEAKE
City police will join the rest of South Hampton Roads this summer when some officers are armed with stun guns - a tool meant to shock culprits into compliance without causing permanent harm.
The weapons are considered safe for healthy adults. But organizations such as Amnesty International claim they are responsible for dozens of deaths.
That hasn't been the case in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and Suffolk, where police say the mere mention of them often makes suspects comply. Suffolk has had fewer abuse complaints since police started carrying them in 2007.
It's a different story on the Peninsula. In December, a sword-wielding man stopped breathing after Hampton police twice used a stun gun on him. The 36-year-old died at a hospital a few hours later. Authorities there have not said whether the weapon was responsible for his death.
Chesapeake Police Chief Kelvin Wright continued to consider issuing them to his officers as such cases played out in courtrooms and the media. The law, he said, supports their use.
So did the former Citizen Advisory Group, which represented various city organizations. Members watched a video and a real-life demonstration.
"These, to me, were life-saving," said Burnie Mansfield, one of the members. "We all felt the same thing. A Taser could cause a fatality but a gun is going to cause a fatality."
Wright said 18 will be split among the SWAT team and each of the five precincts. They could be on the streets by June. The cost was not available Wednesday, but asset forfeiture money will foot the bill, he said.
Pilot writer Matthew Bowers contributed to this report.
Kristin Davis, (757) 222-5208, kristin.davis@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
Train them well
Officers need to be well trained with using them and have it drummed into their heads what will happen if they get abusive with their use.
Tasers are a great tool for law enforcement, but like any great tool, they can be used wrongly.
Chesapeake Stun Guns
Wow, as if Chesapeake cops weren't stunning enough!
Rick Sanchez
Hopefully they will taze Rick Sanchez again. If you haven't seen the video, go to youtube.com
Stun only after being fired on
Stun guns must only be used after:
The citizen fires on the Officer and only after
the Officer clearly and loudly orders the person to drop the weapon and a reasonable amount of time goes by for the citizen to comply.
If the stun results in serious injury or death, the burden would be on the Officer.
Umm, no that is why police
Umm, no that is why police officers carry real guns.
Return Fire
So susanj52739 would fire tazer barbs at flying bullets??? NOT!!
If a suspect is threatening
If a suspect is threatening an officer with a weapon, the officer isnt going to be using a taser, he will be using his gun. And to say an officer should only use a stun gun after a suspect fires at an officer is just ignorant.
People, please realize these officers are trained to use them, and the use is recorded by a camera built into the tasers. So they are reviewed if used. If its used and causes someone to die because they had a prior medial condition, then oh well. They should have complied with the officer. People bring most of their own problems to themselves.
Disbelief
Officers are not required to wait until they are shot at now to defend themselves against deadly force with their service weapons; why would you make them wait to use a stun gun? If the stun gun results in serious injury or death the burden is on the criminal who refused to obey lawful orders or attempted to injure or kill an officer NOT on the officer. Your ridiculous suggestions are stunningly wrong.
electromuscular disruption technology
Kind of like video games. All the kids will want to try it!
I think this is pretty easy.
I think this is pretty easy. If you do not want to get hit with the stun gun do not put yourself in that situation. Do not hang out at the wrong places and do not hang out with the wrong people. If you are confronted by the police, shut your mouth, hands out of the pockets and in the air and face down on the ground.