St. Joseph Police Department officers shocked nine suspects and threatened about 30 others during the first month Tasers were added to the street officer’s arsenal.
Police said the numbers may seem high, but they expect the number of Tasings to drop as more people become aware of the weapons’ capability. In the past few days, officers have Tased three people, including a female college basketball player.
Patrol Cmdr. Jim Connors said since officers were outfitted with incapacitating guns earlier this month, there have been no fights with suspects or officer injuries. Most people immediately surrender when police confront them with the red dot on their body, he said.
“In the situations where somebody has gotten Tased, they would have been physically fighting them (officers),” Mr. Connors said. “Now we have not physically fought anybody. They go down, they’re handcuffed, and the fight’s over.”
Of eight men and a woman shocked this month, all surrendered after they received the first electric jolt, which lasts five seconds.
The notable exception was March 3 — the first Taser incident — in which a 26-year-old man was Tasered up to eight times during arrest.
Police said the man had continued to kick at the two arresting officers even after being hit. The man said he plans to sue the police.
More recently, on Monday night, an officer Tasered a man in the back when he ran from officers in the 1500 block of South 13th Street.
Early Sunday morning, a Missouri Western State University basketball player was Tased in the back outside a downtown nightclub.
Hours earlier, another man was Tasered in the chest during a fight in the hallways of Robidoux Apartments, 201 S. 10th St.
As presence of the 15 Tasers — bought at a cost of $30,000 — grows on the streets, Mr. Connors expects the number of Tasings to drop and the number of incidents in which the persons surrender upon showing of the Taser to increase.
“I think the numbers will spread out more. We will have fewer deployments and more people just not wanting to do the dance,” he said.
Ahmad Safi can be reached
at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.
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one of the people tased was a deputy running after a suspect. i believe the incidents will only get higher. i don't believe they will drop as the public becomes informed of their use, but go higher because of officers with an itch to use them.
Posted by rush620 on March 26, 2008 at 3:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)So the deputy tased himself? Well it certainly didn't say that in the article now did it? That could lead to a whole new article on "How to use a Taser".
Posted by twix on March 26, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)no actually a police officer tased a deputy. do they have shooting ranges for tasers
Posted by g73 on March 26, 2008 at 4:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)Use of force is never anything to laugh about. I think it is a great tool to end a potentially deadly situation. Don't act stupid and you will not have to worry about the jolt.
Posted by twix on March 26, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)you are right it is serious. so 9 taser hits in the first month, how many actual shootings by police officers? are the taser hits taking the place of pulling a gun and shooting someone? that's my point. have we just now had an increase of potentially deadly situations in the last month?
Posted by 4wildones on March 27, 2008 at 7:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)The Tasers don't take the place of guns. Just because 9 people were tasered does not mean they would have pulled guns on them before. The article clearly states that these people were fighting with police and since they started using the tasers, no officers have been hurt in fights with criminals, it would be interesting to see the number that were hurt prior to using tasers. Then maybe people would not be so quick to call the officers taser happy. The situation does not have to be 'potentially deadly' in order for the officers to use tasers, the person being arrested just has to be resisting. I don't blame them, they should not have to fight people to arrest them, people should not fight the police.
Posted by twix on March 27, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)so the man running from the officers was physically threatening them?
Posted by rush620 on March 27, 2008 at 9:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)Maybe not physically threatening them, but he probably won't run from them again should the occasion arise.
Posted by 4wildones on March 27, 2008 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)I still say, running away or fighting them, it's better to use the tasers than to pull a gun. It would serve the idiot right that was running from the police to get a jolt out of it.
Posted by StJoeMoe on March 27, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)I'm confident the officers will use the tasers properly.
As mentioned, you have no need to be worried about being "tasered" if you're not doing anything wrong.
If it makes the officers jobs easier and more efficient, good.
On a side note, I'd like to see the video's of arrests made public, maybe posted on the Police web site.
It might be fun to watch the DUI arrests. Might be a deterent. Modern day stocks....
http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/image...
Posted by rxyrch on April 3, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)the tasers are to be used IF the police officer is in some kind of danger, not because they don't want to chase a suspect.
Posted by David on April 3, 2008 at 5:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)I keep hearing people say don't run, don't fight and do as your told and you won't be tased. I'm thinking that the people saying this have never been under the influence. If they had been they would know that when you are, don't run, don't fight and do as your told doesn't enter your mind.
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