The “shocking” news appeared on an inside page Wednesday: In the first month after Tasers were added to their arsenal, St. Joseph police officers used the weapon on nine suspects and threatened to use it on about 30 others.

Was anyone else shocked by this?

Given time to reflect on this news, we’re prepared to give the police the benefit of the doubt. But our trust comes with a price: We expect genuine accountability in measuring the effectiveness of this new weapon and continued restraint in its deployment.

To its credit, the department got off to a good start in detailing the use of Tasers so far, providing numbers and specifics of individual incidents.

“In the situation where somebody has gotten Tased, they would have been physically fighting them (the officers),” said Patrol Cmdr. Jim Connors. “Now we have not physically fought anybody. They go down, they’re handcuffed, and the fight’s over.”

From a law enforcement perspective, that sounds like the best possible outcome of a situation that could have resulted in injury or worse for those involved.

From a community perspective, the average law-abiding person must be pleased to know that far fewer physical disturbances result in blows being exchanged with police.

So who is disadvantaged? That’s a gray area, and that’s the problem.

In court, a judge decides whether force and restraints on an individual were justified. On St. Joseph’s sometimes mean streets, we expect officers toting 15 Tasers — purchased for $30,000 — to make these decisions under stress.

Eight men and one woman have been Tasered so far in our city. According to police, all except one surrendered after they received the first five-second jolt. The one exception has been well-documented: A 26-year-old man continued to kick at arresting officers, well after the first jolt, and ultimately he was Tasered up to eight times. The man has said he plans to sue.

Another case that caught our eye involved a man who was running from officers. He was Tasered in the back.

Cmdr. Connors thinks that over time more people will surrender peacefully when faced with Tasing, and the number of actual Tasings will drop, as word gets out about the capabilities of this weapon. Let’s hope this word spreads quickly.