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To avoid shock, EPD asks for Taser input
by Jason N. Reed | News reporter |
Eugene Police Department's new Taser program is in the final steps before the testing period begins.
The department's Use of Force Committee is in the process of drafting the policy for the project, and it is looking for public input on the devices that use electrical shocks to temporarily paralyze a human subject.
"I think Tasers are an excellent alternative to firearms," said John Ahlen, committee member and second-year conflict and dispute resolution graduate student.
The police department is conducting a four-month-long pilot project to find the safest and most effective way of implementing Tasers as a law enforcement tool.
Members of the police department will attend six to eight hours of training guided by certified Taser instructors and assisted by members of the Defensive Tactics Instructor Team, according to Eugene Police Sergeant Kevin McCormick.
There is still some debate over whether police officers can voluntarily be shot with a Taser during the training, as some instances have resulted in officers sustaining serious injuries, including heart attacks.
The plan is to purchase the Tasers and trade them out before and after shifts, similar to the Springfield Police Department's Taser system, McCormick said.
The Tasers are meant to be used on uncooperative and aggressive people; however, Tasers can also be used to save lives in certain situations.
Ryan Salisbury, a mentally-ill 19 year old, had a psychotic break in November 2006. When Eugene Police arrived on the scene, Salisbury turned toward the police with a knife in his hand.
"He crossed the magic 21-foot line, and they were allowed to fire upon our son," Jeff Salisbury, Ryan's father, said, referring to an imaginary buffer of space that police use to gauge the level of danger in a situation.
Jeff and Denise Salisbury spoke about the events of that night. Jeff Salisbury said he wishes his son would have been shot by a Taser, as it would probably have saved his son's life.
The department's Use of Force Committee is in the process of drafting the policy for the project, and it is looking for public input on the devices that use electrical shocks to temporarily paralyze a human subject.
"I think Tasers are an excellent alternative to firearms," said John Ahlen, committee member and second-year conflict and dispute resolution graduate student.
The police department is conducting a four-month-long pilot project to find the safest and most effective way of implementing Tasers as a law enforcement tool.
Members of the police department will attend six to eight hours of training guided by certified Taser instructors and assisted by members of the Defensive Tactics Instructor Team, according to Eugene Police Sergeant Kevin McCormick.
There is still some debate over whether police officers can voluntarily be shot with a Taser during the training, as some instances have resulted in officers sustaining serious injuries, including heart attacks.
The plan is to purchase the Tasers and trade them out before and after shifts, similar to the Springfield Police Department's Taser system, McCormick said.
The Tasers are meant to be used on uncooperative and aggressive people; however, Tasers can also be used to save lives in certain situations.
Ryan Salisbury, a mentally-ill 19 year old, had a psychotic break in November 2006. When Eugene Police arrived on the scene, Salisbury turned toward the police with a knife in his hand.
"He crossed the magic 21-foot line, and they were allowed to fire upon our son," Jeff Salisbury, Ryan's father, said, referring to an imaginary buffer of space that police use to gauge the level of danger in a situation.
Jeff and Denise Salisbury spoke about the events of that night. Jeff Salisbury said he wishes his son would have been shot by a Taser, as it would probably have saved his son's life.
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 13
Yo-Yo
posted 4/23/07 @ 2:46 AM PST
give the cops this zapper. far as i'm concerned i think i'd rather have epd zap me than shoot me. and vishanoff sounds like an idiot as usual. vishanoff i suppose you'd rather get shot? moron. (Continued…)
O'Sullivan
posted 4/24/07 @ 4:11 PM PST
Yo-Yo:
It's not just the granolites that like to see the police powers subject to certain amounts of democratic oversight. I'm just not convinced that a tazer zap is that much less lethal than a hit from a 9mm. (Continued…)
tomstevens55
Thomas Stevens
posted 5/16/07 @ 10:27 AM PST
I think we should see what they're doing in Europe. At least in Europe, they don't enjoy killing people, like we do in this country.
Zachary Vishanoff
posted 12/09/08 @ 7:01 PM PST
This E.P.D. "pilot project" sure turned out well. Please explore use and misuse of the Taser issue more thoroughly in your paper before a "pilot project" is deployed on campus also. (Continued…)
Ted Clayton
Ted Clayton
posted 12/10/08 @ 3:08 PM PST
Tasers should be expected to have an 'evolving' role in society. For example, it will be easy to select a 'garment' that will prevent the electrodes from penetrating the skin. (Continued…)
Tyler S
posted 12/10/08 @ 6:30 PM PST
Tazers, if used, should only be used by a fully trained police officer in a situation that would have warranted the lethal use of a firearm. If a police officer ever uses a Tazer in an unwarranted situation (such as neutralizing a verbally aggressive but unarmed protester), I would expect the full extent of the law to come down on that police officer. (Continued…)
Zachary Vishanoff
posted 12/12/08 @ 10:44 AM PST
The main point is E.P.D. lacked accountability with their existing weapons...adding the tasers has just made that problem worse. Interestingly the A.C. (Continued…)
Zachary Vishanoff
posted 12/16/08 @ 1:05 PM PST
Thanks for the clarity on that. Personally I was surprised to see them(ACLU) helping get the new toy for a department with ongoing oversight issues.
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