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HomeMy WebLinkAbout15.D.1. Police Department "Taser X26" Electronic Weapon Purchase SHAKO PEE POLICE DEPARTMENT / S. D f I. Memorandum CO~~~r:~~T TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council t ~ti~ Mark McNeill, City Administrator FROM: Sgt. Craig Robson Cfi.... SUBJECT: Authorization to purchase and implement the T ASER X26 - Less Lethal Force Option DATE: August 19, 2003 INTRODUCTION: The Shakopee Police Department is seeking council approval to purchase and deploy the Taser X26 as a less-lethal force option. BACKGROUND: The Taser X26 is a less-lethal electrical device designed to affect the central nervous system and produce instant incapacitation. The Taser X26 represents a new generation of Electro-Muscular Disruption (EMD) technology, and carries much more stopping power than the 7 Watt tasers ofthe 1980's and '90's. The Taser X26 is a 26-Watt system and is reported effective in 95% of the 1,645 reported uses to the manufacturer. It is deployed as a less-lethal force option by over 1,500 law enforcement agencies. The Taser X26 is a less-lethal stun weapon that resembles an officer's duty weapon. It has a laser sighting system, and fires two metal probes at 180 feet per second. Connected to the probes are thin insulated wires, which relay a, pre-programmed, five-second electrical signal. After the delivery of the initial electrical signal, the officer operating the Taser X26 can depress the trigger and deliver additional five-second electrical signals, if appropriate and necessary. The Taser X26 has a computerized data port used to record the date and time of each use, guarding against claims of excessive force. The Taser X26 will not cause electrocutions as it operates at a federally approved electrical output level and is deemed safe. The product will not interfere with a modem pacemaker and will not create cardiac ventricular fibrillation. FBI statistics reveal that nationally, police average 400 justifiable homicides annually. The same FBI data illustrates that officers are facing offenders who are willing to assault them. Assaults against officers rose from 46,700 cases in 1996 to 56,000 cases in 2000. Some address this escalation by pointing to a shift in the burden of liability from the offender to the officer, requiring officers to have more less-lethal force options not fewer. The national trend of suspects/subjects assaulting police officers has also been experienced in Shakopee. In 2003 there have been at least four incidents where Shakopee officers were directly attacked andlor assaulted by suspects/subjects. In these cases officers have relied on chemical sprays, batons, and other impact weapons. Aside from subjects assaulting officers, the police department routinely deals with mentally deranged andlor suicidal individuals. One of the more difficult mental patients walked out ofSt. Francis Hospital naked, in sub.zero temperatures, was unaffected by stuns, baton blows, chemical sprays, and had to be wrestled to the ground by multiple officers. The officers on the scene reported that this patient, who believed he was possessed by the devil, was totally oblivious to the cold and type of pain compliance associated with baton strikes and stuns (Stun: punch or kick to an area on the body where nerve groupslbundles are close to the surface). Of the use-of-force options currently employed by the Shakopee Police Department, there are none that can match the rate of effectiveness and safety of the Taser X26. The Taser X26 is not a pain compliance tool, but is a tool that uses electrical impulses to override and disrupt the signals within the body. With this disruption the offender is no longer able to mount an attack on an officer or individual. To date there are no fatalities associated with the 1,645 documented uses of the Taser M26 or Taser X26, and agencies using them have reported greatly decreased rates of injury among Officers involved in use-of-force situations and assaults. Approximately one hundred ten agencies in Minnesota deploy this less-lethal technology. One of the most recent departments to purchase this technology is the Scott County Sheriff's Department. They are currently in the process of training their employees in the operation of the Taser. On August 6, 2003 the Chaska P.D. offered its assistance with the Taser, as we apprehended two assault suspects. Taser International is the sole source of this technology making the process of seeking competitive bids is unnecessary. BUDGET IMPACT The cost of the Taser X26 and its supporting equipment, holster, and probe cartridges is approximately $900 per unit. Routine maintenance, the rotation of officers on shift, and the use of the Taser X26 as a force option by the department's tactical team, would necessitate the purchase often Taser X26's. Training costs associated with the implementation of the Taser X26 would be approximately $500. The total costs associated with this project are estimated at $9500. Funding for this purchase would be accomplished by using department DWI forfeiture funds. The police departments forfeiture funds can support this purchase in its entirety ALTERNATIVES 1. Authorize the appropriate city staff to purchase and implement the T ASER X26 as a new less-lethal force option. 2. Do not authorize the request from the police department to purchase and implement the TASER X26 as a new less-lethal force option. 3. Table the request for further discussion RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that city council approve the request to purchase and implement the TASER X26 as a new less-lethal force option. ACTION REQUESTED If council concurs they should by motion authorize the appropriate city staff to purchase and implement the T ASER X26 as a new department less lethal force option. CITY OF SHAKO PEE Memorandum TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Mark McNeill, City Administrator SUBJECT: Police Department "Taser" Purchase DATE: August 7, 2003 Attached is a memorandum from Chief Dan Hughes, requesting authority to purchase tasers for use by the Shakopee Police Department. In March, I attended a demonstration of this non-lethal electronic weapon, and was impressed. The taser is a relatively new development, and provides the police officer with an option to subdue an uncooperative and dangerous "customer", without having to use lethal force. The demonstration showed that mace is often ineffective, and sometimes does nothing more than enrage a suspect. The taser provides an option between nightsticks, or wrestling with the suspect, and having to use a firearm. The taser does no permanent damage, and is effective against even the most physically imposing suspect. Of perhaps the most importance to the City is the reduction in potential liability (from individuals who might sue after having been injured by deadly force), and the reduction in work comp claims from officers who would otherwise be injured trying to physically subdue a suspect. Of particular note during the demonstration was the description of an arrest in Coon Rapids earlier this year, where four officers were lost for various amounts of time due to injuries inflicted by a single suspect. I certainly endorse the acquisition of this tool for use by the Shakopee Police. It would be implemented only after proper policy development and appropriate training. Money exists in the Police Department D.W.I. Forfeiture Fund for this purchase. MM:pm VA.~ VU=-W} Mark McNeill, City Administrator