Officers learn use of new Tasers

Jen Lawson

Monday, April 21, 2003 | 9:44 a.m.

A group of Metro Police officers learned how to use Taser guns Friday as part of Sheriff Bill Young's plan to expand Metro's use of nonlethal weaponry.

Earlier Friday, an officer shot and killed an apparently intoxicated man who allegedly raised a golf club in a threatening manner. He was the second person killed by Metro this year. Young is hoping to reduce the number of people killed by police.

The Taser training is part of a pilot program, Capt. Gary Schofield said. Thirty officers were trained by representatives from the Taser company, and those 30 now are expected to train other officers.

The Tasers become another weapon in the department's nonlethal arsenal. Officers already have 12-gauge shotguns that fire bean bags.

"This gives officers another option," Schofield said.

Tasers send 50,000 volts of electricity, or 0.162 amps, through the body, Schofield said. The guns can fired from 21 feet away from the suspect.

"This is not a stun gun," Schofield said. "This is the next generation, and they're not available to the general public. They're specially designed to be used by cops."

The Taser guns cost about $400 each, Schofield said. Metro officials are trying to find money in the budget to buy the guns, and the department might apply for grants.

Phoenix Police equipped its patrol officers with Taser guns in December. More than 130 other police agencies, including Reno, Sacramento and Albuquerque, have given Tasers to all patrol officers.