To: Honorable Mayor, Council members
From: Mace McIntosh, Chief of Police
Date: October 3, 2005
Re: Taser
REOMMENDATIONS:
The City Public Safety Committee recommends that the Sonora City Council approve the purchase and use of Tasers for the officers of the Sonora Police Department in an amount not to exceed $5,000, appropriated from Measure I funds.
BACKGROUND:
Over 7,100 law enforcement agencies employ the Taser in their daily operations as a non lethal weapon. This includes the Calaveras County Sheriff's Department, Angels Camp Police Department, Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, Oakdale Police Department and many others.
The City Public Safety Committee met on Friday, August 5th, 2005 and unanimously recommended the purchase and use of Tasers be instituted into the Police Department as officer equipment.
DISCUSSION:
The Department of Defense has recently listed the Taser as a "non-lethal" weapon.
In the short time that I have been a member of the Sonora Police Department, it is my opinion that two Sonora Police Department officer injuries could have been prevented if the Taser had been available. Both officers were injured while attempting to take suspects into custody. Due to the injuries received one of the officers was off duty for approximately 6 weeks.
Many
agencies who employ the Taser have found that the number of officer and suspect
injuries have been reduced. In addition many larger agencies have found that the
number of officer involved shootings has also been reduced, Workers Comp claims
and citizens complaints have also been decreased.
During the discussions
on Measure I, I stated that part of my job was to ensure the safety of the officers
of the Sonora Police Department. I feel I can increase their safety by offering
the Taser as tool to assist in performing their duties.