FT police to try out Tasers

(by Dedra Cordle, Staff Writer - August 12, 2009)

Police officers in Franklin Township will soon have a new weapon added to their arsenal.

Police Chief Mike Castle has been interested in purchasing Tasers for his department for well over a year now, but he wanted to see how they measured up in the eyes of other departments and in the courts before taking the plunge.

 “We were waiting for them to be tried and tested, and if the water was not as dirty, we would jump in it,” he joked.

At the Aug. 6 Franklin Township Board of Trustees meeting, Castle stated that a big reason for their decision to purchase the Tasers came from national surveys and statistics that showed the use of The weapon cut down on injuries to officers and perpetrators by 23 to 25 percent.

According to Castle, they plan to purchase five or six Tasers for their 11-man department at the cost of approximately $800 per unit.
   
“These are a new generation of Tasers,” he said. “It’s a smaller weapon, so they are not as big and bulky.”
   
He added they are all computer oriented, capable of giving read-outs on the voltage charge and the duration of time activated.
   
“They give lots of data. It’s a pretty intelligent piece of equipment.”
   
Before the Tasers arrive, each officer in the department will be required to complete and pass an eight-hour training course mandated by the State of Ohio on how to properly use the weapon, and they have to update their Use of Force Continuum to include the use of Tasers.
   
Castle said he would like the department to receive the Tasers, and the officers complete the training course, within the next month.

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