Deputies see Tasers as crime deterrent

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department is slowly phasing in stun guns, adding Tasers to its arsenal of nonlethal weapons.

According to sheriff's department spokesperson Capt. Ron Nelson, Tasers are safer to use than beanbag rounds on suspects who refuse to comply with deputies' orders. They also reduce the need for deputies to employ deadly force to subdue suspects.

Since 1997, the department has looked for new ways to deal with noncompliant criminal suspects, some of whom may be mentally ill and difficult to apprehend, Nelson said.

The department, he said, saw the benefit of Tasers years ago, but had limited data on stun guns and limited funds to purchase such tools.

"There were very few agencies using Tasers in 1997," Nelson said. "In 2003, more agencies were using them and there was more data" available.

Taser is a brand name like Kleenex or Xerox. When the trigger is pulled, the stun gun shoots two probes up to 15 feet away. The probes are connected to the weapon by high-voltage insulated wires.

As the probes stick to the target, the Taser transmits 50,000 volts of electrical pulses (high voltage, but at a low, safe current) along the wires and into the person's body, through up to 2 inches of clothing.

The voltage overwhelms a person's central nervous system, providing heavy-duty "takedown power" for police.

Last year, the sheriff's department located the funding to purchase 500 Tasers from Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., Nelson said. In February, the department created a Taser committee to research the stun guns. The committee found Tasers to be 93 percent effective in gaining suspects' compliance, reducing injuries and need for deadly force.

In June, the department, with approval from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, bought 500 Tasers, training included, for $485,000.

The department will give deputies intensive training in Taser use. The weapons will initially be employed in the Fillmore and Moorpark patrol stations, and in mid-August at the main jail in Ventura, according to Nelson.

Following successful implementation at those facilities, he said, all Ventura County sheriff's deputies will receive Tasers and training in their use.

Tasers look like handguns but are yellow in color so that people won't mistake them for real guns, Nelson said.

Taser International describes the weapons as nonlethal, but they are not risk-free.

Independent medical and scientific experts have reported that the Taser is a more effective and safer use-of-force option than traditional nonlethal weapons such as beanbag rounds.

Numerous other recent examinations, Taser International reported, including a three-year study by the United Kingdom's Association of Chief Police Officers in consultation with agencies including the U.S. Department of Defense, have reaffirmed the lifesaving value of Taser technology.

"This technology allows us to deal with an armed person without them hurting us, hurting others or themselves," Nelson said.

The Taser is especially useful on suspects who are mentally ill or on drugs such as PCP or methamphetamines, he said. People who are mentally ill or drugged don't recognize or react to pain from beanbag shots, Nelson said.

Each Taser strike, on the other hand, totally incapacitates a suspect for five seconds.

"If this thing saves a life," Nelson said, "then it's worth it."