Granville Police Department raises money, buys 10 new Tasers for officers
Jessica Trumbull
Issue date: 9/16/08 Section: News
Over five years ago, the Granville Police Department purchased two Tasers for their officers to use out in the field.
This summer, GPD Sergeant Keith Blackledge made efforts to get more Tasers for the department.
Blackledge went into the community and talked to the Granville public and businesses to ask for donations.
This past July, the department was able to buy 10 new Tasers, giving all the full-time officers a Taser to keep on their belt while on duty.
"[The Taser] is a safer way to diffuse a situation," Blackledge said. "It gives the officer a non-lethal choice [of force] they never had before."
The Taser is equipped with a laser sight, a flashlight and an audio and video recording system. The weapon has a 21-foot range, which Blackledge said is convenient for situations in which the suspect has a knife or other handheld weapon.
The Tasers cost $1,200 each with the camera system, Blackledge added.
When the trigger is pulled, the Taser shoots two probes, connected to the taser by wires, into the suspect's body.
According to the Taser Web site, www.taser.com, an electrical signal is transmitted through the wires, and the suspect immediately loses neuromuscular control and the ability to perform coordinated action.
The effect lasts for five seconds, which is enough time to debilitate a suspect.
Sergeant Dave Dudgeon, who is also a Taser instructor for the GPD, said that a Taser falls into the realm of pepper spray.
It is considered a less-lethal use of force that is not designed to cause serious physical harm or death.
"I think it's an excellent tool," he said.
According to Dudgeon, all police officers are trained to use their Taser during an eight-hour course offered by Taser International, the company that creates the Tasers.
The course includes a full lesson plan on DVD and a PowerPoint presentation.
Each officer must also take a written test as well as a proficiency test, in which they must point at a target and pull the trigger to show that they know how to use the weapon.
This summer, GPD Sergeant Keith Blackledge made efforts to get more Tasers for the department.
Blackledge went into the community and talked to the Granville public and businesses to ask for donations.
This past July, the department was able to buy 10 new Tasers, giving all the full-time officers a Taser to keep on their belt while on duty.
"[The Taser] is a safer way to diffuse a situation," Blackledge said. "It gives the officer a non-lethal choice [of force] they never had before."
The Taser is equipped with a laser sight, a flashlight and an audio and video recording system. The weapon has a 21-foot range, which Blackledge said is convenient for situations in which the suspect has a knife or other handheld weapon.
The Tasers cost $1,200 each with the camera system, Blackledge added.
When the trigger is pulled, the Taser shoots two probes, connected to the taser by wires, into the suspect's body.
According to the Taser Web site, www.taser.com, an electrical signal is transmitted through the wires, and the suspect immediately loses neuromuscular control and the ability to perform coordinated action.
The effect lasts for five seconds, which is enough time to debilitate a suspect.
Sergeant Dave Dudgeon, who is also a Taser instructor for the GPD, said that a Taser falls into the realm of pepper spray.
It is considered a less-lethal use of force that is not designed to cause serious physical harm or death.
"I think it's an excellent tool," he said.
According to Dudgeon, all police officers are trained to use their Taser during an eight-hour course offered by Taser International, the company that creates the Tasers.
The course includes a full lesson plan on DVD and a PowerPoint presentation.
Each officer must also take a written test as well as a proficiency test, in which they must point at a target and pull the trigger to show that they know how to use the weapon.
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