Audio clip
Max Templeton
Lt. Doug Wilson of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department grimaced as a Taser X26 pumped 1,200 volts of electricity into his body.
Two officers slowly lowered Lt. Wilson to the ground as they gave instructions for removing the two probes lodged in his back.
“It causes your whole body to tense up,” Lt. Wilson said later. “It hurts a little.”
Several sheriff’s department officers took part in Taser training Friday morning at the Hamilton County government annex. All department officers undergo training before receiving the stun guns.
By the end of March, all county patrol officers and school resource officers will have the Tasers, said Sgt. Max Templeton, sheriff’s department spokesman. The department has worked for about a year to purchase and issue the Taser X26s, which are equipped with cameras and audio capability and which emit a 50,000-volt shock, he said. But because of the energy lost when electrons jump from the probes to a person’s body, only about 1,200 volts reach the targeted person, according to police and law enforcement Web site officer.com.
The Taser X26’s reach extends a maximum of 35 feet, according to manufacturer Taser International Inc.
“We get false claims all the time about how we’ve mistreated someone,” Sgt. Templeton said. “The camera will be able to show the courts what happened prior to and during the event.”
The 120 Tasers were bought with nearly $140,000 in confiscated drug money, according to Chattanooga Times Free Press archives.
Patrol deputy Paul Maupin, a training instructor, said many officers choose voluntarily to be Tased so they can understand the effects. Arming officers with Tasers creates a safer environment for officers and suspects, he said.
Officers in remote parts of the county can use the device instead of drawing a gun while awaiting back-up, Deputy Maupin said.
“It stops a lot of fights before they start,” he said. “Suspects become compliant before they ever have to be Tased.”
FAST FACTS
* More than 11,000 of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States use Taser-brand technology.
* Of those, 3,500 deploy Taser stun guns to all patrol officers.
Source: Taser International Inc.
HOW TASERS WORK
When a Taser is fired, wires reach out and probes hit the target. Electricity flows down the wires and into the body. If there is no actual contact between probes and skin, perhaps due to clothing, electrons must jump the gap. The higher the voltage, the farther they jump. Pressure building in the probes can reach up to 50,000 volts, but voltage drops when electrons make the jump.
Source: Officer.com
