Sheriff’s officers who work at area public schools have been armed with Tasers for two years, but court officers who face accused criminals every day do not have them at their disposal.
It was something that hit home for Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge David Bales last Friday when a defendant became violent over the circumstances of his case.
“On a scale of one to 10, he was a 9.5,” Judge Bales said of the defendant’s outburst, during which the man used his arms and legs to fend off officers trying to subdue him.
It took six court officers, who also work under the Hamilton County Sheriff, to get the job done, but Judge Bales wondered Tuesday if the situation could have been resolved better with a Taser.
“This was definitely a situation where the use of a Taser would have been appropriate,” Judge Bales said. “I think there should be at least one Taser gun in each courtroom.”