Ti cops will get Tasers

By LOHR McKINSTRY
Staff Writer

July 11, 2008 04:00 am

— TICONDEROGA -- Ticonderoga Town Police will get the Tasers they asked for.
They will be the only police agency in the region north of the City of Glens Falls to have them.
The Ticonderoga Town Council recently voted 3-2 to buy two of the $700 electrical-shock guns for police.
Supervisor Robert C. Dedrick and Councilman Robert Thatcher voted against the purchase. In favor were council members Wayne Taylor, Dorcey Crammond and Steven Whitford, a retired Ticonderoga Police officer.
Dedrick said he appreciates the strides Ticonderoga Police have made in professionalism and feels Tasers are a controversial weapon that will get them in the news.
"Even if a Taser was properly used, you're still going to get criticism. And, invariably, a lawsuit follows."
Taylor said he voted to buy the Tasers because he didn't want to see a police officer harmed because he or she didn't have a Taser.
"I'd be derelict in my duty if I didn't give the police the tools they need to succeed. How would you feel if you voted no and someday it could have saved a life?"
Tasers are handheld devices that shoot two barbed probes attached to wires. They deliver 50,000-volt jolts of electricity, which will incapacitate most individuals.
Some people shocked by Tasers have died, and human-rights groups have called for a moratorium on their use.
Dedrick said Sgt. Mark Johns, the officer-in-charge of the Ticonderoga department, is going to send two officers for Taser-use training in Castleton, Vt., where an officer is a certified instructor.
"Any time a Taser is ever used, it must be totally documented," Dedrick said. "Only two officers will be certified to use them."
Ticonderoga Police are considering buying the X26 Taser unit, which includes a video-recording chip. Any time that Taser gun is unholstered, the "Tasercam" begins recording.
"They're (police) looking at different models. They haven't been ordered yet. They're coming up with a policy for their use."
He said Johns will write a strict policy governing when and under what circumstances a Taser could be used.
"There will be a paper trail. The town will receive a report on any use of a Taser," Dedrick said.
The town's insurance carrier sent a letter approving the use of Tasers, he said.
"I felt good about the letter, but I still didn't feel comfortable. Any use of a Taser could trigger a lawsuit."
He said he watched a video on the use of Tasers that showed actual incidents in which the device was used on someone.
"There are definitely a lot of advantages to it. They (Tasers) stopped a man who was going to commit suicide."
Police had asked in May for permission to buy Tasers.
Dedrick said he has confidence in Johns and the other officers to properly use Tasers and is glad they aren't rushing into the purchase.
"Mark has taken this in very small steps. It might be a year or two before we get a Taser. He's being cautious."
lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com