Officers train on Taser X26s

Tasers give police another option to keep officers and the public safe, the captain says.
By NICOLE HUGHES
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- The latest version of Taser guns, the X26, is now a part of the city police department's artillery.
The department spent $14,000 to buy 12 guns and cartridges.
"They are expensive initially, but are well worth it for a lesser-use-of-force option," said Niles police Capt. Guy Simeone, who is also the firearms instructor.
The Taser X26 works with "shaped pulse technology" by shooting two probes that reach objects as far away as 21 feet. The current penetrates the barrier -- clothing -- so the shock can flow freely into what has been shot. The five-second-long shock begins at 50,000 volts.
"The intensity lessens so we can give commands to the person," Simeone said. "It shuts off after five seconds."
Once the probes have been discharged, the gun can also be used as a stun gun with direct contact. Removable cartridges allow police to scan the usage information into computer files and keep records of when the Tasers are used. The X26 Taser guns also have a laser sight option, a flashlight option and a digital power reading.
The Tasers give police another option to keep the officers and the public safe, Simeone said.
"Where we would use deadly force, we won't have to," he said. "Like if someone has a knife, we would normally be able to use deadly force, but now we can just use the Tasers."
Linked to several deaths
Some question the safety of the Taser.
According to a story by Robert Anglen of The Arizona Republic published July 18, medical examiners in various parts of the country have linked Tasers to at least five deaths.
Medical examiners in three of these cases involving suspects who died in police custody cited Tasers as a cause or a contributing factor in the deaths. In two other cases, Tasers could not be ruled out as a cause of death.
How it works
The shock from the Taser gun causes muscles to go stiff because it overrides the muscular nervous system, Simeone said.
"When we hit someone with a Taser we have to watch out for secondary effects," he said. "If a person is standing on a table, we can't hit them because they could fall and get injured.
"What it does is mirror the pulse from the brain to the muscles that tells a person to move," Simeone said. "The pulse is sent so fast that it overloads the system and the muscles freeze."
According to the training information, these guns give off 0.36 joules of energy. As a comparison, defibrillators give off 400 joules of energy.
It is the amperage that kills, and these have a very low amperage -- the same as the brain does, Simeone said.
How it feels
"When you are being shocked you lose all sense of time and have no control over your body from the instant you are shot," said Simeone, who has taken the full shock at a training session in Cleveland. "I tried to move my arms but couldn't, and as soon as it was over, it was like nothing ever happened."
There is a barb on the end of the probes to keep them attached.
"You never feel the probes," said officer Rick Wilson, who was shocked at the same training. "After it is over, your muscles feel like you have done a strenuous workout. My muscles ached for a week afterward."
Officers are completing an initial training of eight hours. They must be recertified every year by taking a four-hour training course.
"It was worse than I expected," said officer Ron Wright, who took a hit at last week's training along with officer Tom Townley. "I couldn't hear anything, and I was looking straight ahead but couldn't see who was standing in front of me.
"You don't hear it discharge, you just feel overwhelming pain," Wright said. "I would have done anything for them to have not administered another amp."
Officers can take a small shock so that they know how effective it is and how susceptible they are if someone would turn the gun on them, Simeone said.
nhughes@vindy.com