Company donates 2 Tasers to police

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

The department now has eight Tasers.

HOWLAND — Township police have added two new Tasers to their crime-fighting arsenal thanks to a Cleveland-based business visiting the area.

Coin and Jewelry Buyers of America spent $2,000 on the Tasers and presented them to township police Thursday. The company is based in Cleveland, but representatives are often in the Howland Township area appraising and buying precious metals.

Officer Bill Barna said the department had six Tasers before the newly acquired two units, but those Tasers are in constant rotation among various officers on shift and, therefore, see a lot of wear and tear. The additional Tasers, he said, will help all the department’s Tasers last longer.

Barna called the small, gun-shaped, yellow and black Taser invaluable in the crime-fighting process. Each unit can shoot two harpoonlike prongs up to 21 feet, hitting its target with 50,000 volts of electricity. A red dot pinpoints the Taser’s target.

According to Barna, after being hit with such a jolt most people go rigid like wood and cannot help but comply with police orders.

“The Taser is probably the most beneficial tool we have been given,” he said.

One of the primary benefits, Barna said, is the ability to bring a defiant individual into compliance without using an actual firearm. He stresses that point with the story of a man with mental illness who pulled a knife on township officers, but was detained and taken into custody for evaluation after being hit with the Taser.

Cheri Bonner, appraiser for Coin and Jewelry Buyers of America, said the company wanted to offer the department something it could use as a means of thanking the department for its protection and the residents for their support.

“This is our fourth time in the area and people are just responding to us really well. Coming here and knowing the police department and that they had a need for these is why we decided to do this. They are always here to protect us,” she said. The company is putting on a gold-buying show at the Avalon Inn and Resort this weekend.

Jim Mataich, company president, said this is the first such gift the company has offered, but it will not be the last.

“We plan on doing this more. We are here to help law enforcement and local government in any way we can,” he said.

According to Barna, the Tasers are definitely a help. He said just the presence of the devices is enough to prevent some sticky situations.

“As word gets out about the Tasers, we get compliance a lot faster. Now, when people see that red dot they know what’s coming,” he said.

jgoodwin@vindy.com