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Oklahoma City police officers get Taser guns
~

Weapon delivers
shock that can
immobilize
without injmy
Associated Press

OKlAHOMA CllY - The
police department has purchased

100 Taser snm guns and begins
training with them this week.
The weapon fires two insulated wires. which deliver a shock

that can immobilize a person
without causing serious injury.
Police Sgc Blake Webster says
stun guns can provide an alternative to the use of deadly force.
lhere are going to be times

they are going to fail, but this is before lastyear's shootings. They
another option, another tool in have not had any fatal shootings
involving officers this year, he
the tool box," he said.
Last year, Oklahoma City offi- said.
cers used firearms in five sepaFor several years, specialized
rate shootings in which a person police tactical teams have had
was killed.
shorgun shells loaded with bean
Each shooting was cleared by bags and stun-gun-type pistols,
Oklahoma County District Attor- but the department plans to make
ney Bob Macy.
more of these .....-eapons available
But police say using the Air on the srree[S each shift.
There will be fourTasers availTasersor bean bag shotguns are
nOl in response to officer- able to police in each division of
involved shootings, including sev- the city.
Most officers on the streets
en other nonfatal shootings last
expect the Tasers will make their
year.
Webster said those shootings jobs easier, said Sgt. Bill Patten,
may not have been cases in an Oklahoma City police officer
which iess-lethal weapons woukl for nine years.
"Any time we have a tool that
have been used.
The department started plan- could help us resolve a situation
ning to buy less-lethal weapons v.ith less force. it is going to help

us. TIle Taser3 can help us diifuse
a situation before it escalates to
the use of lethal force," Panen
said.
He said in any fight involving a
police officer, the suspect has a
chance to grab the officer's
we3JX)n.
The Taser would allow an officer to subdue a violent person
from a distance, without a physical fighl
~1 don't know any officer who
wants to get involved in a possible lethal confrontation," Patten
said.