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By Traci Fowler
LOGAN -- Detective Tyson Budge of the Logan City Police Department has experienced the surge of 50,000 volts of electricity traveling through his body. How and why are two questions that come to mind when you hear he's been shot with a new electroshock weapon called a Taser. For the second time, the department has recently requested 18 Taser weapons in a grant proposal. Each Taser is $800, including $15 for each cartridge. Attendance at Taser training is mandatory for all officers. In addition, the officers are required to be shot with the Tasers in order to operate them. Budge recently attended Taser training with several other officers from police departments across the state of Utah. Budge is certified to use the Taser and admits he didn't want to be shot in order to use the gun. "It hurt a little bit, but I'll never do it again," Budge admitted. The Advanced M26 Taser, more commonly known as a "toy gun," weighs 18 ounces and is capable of penetrating a suspect with 50,000 volts of electricity from a 21-foot range. The Taser overrides the motor nervous system and blocks the control of the body. It directly stimulates motor nerve and muscle tissue, causing the person it hits to "freeze up" regardless of their mental focus and size. Just how do these Tasers work? Upon firing, an air cartridge with compressed nitrogen shoots two twin probes at a speed of 180 feet per second. "These probes are like little fish hooks that are shot into your body," Budge said. The probes are connected to the M26 Taser by thin wires that are then released to attach themselves to skin or clothing. The Taser then emits the volts of electricity through the wires, resulting in an instant loss of control for the target it hits. The maker of these new and popular guns, Taser International, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., maintains the Taser is non-lethal and even safe for those who have a cardiac pacemaker or heart trouble. It suggests the Tasers' current of joules is far below the 10-50 joule threshold for which a cardiac ventricular fibrillation--and death--can occur. Business for the guns has grown significantly after several police departments and security organizations have purchased the guns. Canada originally shunned the use of Tasers but has now placed them with officers in Ontario, Ottawa and Toronto. After researching the guns for a few years, Canada feels the Taser is "an effective, less-lethal device that can be used to subdue and gain control of violent suspects and reduce the possibility of serious injury to police officers and others involved," said Public Safety Minister Bob Runciman. Anne-Marie Cusac, managing editor for the magazine, The Progressive, has done extensive research on the guns and admits there are both sides to the story. "There are companies making big claims that their guns are 100 percent non-lethal. I believe they are trying to create a safe product but nothing is 100 percent," Cusac said. Cusac found in her research that most of the studies done on Tasers were performed by the company itself. "Their research isn't independent of their company, at least not that I've seen," said Cusac. Owners Rick Smith, CEO, and Tom Smith, president, are brothers and former medical students which puts them above other companies because of their potential knowledge of the human body, but there are still no guarantees the guns are 100 percent safe. Several human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, oppose the guns because there is no way to tell whether the gun was misused or not because it leaves virtually no marks on the body. The two twin probes cauterize your skin causing no bleeding and no scarring; however several reports have surfaced indicating that the probes can cause burn marks. The M26 Taser now has a tracking device used to log each time the gun is used. "The tracking devices are good; however, who is going to track the usage. The police department is going to have to log all uses extensively," Cusac said. Recently, Cusac did a talk radio program in Jamaica discussing the use of electroshock devices. "They [Jamaica] have had many gun deaths lately, so they're looking into the possibility of using these devices. They say they really need them. Europe is contemplating the purchase of Tasers as well," said Cusac. After the events of 9-11, The Aviation Security Act was presented to Congress stating that all pilots should be armed with Tasers or some sort of electroshock device. Several concerns were raised due to the nature of the terrorist attacks. Many organizations like Gun Owners of America did not want airline pilots armed with "toy guns" because they were not the most effective way to deter a hijacker. In a study done by the FBI on the Cockpit Protection Program, they labeled the electroshock devices as "a flimsy defense [having] many drawbacks." In the study, the wires were reported as having a loose connection or often breaking. Since Tasers require that both probes be inserted to cause an electric shock, this could cause potential failure if one probe missed an attacker. In addition, the FBI stated that the devices could not be used against multiple attackers. The study moved many to resist the urge to purchase the new guns; however, in January 2003, United Airlines and Mesa Airlines applied to use the Tasers on their airliners. Many organizations around the world have mixed feelings about the guns. Detective Budge realizes the impact of the Tasers but maintains they are safe and effective. There are 64 officers in the LCPD but only 18 will get to carry these new Tasers. That would allow each patrol shift to have two or three on duty. Officers are hoping the guns will assist them with gang suppression, and avoid any lethal and permanent injuries to attackers.
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