Bryan police officers are using Tasers nearly twice as much as they did last year, according to department figures. OFFICIALS defended the use of the stun guns and said the increase occurred because the weapon was available to more officers.

At this point last year, Lt. Jackie Maynard said, the department had 10 Tasers. Today, it has more than 50, and every patrol officer carries one, he said.

Officers discharged Tasers 12 times between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to a review of police statistics released last month. The review, conducted every six months, is an effort to keep residents informed of the department's actions, Maynard said.

Overall, the department's use of force is down 1 percent from the first half of 2007, according to the statistics.

Though the department is still in the "early point in our Taser life," Maynard said, the weapon has quickly become an effective, non-lethal option for officers.

The Taser model that Bryan officers carry uses compressed nitrogen to deploy two small probes at a person's body. The wires can reach 35 feet and transmit electrical pulses that affect the sensory and motor functions of the peripheral nervous system.

Taser use by police officers is increasing statewide, said Phillip Lyons, a Sam Houston State University criminal justice professor.

Lyons attributed the increase to two factors: THE weapon affords officers a non-lethal option to control dangerous people, and Tasers are becoming more readily available.

Communities should expect to see a continued increase in the use of Tasers and a decrease in lethal force and assaults on officers, he said.

"Right now, at this point in time, it's a very effective tool for police officers," he said.

Maynard said the weapon allows officers to defuse tense situations quickly with minimal risk of injury to officers and others.

Bryan officers carry two other less-than-lethal weapons, he said: Pepper spray and an expandable baton.

To understand the potency of pepper spray and Tasers on people, officers are required to be subjected to their effects. Maynard said the experience makes officers more empathetic and helps them determine whether that amount of force is necessary.

College Station police Lt. Rodney Sigler said that his city's Police Department has approved the use of Tasers but that because of administrative changes, the weapons have not been purchased.

The College Station Police Department reviews its arrest statistics every 12 months, he said.

In a study completed a few months ago, Lyons said, he and other researchers could find no link between Taser use and death.

It's hard, he said, to know why a person died after being shocked by a a Taser because many of the people who are targeted with the weapon are dealing with acute stress, intoxication, drug use and other factors.

What people need to ask, he said, is not how safe Tasers are but how safe the situation would be without a Taser.

"It is an interim step that is less drastic than some alternatives," he said, comparing the stun guns to pepper spray and firearms. "Turns out, a fair amount of people die from being pepper-sprayed."

Tasers don't blow back on officers as pepper spray can, he said, noting that officers often end up with a faceful of pepper spray. And pain from pepper spray lasts much longer than that from a Taser, Lyons said.

With Tasers, though, Lyons said, it's harder for officers to know when enough is enough.

The standard protocol, he said, is to use the number and duration of shocks necessary to bring the person under control and to eliminate the threat.

"In the heat of battle, you really don't necessarily know when the force stops," he said.

According to the Bryan Police Department policy on Tasers, officers can deploy the weapon when a person displays the intent to engage in violent, aggressive actions of assault or suicidal behavior or active physical resistance to lawful police action. Officers should, when possible, provide oral warnings before using the Taser, and it can be deployed a number of times if necessary, the policy states.

After a Taser is used, officers must call paramedics to evaluate the person who was shocked.

The survey also showed that vehicle pursuits decreased 71 percent from the first six months of last year.

Maynard said a three-day training session on vehicle pursuits late last year might have played a role. The training, he said, included various scenarios and a review of techniques in different situations

"A lot of times when you go through those classes, it affects some numbers," he said, or it may be that fewer people ran from police.

The six-month review also indicated a 100 percent increase in cases of officers pointing firearms at people, which Maynard attributed to a change in the way officers are required to report such instances.

The change, he said, allows the department to more closely monitor the activities of officers.

Comments

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9 comment(s) found!

Posted by: On: 9/8/2008

Comment Title:
I've lived in this area for 50+ years and never had a gun pulled on me. Maybe if you respect the law you'll get respect in return. Plus I'd fill better knowing that guns weren't just getting pulled out for the heck of it.

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Posted by: Spin Doctor On: 9/7/2008

Comment Title:
It may Be 1% safer.

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Posted by: On: 9/7/2008

Comment Title:
So much for the downtown areas being safe and the areas you drive through to get to it. Maybe we need to have a talk with the mayor.

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Posted by: A NEW SPIN ON CRIME. On: 9/7/2008

Comment Title:
You are safe in Bryan it is only a 100% increase in officer's guns being pulled. We have pulled them so much we wanted to start counting.

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Posted by: On: 9/7/2008

Comment Title: Take a bite out of Bryan crime.
Use a real GUN. Peace Thur firepower. Bryan Goons have guns do you have a gun?

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Posted by: Grump On: 9/7/2008

Comment Title: Don't tase me bro
Don't commit criminal acts, and don't get snarky with the officers. Then you won't get tased. Break the law or fight with officers, and you will, just like you deserve.

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Posted by: On: 9/7/2008

Comment Title:
NBA-Normal Bryan Activity.

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Posted by: On: 9/7/2008

Comment Title:
This is the good life. Drugs hookers fighting police etc.

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Posted by: On: 9/7/2008

Comment Title: Ghetto Warriors.
100% increase in pulling guns on thugs in Bryan. We are do for a police shootout. One or two a years is normal in Bryan. Many BPD officers have been attacked just in the last 3-months. Some had to be taken to the ER.

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