TASER Devices Prevent Injuries to Officers and Suspects

Appearance wise, it didn’t appear a fair match.

A large motorist, who was angry over a domestic incident, came rushing towards a Green Bay officer who had pulled over the motorist’s speeding car. The officer, a woman, was significantly smaller in size and wasn’t aware that she had a fight on her hands.

Furthermore, the man was armed with a box-cutter, and appeared not to be worried about getting hurt in the process.

However, moments after the confrontation started, the incident itself was over, with the man in custody. While the man was rushing towards the officer, she had quickly employed her TASER device and consequently utilized it against the man without receiving any injuries.

Coming up to its fifth year of working with the self defense tools, the Green Bay Police Department has said that the non-lethal weapons have been life-savers not just for the officers, but also for the citizens they serve to protect as well.

Many department officials are extremely passionate about the stunning devices as they believe that an officer doesn’t need to get hurt while doing their job. In many cases they have a tough job on their hands, and should be equipped with the latest available devices that will provide them the necessary protection without having to resort to deadly force that other weapons deliver.

While Green Bay doesn’t require it officers to have the TASER devices on them, unlike firearms and pepper spray, around 85 to 90 percent of the officers choose to be equipped with them.

On average, Green Bay police report that the employ force once every two days. Incidents that typically feature physical force include wrestling a suspect to the ground; however, physical force can also include the employment of pepper spray, TASER weapons and on occasion, a firearm.

Police explain that they always try to use the least amount of force necessary to gain control of a situation, and in most cases, they are successful. And yet, there are always circumstances where officers or citizens themselves receive injuries, which often raises questions.

In many situations though an officer is required to make quick decisions when it comes to knowing when to use force and how much should be employed. Although, while the devices may receive concern from many sectors, they have provided positive results in many major city police departments.

In Phoenix, police officials claim that injuries to crime suspects dropped by 67 percent, while in Orange County, Florida, injuries to police deputies declined by 80 percent.