Police officers to use taser weapons
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

"Taser, taser, taser," were familiar words to law enforcement officers as they participated in a training session last Saturday, qualifying them to use the newest tool available to them, the M26 Advanced Taser Weapons.

All of the officers attending the training session were subjected to what it would feel like if they were to use the taser on someone else. They now know first hand what the weapon will do and what the affects are.

According to Sheriff Bill Davison six of the M26 Advanced Taser Weapons were recently purchased, with five being put into officer's cars and one to remain at the Ripley County Sheriff's Department.

Ripley County has joined over 3,000 other law enforcement agencies who now implement the use of taser weapons.

According to Captain David Pippin of the Ripley County Sheriff's Department, the taser is a less than lethal conducted energy weapon that uses nitrogen propelled wires to conduct energy volts to a remote target, thereby controlling and overriding the central nervous system.

Captain Pippin trained on the special weapons and learned about the effect on the human body when they are used. The human nervous system communicates by means of simple electrical impulses. The taser sends out short duration, high voltage electrical waves that overpower the normal electrical signals within the nerve fibers EMD (Electro-Muscular Disruption). EMD systems override the central nervous systems and take direct control of the skeletal muscles.

The taser is an EMD system and effects the sensory and motor nervous system. The EMD system overwhelms the nervous system with signals. However, these systems go one step further by directly causing the muscles to contract. This causes someone whose sensory nervous system is impaired by drugs to have involuntary muscle contractions.

The tasers will be used whenever a situation arises where the use of physical force exposes the officer, the subject or the public to unnecessary danger, or when other force techniques have been or may be ineffective.

Sheriff Davison noted that in his more than 20 years of law enforcement, there have been numerous times the taser would have been very useful. "It's a matter of officer safety, safety for the person

being arrested, with minimum discomfort," he noted. Having had the taser applied to him, the sheriff said it's really not about pain, it's the shock. "It does bring a big man down." That was evidenced at the training session when three officers collectively weighing nearly 600 pounds were in a huddle and the taser saw them all tumbling to the ground.

Although the voltage is enough to make someone comply, it is noted that the low amp current, (less than 1) in the taser, does not affect pacemakers and will not cause a person to suffer from a heart attack.

Both Sheriff Davison and Captain Pippin say the use of the taser will reduce the risk of injury to subjects being placed under arrest as well as road deputies.

Officers from the sheriff's department, including reserve officers who now carry the advanced taser have completed a certification course in the use of the weapon. Also certified through training to use the taser weapons are six jail officers and officers from the Osgood and Versailles police departments.

"This is the best tool for law enforcement since the bullet resistent vest," concluded Captain Pippin.

MARY MARGARET MOORHEAD PHOTO

Captain David Pippin of the RCSD gave instructions on how to use the Taser M26 Advanced Weapon.