The East Stroudsburg University Police Department has completed some of the steps required to obtain authority to carry taser equipment. The department has begun an extensive review process which included being approved by the University Safety Committee. They have already purchased taser equipment and many officers have become certified to carry. Along with the Chief of Police, five sergeants have undergone training on the use of taser technology which includes the officers themselves being tasered. As indicated by Chief of Police Robin Olson, the department has already updated its police manual to include new policy dealing with "the use of force" and is currently waiting for "final approval on the procedures part of the policy" which specifies how and in what circumstances tasers can be used.
According to Chief Olson, the department has no formal plans for all officers to carry tasers. "If we see that there is a positive effect to carrying tasers without deploying them, such as it being a deterrence, then we will look into it further," said Olson.
The department began to research taser equipment about a year ago after completing a survey from Tasers International, a manufacturer of taser equipment. The Chief of Police stated that the department was studying tasers and other equipment as a "less than lethal type of force."
Aside from firearms, the officers currently carry pepper spray but see tasers as an option which is "easier to apply" and therefore allows them to do their job more effectively.
The use of tasers as a law enforcement tool has become popular in the last 8-10 years. East Stroudsburg University Police Department will become the fourth state-commissioned university department to carry taser equipment. Other university police departments which currently carry tasers include West Chester and Lock Haven. The idea of tasers on college campuses has become controversial in recent years. When a video surfaced on the internet depicting Andrew Meyer, a University of Florida student, being tasered after creating a disturbance at a forum featuring Senator John Kerry on September 17, 2007, it immediately became one of the most-viewed video clips in the history of the internet. A similar incident was filmed on a UCLA campus in which a student was tasered by campus police in the Powell Library in 2006.
The incident led to widespread student protests on campus. Chief Olson recognizes the concerns of the public. "A lot of people hear 'taser' and they immediately jump to YouTube videos or an episode of "Cops" that they saw. People have a perceived fear," said Olson. "We take this equipment seriously. All officers that have access to the equipment are tasered, so they know how it feels. This equipment is designed as another less than lethal option that a police officer can use to resolve a situation safely."
Chief Olson showed a video clip of him being tasered during training. "It wasn't that bad," he stated. "I've been pepper sprayed numerous times and I can tell you that I'd rather be tasered."
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