Mesa Police Department 2001 Annual Report
News Article

Mesa cops trying out stun guns

by Garin Groff
The Mesa Tribune
December 27, 2001

     Some Mesa police officers are now brandishing stun guns to see if the non-lethal weapon can help them subdue suspects who are combative, suicidal or emotionally disturbed.
     Though the Taser M-26s hit the streets just a few weeks ago, they may already have prevented an officer from using deadly force on an armed robbery suspect.
     The stun guns also could reduce the number of office-involved shootings involving people who are suicidal or mentally disabled, said Mesa SWAT Lt. Bob Gervasi. 
     From a SWAT perspective, the majority of our barricade situations involve people who are emotionally disturbed," Gervasi said.
     Mesa's SWAT team has used the stun guns for a year and already used them six of seven times, he said. It's impossible to say if officers would have resorted to deadly force in any of the SWAT calls, Gervasi said, but the stun guns put a quick end to the calls without harming anybody.
     The stun gun's jolt doesn't cause pain, said SWAT team member officer Lyle Burton. Rather, the intense surge tenses a person's muscles so much that he or she cannot move.
     "It has less to do with pain -- I don't care how tough you are -- it's physiological," Burton said.
     The department bought 16 Tasers for patrol officers to see how effective they are in a wider range of situations. The Tasers cost about $10,000.  
     "There are probably a dozen of them that are on the street at any given moment," Gervasi said. "If we see they are successful and the guys are actually using them, we may look to expand the number." 
     Police in Scottsdale and Chandler have given stun guns to SWAT teams and some patrol officers. But until Dec. 4, Mesa had stun guns for only the SWAT team.
     A Mesa patrol officer first used a stun gun Dec. 11 to take down a suspected armed robber who broke into a house and struggled with the homeowner, police said. The suspect had robbed a sandwich shop at gunpoint and tried to hide in the home.
     Police arrived in the middle of the fight, not knowing if the suspect still carried the gun from the robbery, police said. Officers ordered the suspect to stop. He refused, so an officer used the stun gun.
     The zap allowed police to cuff the man without harming him.
     "It certainly is possible it could have progressed into an officer-involved shooting," Gervasi said.
     The Tasers aren't without drawbacks. Their range is 21 feet, meaning officers might put themselves at more risk than by standing father away with a conventional gun. 
     Also, an officer who comes under threat while working alone would be foolish to counter a gunman with a stun gun, Gervasi said. And it's not practical to hold a regular gun and a stun gun at the same time.
     Officers must complete training -- which includes being zapped by a stun gun -- to use the devices.
     The 26-watt Taser looks like a black handgun, though part of the body is bright yellow. The end is equipped with a cartridge that holds a pair of metal probes that puncture a person's skin. The probes are connected to the gun by thin wires.
     Even before the probes hit a person, the surge of power enters the body.
     The surge of power makes the person's muscles so tense that he or she usually drops to the ground. The person is usually unable to move for the five seconds the surge continues.
     "It's hard to describe," Gervasi said. "It's very, very traumatic, but as soon as the machine is turned off, it's done. There are no lasting effects."
     Suspects rarely resist after a stun gun's zap. But the probes stay in until police take them out, so officers can pull the trigger for more power if the person fights.
     "The overwhelming majority of times, it's going to end the scenario, and the cops get the bad guy into custody," Gervasi said.

--Tribune writer Garin Groff can be reached by e-mail at ggroff@aztrib.com or by calling (480) 898-6554.

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