Delphos police now using Tasers

Published:  Tuesday, November 10, 2009 (3 months ago)
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Officer Brandon Line, center, gets Tased by instructor Bill Joseph, in the background. Line is being held by Sergeant Ryan Kimmet, left, and Officer Kevin Klaus on the right. During training, volunteers need “holders” to ensure the individual being Tased does not fall too hard.The Delphos Police Department has recently acquired Tasers and related equipment. This purchase was made possible through the use on funds that had been donated to the Delphos Police Department. Beginning in June 2009, Chief Kyle Fittro began soliciting local and regional business leaders for donations with the hopes of purchasing Tasers. The department recently reached the level of money needed to order the equipment and start the program. No taxpayer money was spent on this program.
After extensive research, Fittro concluded that issuing Tasers to his officers would decrease the likelihood of injury to the officer and the suspect during a confrontation. The Taser has been proven safe and effective time and time again during real life encounters and controlled laboratory based studies. This device will also help reduce violent encounters between officers and individuals simply by its presence alone. The Taser is equipped with a laser sight and many individuals no longer desire a violent confrontation when they see the red dot on them. Its level of psychological deterrence has allowed officers across the country to avoid violent confrontations before they occur.
Over the years, Delphos officers have had many encounters with individuals who seem to desire violent confrontation. Some of these encounters have resulted in injuries to officers and suspects alike. Fittro hopes to reduce those numbers and allow the officer and suspect to get through the situation without injury to either party.
He also hopes to purchase more Tasers in the future. For now, officers will share Tasers. This is possible due to the battery utilized in the device. It is non-rechargeable and lasts for approximately a year with normal use. This means there is no down time. The first-shift officers can turn over the Tasers to the second-shift officers at shift change and so forth.
The department has also acquired a device that tracks the usage of each Taser. The device is very detailed and helps to protect the officers and the public. If there is ever any dispute over if an individual was Tased, how many times they were Tased, the department can track all of that data. In addition to the training and the data-tracking capabilities, comprehensive policy has been put in place to guide the officers on proper use of the device.
Training was completed on Saturday and the Tasers are now being utilized.