Miami, Fl
Herald
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Tuesday

FEB 27. 2001

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CLIPPINGS

Hollywood
tests
non-lethal
weapons
,
BY RODRIGO ALONSO

cables. The jolt immobilizes the

EI Nuevo Herald

subject and can last anywhere
from one second to five' s'ec-'

In an effort to use less force
in violent confrontations, Hol-

lywood police launched a pilot
program last month using nonlethal electronic weapons
instead of guns to subdue sus-

pects.
Already the department has
used it in six different situations, including one incident in
which an -officer's life was
threatened. police said.
The weapon, an M-26 Taser,
uses non-lethal electrical jolts

fired from a cartridge with two

onds. Nationwide, 395 police
agencies use the weapon, but
Hollywood police say they are
the first in South Florida to use
the M-26 Taser.
The dep'aitment's 60~day

gess knocked down a fugitive
who attempted to attack him
with a knife, said Negron.
Burgess and two other offi, eers went to a home 'on the
2200 block of North 40th Avenue'to serve felony warrants.
When. the officers tried to take
the suspect into custody, the

evaluation program began'Jan. ' man, who police did not iden-

17 with 15 pistols.
The weapon '''has demonstrated its efficiency and we
believe that 150 uniformed offi'cers" out of our 350,officer staff,
will use it," said police spokesman Carlos Negron.

, On Jan, 31, officer Larry Bur-

tify, pulled a kitchen knife. Burgess warned his partners by
yelling "knife", and fired his
M-26 Taser. The suspect
dropped his knife and was
arrested, Negron said;
i"
Hera}d staffwriter Julie Gal- '
lego contributed to this report. i