Olympia, WA
OLYMPIAN
Olympia
M.t Ar..

D38,698

Frld.y

OCT

19, 2001

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CLIPPINGS

Sheriff's office
to outfit force
with 60 tasers
Hansen, who took a shot from
a taser as part of training.
THE OLYMPIAN
After being hit, "You reTHURSTON COUNTY main with a sensation simi- They deliver something lar to having your foot go to
that feels like a swift punch, sleep," Hansen said.
Tumwater police Chief
leaving a person breathless
and unable to move for a few Mike Vandiver describes it
minutes, but they're less as a "really strange feeling.
painful than pepper spray and It's like someone hitting you
really hard. It disrupts your
far less lethal than a bullet.
They're lasers, and the ability to move. Thurston County Sheriff's
"It's definitely an uncomfortable feeling.
Office will buy 60
You know when
of them with the
'Tllis would
you've been hit."
help of a $50,000
Tumv.'ater oflaw enforcement allow us to equip
ficers
were
grant.
our
officers
with
"This would alequipped with
low us to equip less deadly force. tasers in fall 2000,
and also took
our officers with
less deadly force. Ifs vel)' effective, taser hits as part
of their training
It's very effective,
has no long.
"so officers know
has no long-lasting effect, but it is
lasting effec~ what it feels like,"
Vandiver said.
very incapacitatbutitisvery
Vandiver is
ing," said Ray
Hansen,
chief incapacitating." aware of a taser
being used by
criminal deputy
- Ray Hansen, , Tumwater offifor the sheriff's ofchief criminal
cers only once,
fice.
deputy for the
and that was
Hansen prewhen a drunken
sheriff's office
sented the plan
driver became vifor using the
olent after being
grant to Thurston
County Commissioners. The stopped.
"It's most definitely a
majority of the grant $36,000 - will be used on good tool to have," he said.
Among other items to be
the tasers.
"We thought this (grant) purchased with the law enwas about the only source forcement grant are:
• Two pinhole surveilwe could go to for these,"_
lance cameras, mainly used
Hansen said.
"It's becoming more com- when fraud is suspected at a
mon where deputies are hav- business.
• An upgrade of phone
ing to deal with physical confrontations with people," he lines at Rochester High and
Rochester Middle schools,
said.
Tasers give officers a tool to where sheriff radio transmisuse with violent, combative sions are often poor or don't
suspects - often people who work at all. The phone lines
have mental illness problems will work with an upgrade in
or are on drugs - other than communications hardware.
• A nlght·vision monocpepper spray, batons or guns.
A taser is a small plastic ular for the SWAT team.
• A computer for use
device that shoots two met~
al prongs on wires for up to with·phone lines into the jail.
21 feet. The prongs deliver a Phone lines are legally monfive-second electrical charge itored. and inmates are
that stuns a suspect, render- warned of the monitoring,
ing his or her muscles use- but inmates frequently call
from the jail to make threats,
less for about five minutes.
"You don't have a pain sen- Hansen said. This is particsation. You have an immobi- ularly common in domestic
lization sensation," said violence situations.
BY LORRINE THOMPSON