Many police departments are turning to Tasers as a “less-lethal” force option.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office is currently in the midst of training officers to carry Tasers.
Kevin Hickey, chief deputy of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, said there had been a pilot program going on for about 18 months, which allowed supervisors and certain trained officers to carry Tasers to evaluate their effectiveness.

“We’ve deemed the 18-month trial period a success,” Hickey said, adding that during the 18 months, there were a few occasions where officers would have used lethal force if they did not have the Tasers.

“This subsequently saved the life of these violent offenders,” Hickey said. “In addition, we feel confident that other incidents would have resulted in injury to our officers.”

As a result, all officers will begin carrying Tasers as of June 1.

Sycamore Police Department, 535 DeKalb Ave., is one department that has used Tasers for a number of years now, said Lt. Darrell Johnson.

The department requires extensive training and a certification program for officers to be Taser-equipped. During the training, a majority of officers are required, or at least encouraged, to be tased themselves.

“I’ve been tased and I think it’s one of the safest things to use,” Johnson said.

A majority of departments require officers to carry at least one “less-lethal” device while on duty. Other devices in this category are chemical sprays and batons.

“Tasers will most likely replace chemical spray in time,” Hickey said.

Unlike chemical sprays, which can affect everyone in the vicinity, there is no aftereffect of tasing.

“When you deploy it, it goes for 5 seconds and turns itself off,” Johnson said. “The idea is to get control of the individual before reusing the Taser.”

Despite the budgetary expense, Hickey believes it will be counteracted with fewer injuries.

“It’s all about the safety of street officers and citizens they serve,” Hickey said.

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