Seabrook police officers to sport new Taser guns

SEABROOK – By next week police in Seabrook will have another tool on their utility belts to help them do their jobs.

At least seven officers will be carrying Tasers, the latest non-lethal weapon developed for law enforcement officers to use to bring to an end potentially dangerous situations.

"We've been watching other departments' use of them for quite some time," said Seabrook police Chief David Currier. He said his biggest concern was that the weapon would be safe for use on the public. Currier said he learned that the Taser is safe to use even on someone with a pacemaker."The Taser shoots high wattage but low amperage charges of electricity into a person, rendering them completely helpless for about five seconds" so police can get them handcuffed without a fight, Currier said.

Many surrounding towns, including Hampton, Portsmouth, Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts carry Tasers. Currier said as of last June more than 60 departments across the state carried Tasers.

Currier said if his department had the Tasers he might not have lost two officers to on-the-job injuries in recent years. One officer has been out for more than a year after he was injured fighting to take a suspect into custody. The second officer was out for several months due to a knee injury he suffered in a separate but similar incident.

Tasers can increase safety of not only officers, but suspects, Currier said. He cited a New Years Day incident in town in which a suicidal person was barricaded in his home and was threatening to harm himself with a knife.

Police tried to talk the man out of harming himself, but did not get too close lest they be forced to use deadly force on the person. Instead they waited until a Hampton officer arrived armed with a Taser, which was used to safely bring the man into custody and get him to the hospital.

In the past, police who had to fight with suspects would resort to using their nightsticks to get an edge on angry suspects. That resulted in numerous injuries to officers and suspects along with opening doors to potential lawsuits, Currier said. Currier said he sent two of his officers to the training school provided to police by the company, Taser International. "As part of the training in the proper use of the guns, they were shot by the guns to see how it affects a person," Currier said.

Currier said much of the funding for the purchase of the $700-plus guns has come from the Seabrook Greyhound Racing Park, owners of which have purchased six. Another person associated with the park picked up the tab for a seventh, all of which Currier believes will be put into the field next week. Since attending the school, two training officers have trained six of the department's 17 patrolmen.

By RICK DUMONT
Union Leader Correspondent