Sheriff's deputies now armed with stun guns

Office spent $35,000 for 43 of the non-lethal weapons

Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies are now packing double heat after the County Board approved a $35,000 purchase for 43 stun guns for the department.

Electro muscular disruption systems -- or Tasers as they are commonly known -- were approved earlier this year for all deputies. While some deputies had been carrying stun guns, County Administrator Barry Burton said the latest purchase will allow every officer to carry the non-lethal weapon.

The Sheriff's Department has acquired 43 new Taser guns for its deputies.

In 2001, about 1,000 of the nation's 18,000 police agencies were using Tasers.
By 2005, more than 7,000 police departments in the United States were using them.

A government study estimates that police have deployed Tasers more than 70,000 times as of 2005.

Amnesty International said it has logged at least 156 deaths across the country in the previous five years related to police stun guns.

Source: The Associated Press
Tasers are stun guns that shoot barbs into the skin which incapacitate muscle functions with 50,000 volts.

The board approved a no-bid contract with Danville-based Ray O'Herron Co. as the "sole authorized police distributor." Because the gun's model is not available from any other source, the purchase was approved by the county's Sole Source Committee, Burton said.

The Sole Source Committee is a committee of non-elected representatives from various county departments, including the State's Attorney's Office and Finance Department, that reviews no-bid purchases to ensure compliance with state purchasing laws governing public bodies.

Tasers have been used by deputies in the past, but have only recently begun being used department-wide, said Deputy Tom Rovetuso, of the Sheriff's Office training division.

The Sheriff' Office considers them to be a safer alternative to using a baton or wrestling with a subject, because it keeps deputies out of harm's way, Rovetuso said.

Taser use is seen as a non-lethal use of force, but there is no concrete regulation in place as to when deputies should use them.

All deputies have been trained to use the weapon when they find it necessary, Rovetuso said. They've each been Tasered as well, to give them a better understanding of what the weapon does to muscles.

No deputy has discharged his or her weapon since they began issuing them in mid-January.

The Sheriff's Office previously used Tasers, but discontinued their use about two years ago after the weapon's manufacture faced legal battles over whether the stun gun was deadly, Rovetuso said.

Although they are not intended to inflict lethal injury, "less-lethal" or "compliance" weapons do sometimes kill people. Amnesty International has documented more than 150 deaths that occurred after the use of electroshock guns.

As different parts of the body differ in vulnerability, and because people vary in weight and fitness, any weapon powerful enough to incapacitate is likely to be capable of killing under certain circumstances.