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asers

Scripps Howard News Service illustration

Sgt. Steve Hadley of the Glendale, Ariz., Police Department
and an actor demonstrate the use of a M26 stun gun. White
lines have been added to show the path of electric current

to two points on the assailant's body. The 50,000 volts
Immobilizes muscles, causing the assailant to collapse for
15 minutes.

Other carriers reinforce doors
By RICHARD POWELSON
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

US Airways Express and Mesa Air-

Of all the airline .security upgrades under way, me plauned by

lines. l\Ieanwhile, major air carriers report they are almos! fintshed streogibeaing their cockpit
doors against the kind of intrusioos
that occurred Sept. 11. United,
Northwest and Continental said
they recently fmished adding either
removable bars across cockpit
doors or dead-bolt locks
By early November, American,
TWA, America West and US Airways expect ro complete their
cockpit-door upgrades, they said.
Southwest Airlines will finish the
job within two days, spokeswoman
Linda Rutherford said. Deita and
Frontier airlines said that all cockpit doors will be more secure by
mid-to late November.
Please tum ro TASER, page E3

some regional air carriers would
give hijackers the biggest jolt.
Mesa Air said it plans.ro train its
pilots ro use stun guns, which can
send 50,000 volts inro an assailant
from up ro 15 feet away, and have
me in the cockpit ready ro use III
every flight. The stun guns, also
called tasers, can immobilize someme for 15 minutes but reportedly
cause no permanent damage.
·We thought this was a way ro
make customers feel more secure
m our flights,· Mesa Air spokeswoHadley uses laser sight on an Advanced Taser, made by
Taser International of Scollsdale, Ariz.

names of America West Express,

man Benet Wilson said. Mesa Air,
which also is reinforcing its cockpit
doors ro keep oot assailants, operates in several regioos under the

This stun
gun,called
the
Advanced
Taser, or
M26, is
made by
Taser
International
of
Scottsdale,
Ariz.

Scripps Howard News Service

From page E2

door reinforcement program and
the speed with which we have deployed it is a testament" to the employees and tbeir unioos, United executive Andy Studdert said

Mesa Air's stun-gon plan faces
an obstacle, but' ooe the company
hQPes to overcome.
."Federal reguIatioos prohibit the
use of any deadly or dangerous
weapons 00 flights," and the latier
category woold include stun guns,
said Paul Takemoto of the Federal.
In the next 90 days, Mesa Air will
"The effectiveness of the cockpit choose where to buy its stun guns

United and Northwest praised
their employees for quick security
work 00 cockpit doors to reassure
both flight crews and customers.
United, with 611 aircraft, put security bars 00 all of them "in just over
two weeks" after the design was selected.

and plan tbe training program,
spokeswoman Wilsoo said. It also
plans to ask the FAA for a waiver
of the rule or await passage of the
aviatioo security bill pending in
Coogress, which has a provisioo allowing non-lethal weapons like stun
guns to be used hy cockpit crews,
she said.
"We need to do everything we
can to regain the confidence of our
passengers," such as adding stun
guns for cockpit security, said Mesa
Chairman Jonathan Ornstein
Richard Powelson can be reached

at