Denver, CO

POST

AUG

23, 2001

Santa Fe seeks to purchase 'tasers' for '21st century' policing
ny The AsgQ~lated

Press

SANTA FE ~ Zap, you're caught.
The'Santa ,.Fe Polici!Depa~tment
wants to buynonlethlll weapons, Ad·
vanced Tas,er M·26s,'which Chief John
Denko said would "bring us up into the
21st century."
The device looks like a cross between
a handgun and a child's toy, but it's ca·
pable of propelling two wire-b~cked
probes packing~O,OOO volts across a
roofll ...... enoughpunch to ensure a "500·
poundgoriUa will g()Jike a little baby,"
Denkosaid.
Lt. Robert Romero,thed~parbnent's
SWAT commander, sUbjllctedh!m~lf to
a demonstration Tuesday as he explained the, weapon to the city's Public
Safety Committee.
A sharp pop of compressed nitrogen,
about as loud as a pellet glln, sent two
barb-tipped probes into Romero's back.
His muscles locked up, and he yelped
and would have collapsed if two other

,
,

torney Henry Valdez both submitted to
shocks from the device before voting
with fellow committee members to recommend the City Council look for monA SOO-pound gorilla will go like a little
ey to buy taserS for every officer on the
force.
baby.
Each Advanced Taser M-26 costs
about $399, Romero said. Single-use
cartridges containing the nitrogen propellant, wires and barb·tipped probes
Santa Fe Police Chief John Denko
cost about $20 each.
Denko said Santa Fe has about 140
officers hadn't held him.
tug the barbs free later.
officers.
But seconds after the jolt of electrici·
The device delivers enough electriciRomero and Denko told commission
ty ended, Romero continued lecturing ty to cause uncontrollable musde conon the merits of the M-26, apparently tractions ,and drop a full-grown mlln, members the costs of outfitting the en·
unaffected except for two 21-foot-\on8 but it's safe enough not to disrupt heart tire department with the Advanced Taswires trailing from the probes embed· rhythms or pacemakers, Romero, said. er M-26s would be less than a settleded in his back.
Dropping a troublemaker, to'the ment the city would have to pay if it
"It's like being stung by a bee," said ground could keep a situation from es- lost even one wrongfUl-shooting lawsuit
Romero, whO told committe!! members calatinginto one in which.'ilpolice offi- involVing a g'lR: .
the only other effects were slightly sore cer has to use a firearm,fie said.
Officers woiIld continue to carrY guns
muscles and a tingling sensation. His
PUblic. Safety.,Committe,evice. chair~ as weU,.because some situations. c"U fl>l'
fellow officers had to use small pliers to man Michael Trujillo and District At- the use of deadly force, Romerostld.