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Fall 2005

Use of lASERs decreases injuries
By Laura Carr

When Cincinnati Police Chief
Thomas Streicher and former Cincinnati
City Manager Valerie Lenunie approved
the purchase of TASERs™ it was with
the safety of both Cincinnati's police officers and the public in mind. According
to the Cincinnati Police Department
(CPD), TASERs have reduced the need
for police officers to have physical,
potentially violent, encounters with
resistive suspects.
The CPD began using TASERs X26
in 2004. Since then, TASERs have been
deployed 1,041 limes (through September
2005) to subdue suspects thereby lessening injuries to officers or those they seek
to apprehend. The TASER is one more
tool police officers can tum to if it
becomes necessary to use force.

Effective, less intrusive
au the mere threat of having a
TASER used is enough to stop a crime,
then I'm happy with that outcome," says
Chief Streicher. aNo police officer ever
starts a workday with the intention of
hurting someone," he states. "The TASER
provides our officers with the least intrusive, safest and most effective method of
subduing a combative suspect."
Chief Streicher knows what he is talking about. 'When the City of Cincinnati
was considering the purchase of TASERs,
Chief Streicher was an early volunteer to
experience the effects of a TASER.
"I wanted to know how the TASER
felt," he says. al wasn't going to have
police officers on the streets using TASERs
without the full knowledge of how they
work and the impact they have on the person. I am confident that TASERs offer a
quickly effective and relatively safe means
of stopping violent confrontations.
aTo date, our officers have used
TASERs to subdue more than 50 suspects
who were armed with deadly weapons."
The CPD's successful integration of
TASERs as a means to subdue a suspect
is replicated in 8,000 cities and 45 countries. The new technology has become
part of a growing trend in law enforcement. The equipment has a proven track
record of saving lives and reducing
injuries to officers and suspects.

Comparing the last 12
months before TASERs
were used with the first
12 months of their use,
injuries to police officers
are down 56%;
injuries to suspects
are down 35%.

The safest alternative
The word is clearly on the street
about TASERs. They hurt, but they do
not kill. In many cases police officers
can end a confrontation before it escalates into a more dangerous situation
for the police and the person(s) they
are trying to apprehend.
aWe are convinced TASERs are
the safest alternative in a use of force
situation and the statistics in cities
where TASERs are being used bear out
our findings. TASER use can save
lives when deadly use of
force may have been the only other
option," says Streicher.
The CPD closely monitors all
TASER deployments. There have been
no deaths directly related to their
usage, according to Executive Manager
S. Grego!}' Baker, CPD Police
Relations. Baker also serves as the
CPD Compliance Coordinator for the
U. S. Department of Justice
Memorandum of Agreement and
Collaborative Agreement.
Baker says, aUse of force, as a
whole, has declined since the deployment of TASERs. Physical harm to
prisoners and suspects was down 35
percent in the first full year of TASER
use, compared to the last full year
without TASERs. Physical harm to
officers was down 56 percent over the
same periods of time. TASERs have
created a different environment for
subd uing those engaged in criminal
activity. We have fewer injuries and
more cooperation from persons who

do not want a police officer to apply a
TASER," he adds.
The CPD's use of force statistics and
the City of Cincinnati's Independent
Monitor's review of use of force incidents
clearly demonstrate that TASERs have
substituted for other types of force, such as
physical force, impact weapons and chemical spray. Using a TASER can eliminate
the need for a police officer to close the distance behveen himself or herself and the
suspect. The Independent Monitor has
noted that TASERs are an alternative use
of force method along with de-escalating
the situation, verbal instructions or using
other arrest control techniques.

How TASERs work
The X-26 TASER is an electronic control device that is a non-lethal force alternative used to assist officers in the performance of their duties. The TASER is designed
to temporarily immobilize a non-compliant,
violent or potentially violent person.
Each TASER has an internal tracking chip. The chip stores the time and
date the trigger was engaged. Not considered a firearm, it uses compressed
nitrogen to launch two tiny barbs or
probes attached to two 21-foot wires.
When these probes make contact with an
assailant or his or her clothing, the
TASER sends powerful electronic pulses
through the wires, which instantly
incapacitates the assailant for five seconds
without causing any permanent injury.
Since TASERs inunediately inunobilize a
person, minor injuries could result, particularly from a fall to the ground.

Volts versus Amperage
The TASER uses a simple high-energy, "shaped" pulse of 50,000 volts to penetrate a subject's clothing and skin. In
comparison, a static charge from walking
on carpet and touching another person
produces an average of 35,000 volts.
Amperage (amps), not voltage, is
what produces serious physical harm.
Contact with a conunon household wall
outlet produces 15 to 30 amps. The
TASER produces 0.0021 of one amp.

Circirmu Polt" DelErtmmt

~rt

10 The Community

Officer Injuries from
arrests/assaults
February 2003 to January 2004 = 72
February 2004 to January 2005 = 32
_
Decrease in injuries = 56'(0

.

Prisoner/Suspect Injuries
February 2003 to January 2004 = 318
February 2004 to January 2005 = 207
Decrease in injuries = 35%

Note: FEbruary 2003 to January 2CD4 was the last full year before the use ofTASERs
February 2004 to January 2005 was the first full year after the use of TASERs

Recent case
A recffit CPD case where a TASER
was used involved an extreIn2ly elTDtional hostage situation. A ITIill1 was
holding his forIn2r girlfriend hostage in
her hOIn2 and threatening her with physicalharm Police SWAT tmmsarrived to
negotiate for the woman's release.
In an increasingly tense situation
officers atterrpted to use beanbag shots
to sulxlue the man who was wielding a
knife. After repeated rounds, SWAT
officers deckled to use a TASER in an
atterrpt to get the woman out of harm's
way and to safety. The deployment of
the TASER worked imrrEdiately.
"Before we had TASERs, and given
the death threat to the hostage, this situation could have necessitated a police

officer having to shoot the man to free
the WOITlill1 being hekl against her will,"
says Baker. "In this case and manyothers, we have had more positive outcomes and fewer serious injuries
because an officer has another way to
diffuse a highly dangerous situation."
Acmrding to Captain Howard
Rahtz, CPD Training Section
Commander, the entire 2((15 police
recruit class volunteered to experience a
TASER "It was the general consensus
alTDng our newest police officers. They
wanted to know first-hand what a
TASER barb felt like as well as how
quickly a TASER coukl immobilize
SOIn2Ol1e. The Police Chief, Public
Information Officer Lieutenant Kurt
Byrd and I, as well as many other police

officers, have volunteered to experience
the effects of a TASER for the saIn2 reasons," Rahtz concluded.

Most revolutionary in
35 years
"The TASER X26 is the only instrument to revolutionize an aspect ofpolicing in the past 35 years," says Streicher.
"The last piece of equipment to have a
similar effect on police operations was
the personally assigned portable radio
system which occurred in the late 1960s,
early 70s. We are seeing a significant
reduction in injuries to our officers and
to suspects. That is impressive and reaffirms what an irrportant difference
TASERs are making in our work." W

Two New Assistant Chiefs Appointed
T'M'> Cindnnati
Police captains 'Were
app=>inEd. Assistant
Chiefs by fonner
City I-Aanager
Valerie lenunie
mrlier this year.
"After an exhaustive SEflrch, a
diverse talmof
Assistmt Rlli::e Chllf
Cindnnatians found.
Michael Cureton
..mat many of us
alrrody knEw - that
the Cindnnati Police DEplrtlTfflt trainsand
d2vekps offiCErS as well as any policedEputITffIt in Arrerica," sad I-Aa.pOlarIE Lu1ffI.
Michael Cureton was sworn in a1 June
n.. H2had 1:JeEn serving as thecomrnander
of District 2. He graduaEd. from the Police
Acad21To/ in 1W6. Cureta1 rae through the
ranks and was prolTDEd. to captain in 1958.
In his new positicrl he holds the rank of lruffiant mbne! and is in charge of the
Resoun::e Bureau, which i1clud2s
EvidEru:E/Prcperty r-AanageITfflt, FinanCE
r-AanageITfflt and In~tbns.

Cureton hoklsa bachebrof arts in commmicaticrls fromXavEr lhiversity. He graduaEd. from thePoli::eExecutive lald2rship
College in 1999 and the FBI Naticnal
Academy Asscciaticn in 2O:Xl. He and his
wife, Jennifer, have five childrEn.
"B2i1g a p=>1ice officer rEpfE'Sffits the
ultirrue in service to tcday's occay," says
Cureton. "Weare ta02d. with incredhlechalmges that kffp our jcbs inleresting and
ffimurage our crrotivity as prcblem OC>1vers.
To 1:e sele:ted as a pEU02lTIa1<er isan hcnorabE and worthwhiE p=>sitbn, a roE £I >illrn
I feel. ffiOllTDUS pricE"
James \Vhalen 'Was S\\Um £I on
Sopterrter 7. He had 1:JeEn servi1gascomIITIl"'Ider of Dist:ri.:t 1. WhalEn 1:eyln his career
£11982 as a police offiEr £I the ~litan­
rude County Poli::e DEpartlTfflt (11iami,
Florida). In 1586 he joi1ed the CPD, rising
through the ranks 1I1ti1 he was prorrnEd. to
captain i12OJ1. He now hoBs the rank of
lieuffiant colcnel and is in charge of the
Investigflticrls Buram >illich incltrlesCEntral
ViceCa1trol and Criminal Investigaticrl.

WhalmhoBs
a bachebrof
scHlee degree £I
crimina1 justlE/law
ffiforcem2l1t from
the University of
Cincinnati and a
law degree from
the SJ.lrron P.
Chase College of
Assistant Poli::e Chllf
law at Northern
James Whalen
Kenrucky University.
He graduated from the FBI Naticnal
Academy in 1999 and in XD4 corrpEEd.
the Certified. law Enfol\ElTfflt Executive
OffiCEr course. He and his wife, ColleEn,
have four chiklren.
"Being a1eof the senbr mmrnanders
here is the ultimate mrrp1irrff1t and an exciting career challEnge. I have an outstanding
talmof skilled. professbna1s workng in the
InvestigatbnsBureauand I am honored to
be here," says Wham. W