Police in NY town to start carrying Tasers

The Town of Evans will start equipping its police officers with Tasers.

Evans officers still need to be certified in how to use a Taser — which stuns a person momentarily with an electric shock — so it may not be until the end of September by the time they actually wear them, along with their side arm, said Police Chief Ernest P. Masullo.

We do have pepper spray," Masullo said, "but this is just another nonlethal tool to calm situations down."

Several local police departments routinely use Tasers and rave about their effectiveness in shocking combative suspects without seriously injuring them.

Evans has considered using Tasers for a couple of years now, Masullo said, particularly after officers have been injured during altercations. Over the last three years, for example, one officer injured a knee, one broke an ankle and another suffered a back injury while trying to subdue suspects, Masullo said.

The Town Board last week authorized spending up to $6,500 to purchase the Tasers. The Police Department will buy at least five Tasers — which cost about $1,000 a piece — one for each of the five officers per shift.

Masullo added, "We're finding that once the word gets out that we're carrying them, the aggressiveness of the people we deal with tends to diminish."

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