Our sheriff just spent a bunch of $$$ on Tasers but...

[Patriot]

Have we considered all the possible unintended consequences?  Did we also buy really good training?

Diabetic Cleburne Teen Hit With Taser After Crash
October 24, 2012 10:48 PM
CBS  - Dallas/Ft Worth

CLEBURNE (CBSDFW.COM) – A Cleburne teenager was hit with a Taser by police while he was having a medical emergency, and the incident was caught on tape.

It now means police in the city of Cleburne will be required to watch another video – a diabetes training video...

...Emergency crews arrive. The officer finds out what was wrong. "I didn't know he was freakin' diabetic!" the officer said.

"Instead of getting medical treatment, he was shot by a taser," Jerry Murad said.

Full article:  http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/10/24/diabetic-cleburne-teen-hit-with-taser-after-crash/

Sometimes the shiny new toys can be dangerous, and improperly trained users of these toys lack good judgment.

[Janet Harrington]

I don't know that I remember that we bought tasers or maybe I just overlooked that in the commissioners minutes. LOL

Anyway, I hope to shout that there was training for all the officers that will be carrying the tasers. However; no one will know unless they ask him that. I am sure that if there was training, there will be certificates in the files to be used in court just as they should have all been trained and that training updated every year on running those radar devices they use to get you for speeding.

For the radars, there has to be documented training that can be shown in court.

For the DUI's, there has to be documented training that can be shown in court.

For the tasers, there should be documented training and a written policy. Well, there should be written policy on all of the above. I would think the county's insurance company would insist on it.

[Patriot]

One would 'think' many things, Janet.  But I've found that a number of reasonable expectations (like adherence to simple KOMA requirements & healthy inter-agency cooperation) often go unfulfilled in Elk County government.  The tasers were purchased by the sheriff, out of his equipment funds so there was no commission action on the matter, even though Comm. Ritz did question the purchase. 

As for the published minutes which the paper admitted it edits & are sometimes inaccurately/incompletely reported by our county clerk... don't believe everything you read.