The recent news on tasers may have suspects thinking twice when confronting police officers armed with the device.
Owen Sound Police Chief Tom Kaye delivered a Use of Force Report for 2008 at Wednesday’s Police Services Board meeting.
Kaye noted in the report that there were 18 incidences where officers had to draw weapons when responding to a call.
He says half of those incidences involved police drawing their tasers.
He says out of the 9, 7 were only taken out of the holster and shown but were not deployed.
He says 1 incident required deployment in apprehending the suspect without injury and in another incident the metal barbs did not make contact with the suspect and was not deployed.
Kaye believes there is a psychological effect of tasers where the suspect does not want to be tasered once it is drawn.
He says police were able to take suspects into custody without further incident.
Kaye — who also serves as Vice-President of the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs — has been in the news defending the use of tasers by police forces across Canada.
He says the report on taser use by the Owen Sound Police Services shows that there is a role for these devices by officers.
He says the report is an example that tasers reduce the number of injuries and save lives.
Kaye also noted in the report that officers had to draw their handguns 6 times, firing their weapon on 3 occasions at rabid animals.
He says on 2 occasions officers arrested the suspects without incident and 1 had to fire their gun at an oncoming vehicle that was being stolen.