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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Philly cops buy 1,000 Tasers

UPDATED with cost data and police comment: 

Taser International, Scottsdale, Ariz., says the Philadelphia Police Department last month agreed to buy 1,000 of its Advanced Taser X26 Electronic Control Devices for overcoming unruly people, including the mentally ill, without hurting them. The X26, pictured here, "can penetrate up to two cumulative inches of clothing,"  according to Taser. "Philadelphia now has 1,200 X26 units," plus over 100 larger, older M26s, Taser spokesman Steve Tuttle told me.

The Tasers cost $790 each, plus a $40 holster and $20 worth of cartridges, for a total cost of around $850,000, plus training. Federal taxpayers paid for the Tasers, through last year's economic stimulus grants, Lt. Francis Healy, attorney and special adviser to city Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, told me.

My colleague Jennifer Lin noted in this story last November that the department "had gotten grants to buy 1,000 more nonlethal Taser guns [that would] be issued first to crisis-training graduates assigned to Center City, the area with the most street homeless, many of them with mental illness." Authorities are trying to reduce deadly police shootings of mentally ill Philadelphians who fail to obey orders to stop.

"Only officers with this additional training will be issued these Tasers," Lt. Healy told me. Philadelphia has trained 500 officers at the Police Academy in Northeast Philadelphia in proper Taser use as part of the Crisis Intervention Team program, and hopes to voluntarily train more than 1,000 of the 4,000 officers who patrol the city.

"Mental health consumers - that's what we call them, 'consumers' - are the people who are usually in crisis," Healy added. "The goal here is to keep both the consumers and the police officers safe. My own personal opinion, they'd rather be Tased than shot."

How's he figure that? Healy said he, like many of the officers in the program, has been voluntarily Tased, so if they're ever accidentally shocked in the field, "they'll know it's not the end of the world. We recommend it, but it's strictly voluntary."
Posted by Joseph N. DiStefano @ 10:36 AM  Permalink | 7 comments
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:30 PM, 01/06/2010
    The philadelphia police force is a living walking talking joke. I got stuck up a gunpoint by a 18-19yr old on 42nd and chestnut last yr. He told me to "gimme wat you got" so I dropped my money on the ground and as he went to pick up the 9 ones i dropped, i punched him in the back of the head and ran. After calling 911 and getting no help i walked to the police station 2 blocks away to seek assitance and let them know where the assaliant was located b/c I saw him walk back to a parked car and stay in it. I walked in intoxicated and the police decided it was more important to determine if i was of age(i am) to drink vs. arrest a teenager with a gun 2 blocks away in a parked car. Furhtermore i asked the cops for a ride a few blocks away b/c i wondered if the robber would try to get me after i left the station b/c i told i was gonna call the cops. The police refused to give me a ride and I asked them if I show up on the news shot 2 blocks outside of your station you guys gonna own up to the fact that you rejected my plea for help? No you wouldnt, instead you'll be hanging out at 711s and WaWas drinking free coffee and donuts....lazy bums
    — DJ-Kid #10
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:44 PM, 01/06/2010
    I want a Taser! Why are Tasers outlawed in the City? I would prefer to carry a Taser over a gun.
    — phillycookie
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:25 PM, 01/07/2010
    DJ-Kid #10, you write as if you are still intoxicated. If you were visibly drunk, how do you know what really happened? You were probably too "high" to know what was going on. Was the robber wearing a pink bunny costume?
    — KoineMaster


7 comments
About Joseph N. DiStefano
Joseph N. DiStefano writes this blog to feed his PhillyDeals column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Joe has been a member of Bloomberg LP’s New York Finance Team, wrote the book “Comcasted,” taught writing at St. Joseph’s University, and studied economics and history at Penn. Reach Joe at 215-854-5194 and JoeD@phillynews.com
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