Attorney General Paula Dow today will announce new rules on stun guns that significantly loosen restrictions on how many police officers can use them and when they can be deployed. The revised policy, obtained by The Star-Ledger Wednesday, acknowledges the concerns of some police officials who said the original rules adopted less than a year ago were too restrictive.
“In some instances, the original policy would have prohibited the use of a conducted energy device” — meaning a stun gun that fires electrified darts — “even though an officer would be allowed to use deadly force,” says the revised policy, which takes effect today.
Under the new rules, police are allowed to stun anyone threatening death or serious injury. The old rules restricted the use of electric shocks to armed, emotionally disturbed people. In addition, police will now be able to stun handcuffed or fleeing suspects in limited situations. Police will still be prohibited from using a stun gun to force a suspect to comply with orders.
Perhaps most significantly, police departments will be able to allow any officer who completes required training to use stun guns. Up until now only SWAT team members and supervisors were allowed to use the weapons. The number of supervisors in each department authorized to use stun guns was also limited by the population of the town, with a maximum of four per department.
Stun guns, commonly called Tasers after the weapon’s leading manufacturer, have become widespread and controversial in recent years. New Jersey became the last state in the country to allow police to use stun guns last November. Read more in Star Ledger.
About time
stun guns are dangerous and inoccent people have gotten hurt by them
the only way inocent people get hurt by these are if the touch the wire after it has been deployed. If your inocent than you should not be hit by these. It sure works better than the liability of shooting someone or injuring officers and paying them to be out of work from an injury
Why is it that New Jersey is the last state in the country that allowed police to use stun guns? And as soon as NJ cops get the authority to use the devices, everyone starts an uproar about how people will get hurt and how cops abuse their power? I would think that people would be happy that police can carry tasers, because now they will only experience an electric shock instead of a possible bullet…
Whatever, #1&3 the nj rules r perfect now. If a cop needs to zap unruly ppl well thats not much of a cop. Cops do just fine rite now with what theydo with unruly ppl. Who are coherent but just stupid. Mace does just fine for cops. Bit if the laws r changed which everyone knowd they will civilians should be allowed to carry zappers too.