Tasers for Every Dallas Patrol Officer

Every Dallas Police Department patrol officer will be equipped with a Taser after a purchase approved Wednesday by the Dallas City Council.

A total of 2,250 new Taser models will replace the 700 older Tasers the department has been rotating among officers.

“We want to be able to save lives,” said Dallas Police Chief David Brown. “Deadly force is a last resort use of force. It should be only to protect your life or the life of another and Taser can mitigate our deadly force uses.”

Fourteen people have been killed in Dallas officer-involved shooting incidents this year.

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Most of the $3,788,796 purchase will be made with criminals’ money seized by Dallas police.

Approval was unanimous after city council members raised questions about the size of the purchase and the department’s current restrictions on Taser use.

“I want us to make sure we have all the options in our toolbox to use, but if it’s used fewer times, then I’m wondering if we have to spend so much,” Councilman Dwaine Caraway said.

Chief Brown said the new models will be safer than the old ones, so use will be less restricted.

But there are still some safety concerns for use on people with existing medical issues.

So training will also include efforts to determine whether a suspect has medical problems that could make use of a Taser on that person dangerous.

Brown also said other cities are having legal problems for over use of Tasers.

“So we have to find balance,” Brown said.

The new Tasers will be put in service over the next few months.