Police request buying tasers

02/21/2008

By:Meg Learson Grosso , Staff Writer

The Westport Police Department has plans to buy tasers, or guns that fire electrified darts which stun and immobilize a person.
The tasers come equipped with audio-video recording devices that work in low-light situations, show a time-line of what happened, and record how many shocks were given, according to Police Chief Al Fiore, who spoke to the Board of Finance at their February meeting.
The chief said the cost of buying 15 tasers is $24,000 and the money won't come from Westport taxpayers' pockets, but from asset forfeiture funds. The finance board voted unanimously to allow the purchase, but not before they had heard a lot more and asked a few questions.
Fiore said tasers only temporarily incapacitate a person. "They come back in a short time," he said, adding that tasers would be a safety measure for police officers. He related a situation that happened in 2001, when a Westport police officer stopped a car and the man was distraught.
"The 45-year-old officer had no choice but to wrestle him to the ground. It was his last day of work," said Fiore, adding, "A device like this could have made a big difference."
"We have not rushed into this," said Fiore, adding that his department has been thinking about this purchase for years, that the weapons would probably be used about three times a year, and that "Westport is not immune to violent crime," citing recent bank robberies as one example.
Fiore added that the surrounding towns have been using tasers for years and were satisfied with them.
Fairfield has 30 tasers and Bridgeport has 200 of them, Westport police said.
Westport Police Sgt. Foti Koskinas said he has been an officer for 12 years and a sergeant for the last two and has been involved in three live-fire shootings in that time. He said he had been involved with Norwalk police in a situation where a man had gotten ahold of an officer's gun and there were six children under the age of six in the room. The Norwalk officer fired a taser, successfully ending the crisis. "That made me a believer. That's why I pushed these," said Koskinas.
"We could get more if we didn't get the camera," Koskinas said, but he pointed out that he thought the camera was a good idea and said it activated when the officer took the safety off the taser.
Board member Kenneth Wirfel said that he had defended New York City police officers and FBI agents who were brought up on disciplinary hearings for the inappropriate firing of their regular guns. He asked what type of training the officers would have.
"The company trains two people as trainers and then we, in turn, train the others," said Fiore.
"We have people on our staff certified by the Connecticut Police Academy as trainers. It's not just someone who has an interest in this and says, 'Gee, I'd like to do that,' " said Fiore. He added that the police retrain on use of weapons four times a year, on handcuffing every three years and on the use of batons, "on a regular basis."
Asked about deaths that have occurred on people who have been tasered, Fiore said that it was ultimately found that the deceased had large amounts of drugs, usually cocaine, in their bodies.
Board member Avi Kaner said he would like to see more cameras in patrol cars and thought that might be more useful because it would show what was happening ahead of the use of force. Fiore said that in a perfect world, that would help, but many times an incident didn't occur in front of a patrol car. Frequently, incidents happen in homes or bars, he noted.
Finance board member Helen Garten asked what the asset forfeiture funds could legally be used for and Fiore said it had to be something "over and above" what the town normally provided for the police operating budget. He gave two examples.
One time police used money for the upgrading of all the guns in the department and another time, money had been used for the Drug Abuse Resistance Program. Fiore added that there was almost $120,000 in the account.
Fiore explained that the asset forfeiture funds come from assets that the federal government has sold after they have been seized in drug busts. When a local police force has helped out, the government shares some of the money with them.
Board member Charlie Haberstroh asked if there would be a department policy for the use of tasers and Fiore said that there was a policy put out by the police chiefs of Connecticut, which Westport police would "tailor a little more," making it "even a little more restrictive - not more liberal," he said.
"We will have it in place before the weapons even come in the building," Fiore said.
Finance board member Edward Iannone asked how long the weapons would last and Kokinas said they had a five- year warranty, which covered maintenance.
Board member Jeffrey Mayer asked if there was any disagreement in the department about the new purchase.
"No. Some have witnessed this first-hand and seen how effective they are," said Fiore.
First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said, "I'm fully supportive of the request."
Joseloff added, "As Sgt. Koskinas pointed out, in the past few months, we've had at least three car chases in Westport, two ending in residential streets - one where he got out and attempted to flee."
Joseoff said that if the person being chased had gone into a home, or if there had been a situation such as happened in Cheshire, the police would have to decide whether to use force. A taser could then provide a chance to keep officers safer.
"Having a middle ground strikes me as protecting not only the officer, but also the innocent public," Mayer had said a few minutes earlier.
Last night the RTM public protection committee was to meet in the police classroom to discuss the matter further.