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TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow today
cleared the way for police departments in
New Jersey to purchase and deploy stun guns
by announcing specific devices which have
been tested and found to meet the criteria
set forth in her revised policy governing
the use of stun guns. An approved training
program for police has been developed to
meet the requirements of the new policy.
Attorney
General Dow developed the new policy on
“conducted energy devices” in
consultation with the law enforcement community
because the pre-existing policy was found
to be too restrictive regarding the number
of officers who could carry the devices
and the circumstances in which they could
be used. The new policy gives police a practical
alternative to deadly force in appropriate
situations. The Attorney General’s
Office, in the interim, has worked with
academy directors and other experts to develop
and obtain approval from the Police Training
Commission for a training course. All officers
who will carry the devices must complete
the course, which includes instruction on
recognizing mental illness and dealing with
emotionally disturbed persons.
Since
Attorney General Dow announced the new policy,
the New Jersey State Police has researched
and tested the available conducted energy
devices to identify all models that meet
the rigorous criteria set forth in the policy.
The policy requires that approved devices
make a date- and time-stamped digital video
recording of every instance when the device
is discharged. All digital data and video
recordings captured by the device must be
safeguarded so that only supervisory personnel
can access them as part of a prompt and
thorough investigation of every discharge
of a stun gun.
“I
made it a priority to provide police officers
in New Jersey, for the first time, with
the realistic option of using stun guns
as an alternative to deadly force,”
said Attorney General Dow. “Today
I am announcing that these important tools
are now available for purchase by police
departments to help officers save lives.
We are also ready to roll out mandatory
training on how to use these devices responsibly
and effectively.”
The
Attorney General sent a letter to all county
prosecutors today directing them to notify
police departments that they are authorized
to buy and deploy these devices, which meet
the policy criteria:
-
Taser International Model X26
-
Taser International Model X2
If
new devices become available in the future
that meet the criteria, they can be submitted
for testing and possible addition to the
authorized list.
The
new policy continues to restrict use of
stun guns, for the most part, to situations
where an officer seeks to prevent a suspect
from causing death or serious bodily injury
to an officer, to another person, or to
himself or herself. Law enforcement officers
may not use them against a person who is
only offering passive resistance to commands.
At
the same time, the new policy eliminates
restrictions in the prior policy that, as
a practical matter, would frequently have
prevented officers from using stun guns
as an alternative to deadly force during
a swiftly unfolding crisis. The prior policy
was so restrictive that, in some instances,
it prohibited the use of a stun gun in situations
where an officer could use lethal force.
Additional
details of the new policy are outlined in
the Oct. 7, 2010 press release, which is
posted on the Attorney General’s website
at www.njpublicsafety.com
along with a copy of the policy itself.
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