Council approves taser use

By Diane Chiddister

At their April 21 meeting, members of Village Council approved the use of tasers for the Yellow Springs Police Department. The vote came after a discussion on the complexity of the taser issue, and the appropriate role that Village Council, and the community, should play in guiding police department policy.

Council approved the new policy 4–1, with Lori Askeland, John Booth, Katherine Van der Heiden and Karen Wintrow voting for the motion, and Council President Judith Hempfling voting against the motion. Hempfling said that she opposed approving taser use at this time because there had not been sufficient community input on what seemed to her a significant policy change.

In voting for the use of tasers, which was recommended by Police Chief John Grote, Wintrow stated that Grote had done a thoughtful and comprehensive job researching the issue and presenting his rationale, and that she felt uncomfortable with Council “dictating police policy.”

In response, Hempfling stated that, in a civilian society, “the civilian government oversees the police and military. That’s part of our role.”

The Council discussion followed Grote’s presentation on the use of tasers, which are “stun guns” that deliver an electric shock. The change in policy was sparked by a January incident in which a Yellow Springs police officer shot a young local man in the leg when the man charged the officer with a fire poker. That response was appropriate, Grote said, but caused not only physical injury to the young man but emotional trauma to the officer involved. Had the taser option been available at that time, the officer would have had a less lethal alternative to use, Grote said.

“Tasers are a tool that hopefully stops bad situations from getting worse,” he said.

Initially, he had opposed tasers, Grote said, because of the number of deaths of those who have been tased. But after researching those cases, and discussions with prosecutors and other police departments, he concluded that the deaths resulted from the inappropriate use of tasers. In contrast, the Yellow Springs department would have clear policy restricting their use, Grote said.

“I feel the key is a good, well-written policy,” he said. “Tasers must only be used in a true threat to human life or an officer’s life.”

The Yellow Springs Human Relations Commission also supports the use of tasers, according to HRC member Joan Chappelle, because tasers are “an in-between step that is less dangerous for all concerned.”

Also speaking in favor of taser use was Officer Tim Knoth, who was the policeman involved in the January shooting.

As the officer who is usually the only person working the night shift, Knoth said, “I’m the one out there by myself at night. It’s fine for the community to discuss this, but I’m the one who needs it.”

Council members had received in their packets several articles and a statement from Amnesty International submitted by local attorney Ellis Jacobs, who asked Council to research the issue thoroughly and involve the community further before making a decision. The Amnesty International article stated that that organization, which researched 291 deaths from tasered individuals, “is calling on all governments and law enforcement agencies to either cease using Tasers and similar devices pending the results of comprehensive, independent studies into their use and effects, or limit their use to situations where officers would otherwise be justified in resorting to deathly force, where no lesser alternatives are available.”

While Hempfling urged Council members to postpone their decision until hearing from Jacobs, who could not be present at the meeting, Wintrow said she felt his concerns had been addressed by Grote. Wintrow also stated that community members could have attended the April 21 meeting if they were concerned about the issue, and none did.

Grote said that he would write the department’s policy regarding taser use using other department’s policies as guidelines, and that veteran Officer Tom Jones would be sent for training, and would then train the other members of the department in taser use.

The tasers have already been purchased for the department, Grote said, at a cost of $4,000, not the $15,000 which had previously been reported in the News. The latter figure had been cited because it was listed as the amount for tasers in the 2008 Village budget, but the $15,000 expenditure included other items besides tasers, Grote said.

Contact: dchiddister@ysnews.com