Tasers: Cops Get Another Alternative To Deadly Force Published April 15, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Tanya Holditch 81 Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- Members of the 81st Security Forces Squadron are training on the use of Tasers, another alternative to deadly force as they patrol and protect the base and its people. Many military and civilian law-enforcement agencies use the Taser as a complimentary part of their non-lethal weapons program. Filling the gap Tasers fill a void when negotiation techniques fail and other non-lethal weapons offer no safety against the violent threats of a perpetrator, said Maj. Joseph Musacchia, 81st SFS commander. "The Taser is a great tool to protect our officers because it gives them a non-lethal way to subdue subjects who act aggressively or continue to resist arrest," said Major Musacchia. "This provides safety for our security forces personnel, while causing the least amount of physical harm or damage to our adversaries or suspects. When other methods fail "Pepper spray can get in the eyes of security forces members, as well as the perpetrators, when used indoors or in windy situations," said Major Musacchia. In addition, people on narcotics are often immune to the effects of pepper spray, he said. The use of a baton requires officers to be near a perpetrator, which can be dangerous if the suspect is armed or has intentions of harming the officer. The Taser can be used on perpetrators at 25 feet, he said. "You are freezing time for five seconds -- you can't do that with the pepper spray," the major said. "The five-second duty cycle incapacitation of the Taser subdues the suspect immediately, allowing security forces personnel to make the arrest safely." Training Security forces undergo an extensive training process to be qualified to carry a Taser. Training includes classroom instruction, Taser familiarization and voluntary exposure to a portion of the Taser's duty cycle, said Major Musacchia, who was the first person at Keesler to be tased. "I wanted to demonstrate its non-lethal capabilities, but also its effectiveness in neutralizing a threat," he said. "Those were the longest seconds of my life," said Senior Airman Derik Hoskins, 81st SFS, about being tased during training April 8. "It definitely made me think twice. I'd do whatever I could to avoid using the Taser, but at the same time it's really good to have it as a tool because of its capabilities." "You can't control anything. You tense up, you scream -- you can tell yourself and try your hardest not to scream, but you will scream," said Staff Sgt. Brian Nadler, 81st SFS unit scheduler and trainer, who was also tased for training purposes. "Effective training establishes officer credibility by giving him or her the knowledge and confidence to correctly and effectively employ the Taser," said Sal Hernandez, Air Force Security Forces Center non-lethal weapons branch chief. "Often, communication from the officer to the suspect, in terms of having this capability, will defuse a hostile situation." Accountability in place Multiple safety and accountability mechanisms are used with the Taser. Each time a Taser is fired, "confetti" containing a serial number corresponding to the cartridge is expelled and allows tracking back to the Taser unit and the individual to which the Taser is assigned. Each Taser also has a computer tracking capability, which captures the time and duration of discharge from each Taser system. "Each time a Taser is utilized, or any lethal or non-lethal device is used, a complete 'use of force' review is conducted to ensure the conduct of the security forces member and the actions taken were within the Air Force approved use of force continuum," Major Musacchia said. "The review ensures all uses of force are within Air Force Security Forces guidelines." Air Force approves use "Extensive testing in the Air Force and joint community, as well as Taser International use, has been completed," said Mr. Hernandez. "Approval for use in the Air Force by security forces has been granted." Taser International has tased more than 247,000 volunteers for training purposes and reports more than 325,000 field uses. Taser International reports that any injuries sustained are usually secondary in nature. The bottom line for obtaining Tasers, said Major Musacchia, is safety: for the officers, the base populace and even the perpetrators.