Deputies receiving Tasers

It's a scenario the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office wants to eliminate. A deputy is armed with just pepper spray and a gun when confronted by an intoxicated and agitated individual who is making threats.

Pepper spray isn't guaranteed to always work, especially with a person who is on drugs. And deputies try to avoid the use of deadly force.

Now, the sheriff's office believes it has found a solution to that type of problem: a Taser or stun gun — hand-held devices that deliver an electrical jolt strong enough to render someone momentarily helpless.

Although a Taser is not new, an updated version of the device was released in 2003. Now, the sheriff's office is pushing to arm all of its deputies with the non-lethal form of protection.

"I'm very glad that the sheriff's office has these now. It's giving deputies and the public a new protection," said Sheriff's Range Master Nick Roberts. "We've had a big push (to acquire Tasers) for quite awhile. It's started to really revolutionize officer safety."

The sheriff's office began purchasing the new Taser International brand in April. Deputies put them to use twice in June. In each case the suspect was apprehended and no one was hurt, Roberts said.

On Wednesday, 25 deputies took the four-hour course to be certified to use a Taser. Each deputy will then be required to recertify annually.

A Taser is a hand-held device that generates more than 50,000 volts of electricity. But contrary to what some might believe, Roberts said a deputy does not zap someone with all that voltage.

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