Taser decision is in Rocky's hands

Salt Lake City's "Taser committee" has finished its report — now the ball lies in Mayor Rocky Anderson's court.

The question? Will Anderson allow every officer in the city's police force to carry a Taser — which has become the generic term for a type of electronic gun that can immobilize criminals up to 25 feet away with an electrical jolt?

In rare cases Tasers have led to deaths, but police still champion the devices as effective crime-fighting tools. Police contend Tasers, which is a specific brand of the electronic gun, gives them an alternative to a firearm that is more humane than the chemical spray that can be used to immobilize dangerous, threatening people.

Detective Robin Snyder recently became certified to use a Taser and said the department has begun certifying all its new recruits to use Tasers. One of the requirements in the certification process is that officers have to subject themselves to a Taser jolt.

"I'd take (being hit with a Taser) over (chemical) spray," she said.

Tasers are a better tool "because it totally makes the person useless," she said. The chemical spray police use now only affects 85 percent of people and criminals who are sprayed can often fight through the pain. The electric volts associated with Tasers, however, render everyone useless for about five seconds.

"With the Taser I haven't seen anybody who could fight through that," Snyder said. "It's a great tool. I love it. It's one of the best tools we've been given."

But others are less enthusiastic.

Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union have raised serious concerns about Tasers, which in rare cases have killed people.

Anderson, a former member of the ACLU of Utah's board, has taken those human rights concerns seriously. Earlier this year, the mayor put together a panel charged with looking into the Taser issue. That committee was supposed to weigh all the evidence and then make a recommendation to Anderson about whether all police officers should be able to carry a Taser.

But the task force, which just finished its report, didn't make any recommendations. Instead, it simply compiled information and delivered it to Anderson.

"What we gave him is informational," chief of staff Sam Guevara said.

Anderson will likely announce his decision, based on the informational packet, in two or three weeks, Guevara said.