Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Clark County deputies now carrying Tasers

Criminals now have one more reason to submit to the requests of officers from the Clark County Sheriffs Department  many of the officers are now carrying Tasers.

Clark County deputies underwent training in the use of the new weapons on Tuesday, Nov. 13, and are now certified to carry the firearms. According to instructor Lt. Mike McWilliams of the Columbia County Sheriffs Department, the Tasers use 50,000 volts of electricity to temporarily disable a person. The Tasers leave no permanent scars or side-effects and are considered safer than conventional firearms, he said.

A cylinder of compressed nitrogen in the Taser projects two metal barbs into a person. The barbs are connected by thin, insulated wire to the Taser device, which feeds the electricity into the barbs. The arc of electricity between the two barbs causes uncontrollable contraction of the muscles. The barbs can also be equipped with alligator clips which widen the area of contact. As long as the electric impulses are shooting through the barbs, the person cannot control his or her muscles.

A Taser can be shot from more than 15 feet away, which helps prevent injury to another person. Use the phrase, Taser, Taser, Taser so everyone will know what youre doing, McWilliams said.

One by one, 14 deputies and jailers went through the process of getting hit by the Taser. No one was forced to do it, Sheriff David Turner said.

I only recommended it for testimonial purposes, Turner said. That way, if they have to testify about it, they can say they know what it feels like.

Even Turner went through the training. He was the first to be shot with the weapon saying that he would not ask his deputies to do something that he would not do himself.

Officers stood on a mat that would reduce the impact with the floor if they had fallen. They were also held on each side by spotters.

Two of the 14 got two hits from the Taser. Brian Winegardner, a jailer, took his ride as McWilliams called it, then volunteered to help support others. An errant barb accidentally struck him in the back. The first one wasnt so bad, Winegardner said. The second one made my teeth chatter.

Deputy Keyone Delaney only got hit by one barb when it was his turn, so he volunteered to go again. The second time, both barbs implanted in his back. He expression reflected the higher intensity of the second shot.

All of the officers had a similar reactions. Most gritted their teeth and tensed up. What was different was each one's reaction after the voltage subsided.

The Clark County Sheriffs Department currently owns four Taser guns, but Turner said he intends to purchase more in the future. The Tasers will also be carried by jailers to be used should an inmate get out of hand, Turner said.

(Donna Hilton of the Daily Siftings Herald contributed to this report.)