Editorial: Using Taser in fundraiser bad idea

My sentiments exactly!!!

February 2, 2009
Sheboygan Press

But that's just what Combined Locks Police Chief Steven Wulgaert will do Tuesday night prior to a meeting of the Combined Locks Village Board.

Wulgaert, who will retire as police chief of the Outagamie County community in a month, is the only member of the 10-officer department who hasn't been Tasered.

Teased by other officers in the department, Wulgaert agreed to take a jolt from the stun gun if the other officers could raise $500 for Special Olympics. Wulgaert's fellow officers have raised more than $800 and have hopes of getting the donations up to $2,500 before Tuesday's Village Board meeting.

All of this might be considered in good fun or for a good cause, but the use of a weapon to do it doesn't make sense.

Tasers, which deliver 50,000 volts of electricity, are used by police officers to subdue violent suspects in crimes. While highly effective, they are also controversial because several people have died after being "Tasered." These weapons are supposed to be used only when other methods of restraint don't work.

Most police departments, as part of the training for using the Taser, have officers themselves get shocked so they know how painful the Taser can be and impress on officers that the Taser should be used judiciously.

We have no problem with police having Tasers in their arsenal of weapons against violent people. They have been used effectively and in other communities here to prevent injury and possibly death to a police officer.

However, they should not be used outside of their intended purpose.

Inflicting pain on someone else with a potentially deadly weapon isn't our idea of a way to raise money, even for the most worthy of causes.