Saskatchewan police will alert public to taser use

February 5, 2009
By Canwest News Service

SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Police Service will notify the public every time an officer uses a Taser.

Police Chief Clive Weighill announced the change in a letter to Canwest News Service and a followup interview, responding to a request for police records of all incidents in which Tasers have been used.

“We reviewed how we do business and we thought it would be a good idea to let the public know anytime we use a conducted energy device,” Weighill said in an interview. “It’s a controversial topic and the public should know when they’re used properly and, if they’re deployed and there’s a problem, they should know about that as well.”

The Saskatoon Police Service has two Tasers, which only the emergency response team uses.

The Saskatchewan Police Commission is reviewing the use of Tasers by the province’s 14 municipal and First Nation police services.

Weighill said he would like all front-line officers to carry Tasers. “Any way we can help our officers make a decision where they don’t have to use lethal force is better for all of us,” Weighill said.

In his Jan. 29 letter, Weighill said he won’t release the police records themselves because they contain names of officers and witnesses as well as information about police tactics.