Given the choice, 35% say NO THANKS

"Every member of the Arlington Heights Police Department was asked if he or she wanted to carry a Taser gun. Of the 110 employees, 71 said they would like a Taser and 39 declined" - including the Police Chief. That's a wise choice, Chief Mourning (unfortunate surname), since you'll be busy studying the mounting costs of lawsuits by civilians and officers alike."

May 31, 2009
Sheila Ahern, Chicago Daily Herald

The first batch of Taser guns will arrive to the Arlington Heights police station this week. After another week of training, they'll hit the streets attached to about 40 police officers.

"We talked about getting these before but cost has always been an issue," said Capt. Peter Kinsey, who has researched Tasers since October. "But then we started studying the cost of duty-related injuries and lost work days that happen because of those injuries."

Between 2003 and 2008, there were 63 times an officer was hurt when trying to arrest someone. A Taser gun could have prevented injuries in at least one-third of those incidents, Kinsey said.

The village board agreed to buy Taser guns for $816 each earlier this month. The money will come from the village's drug seizure account.

Every member of the Arlington Heights Police Department was asked if he or she wanted to carry a Taser gun. Of the 110 employees, 71 said they would like a Taser and 39 declined, Kinsey said. Police Chief Gerald Mourning chose not to carry one, Kinsey said.

Tasers temporarily immobilize a person by over­stimulating the nervous system with electricity and causing an uncontrollable contraction of the muscle tissue, according to Taser International's Web site, the company providing the Tasers to Arlington Heights.

The Arlington Heights police officers who use Tasers will be "strongly encouraged" to experience being Tasered themselves during their training, Kinsey said.

"It's good experience to have that firsthand knowledge so they see the effects - which are very short term," he said.

It's hard to tell when an officer will need to use a Taser, Kinsey said, but he anticipates it could happen maybe two or three times a week.

Other municipalities that use Tasers include Palatine, Elk Grove Village and Mount Prospect. All 71 Arlington Heights police officers are expected to have their Tasers by this fall.