VIENNA - Officers with the Vienna Police Department subjected themselves to the painful shock of a Taser Monday during a training session.
"This is a brand new program for us," said Vienna police Chief Steve Stephens. "And it's really exciting. Most of these guys have never even held a Taser before. And our policy is, if you carry a Taser, you must get tased."
Seven police officers were trained Monday during a six-hour training session that included policy education and physical Taser practice.
Today, nine more Vienna police officers will be trained. By the end of the week, 16 out of the department's 18 officers will be authorized to carry a Taser.
The police department ordered three Tasers using $5,000 from the Asset Forfeiture account. The funds covered the Tasers, training materials and cartridges.
"We would like all of our officers to carry one, and that is our ultimate goal," said Stephens. "But to start out, it's rather expensive."
The Taser is a non-lethal electroshock weapon used to disrupt voluntary muscle movement. Police officers often use them to immobilize an assailant who is non-compliant, said Stephens.
"They are very effective, and they are especially useful when a police officer is alone," he said. "I can think of many times in my career when a Taser would have been very useful. Ours actually have built-in cameras on the ends that capture audio and video."
Police officers in training were required to get tased to understand what an assailant goes through during the process. When a Taser is fired, two electrode barbs attach to the skin and send out an electrical current, which immobilizes the muscles and causes a painful jolt.
Tasers can shoot from up to 35 feet away, but they can also be pressed directly on the skin, known as a drive stun.
"A drive stun doesn't immobilize the muscles. It's only used for pain compliance," said instructor Scott Hughes. When you shoot a Taser, the shock lasts for five seconds once the prongs attach to the target. But when you drive stun, you can stun someone for only a second or two if you want."
Hughes underwent 16 hours of training to become a certified Taser instructor.
"When you aim, you should shoot for the region below the breastbone. The farther apart the prongs land on the body, the more effective the stun," he said.
It was Sgt. Rick Berdine's first time using a Taser.
"I'm a little nervous," he said, as the electrode barbs were fastened to his skin.
With two officers holding either side of him, Berdine was jolted with a current of electricity for about one second.
"It completely immobilized me," he said afterward. "That was powerful, but it was pretty much what I expected. But I was stunned for only about a second. I don't want to imagine what five whole seconds of that would feel like."
Officers are required to get recertified in Taser training every year.
"The Taser will give us another tool in our arsenal when it comes to fighting a non-compliant assailant," said Stephens. "Eventually, we hope every officer in the department will carry one."
