Tired Tasers? Police Department Says its Units are Failing at Higher Rate

The Pasadena Police Department has deployed less lethal, “conductive energy” weapons commonly known as “Tasers,” since 2003. Currently there are 192 tasers in its inventory. The life expectancy of the devices is five years.

According to a Police Department report to be presented to the Pasadena City Council tonight by Police Chief Phillip Sanchez, 150 of its tasers are seven to ten years old, and have begun to fail at a higher rate during the past two years.

The Pasadena City Council will consider purchasing 150 new Tasers, holsters and batteries in an amount not to exceed $154,250, from ProForce in Brea, at its meeting Monday evening. According to the report, ProForce is the· only authorized dealer of Tasers in the State of California.

The Police Department report noted that Tasers are “utilized in situations involving combative suspects, who are often times under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, to assert control over the individual while at the same time reducing the risk of injury to both officers and suspects.

“The Taser has repeatedly proven itself to be a valuable tool that has significantly changed the way law enforcement deals with violent and resistive suspects. The Taser has been credited by multiple studies with reducing injuries to both suspects and officers,” said the report.