Resisting arrest could be shocking

Marisa O’Neil

When police order someone to surrender, seeing the sparks from 50,000

volts of electricity can be persuasive.

Costa Mesa Police officers can deliver such a jolt from one of

their five new Taser stun guns, which can subdue a combative arrestee

when applied directly to the body or via two wires fired from up to

20 feet away.

Since the department got the devices about three months ago, no

officer has had to fire one yet, Cpl. Mark Manley said. Just seeing

the red dot of a laser aimed at their torsos and hearing the

threatening sparks go off is enough for most suspects.

“The laser goes on; they see the sparks; and they don’t want any

part of it,” Manley said.

Costa Mesa sergeants got the new Tasers as alternatives to batons

and .40-caliber firearms that shoot rubber bullets, Manley said. In

many cases, officers could use the Tasers to subdue dangerous

suspects instead of using their handguns, reducing officer and

suspect deaths, he said.

Police hope to get at least 10 more Tasers next year, Manley said.

The Taser launches two small barbs into a suspect’s clothing or

skin and then delivers a five-second jolt of 50,000 volts through the

barbs into his or her body. That interrupts impulses to the brain and

stops the ability to control any muscles, Manley said.

“Once it’s over, they think: ‘Wow, what was that? I don’t want to

get it a second time,’” Manley said.

If one shock isn’t enough to calm someone, an officer can pull the

trigger and deliver another five-second shock. That can give them

enough time for backup to arrive or for another officer to put

handcuffs on the suspect, he said.

After the shock is over, there aren’t any lasting effects, Manley

said. He volunteered for a direct Taser shock in his leg during

training.

“I don’t want to do it again,” he said. “It’s overwhelming, but as

soon as the charge stops, you’re up on your feet again.”

Unlike a baton, the Taser can be used if someone is hiding under a

piece of furniture, said Dave Kress, manager of the police firing

range. It may also be preferable in some cases to pepper spray, which

can also blow into officers’ faces and incapacitate them, Manley

said.

And sometimes neither baton strikes nor pepper spray work on a

suspect, especially one on certain types of drugs, Manley said.

Costa Mesa Police Chief John Hensley wanted to bring the Tasers to

the department after working with them in Cypress and Manhattan

Beach.

“The bottom line is that there comes a point when a baton and

pepper spray do not subdue a combative subject, and it’s not ethical

to keep whacking them with a stick until they submit,” Hensley said.

“But officers can shock someone with a Taser with minimal impact, and

[suspects] aren’t hospitalized with broken bones afterward.”

But the weapons aren’t without controversy.

The Las Vegas Police Department recently banned the use of Tasers

on handcuffed prisoners after two prisoner deaths were connected to

repeated Taser shocks.

Officers in Costa Mesa would not use the weapons in those types of

situations, Hensley said.

In a best case scenario, officers won’t have to use them at all,

Kress said.

“It’s a deterrent,” Kress said. “People see it, and a lot of

people know what it is and surrender.”