Local police chiefs say Taser precautions are in place

Apr. 16—On Sunday, Daunte Wright was killed in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, after a police officer shot him in the torso.

Earlier this week, former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said Officer Kim Porter accidentally drew her pistol instead of her Taser.

Porter resigned and has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. Gannon also resigned.

Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell said drawing a pistol when he thought he had drawn a Taser, was a nightmare scenario.

"When I saw the video, I was like 'oh boy, that's what they talked about in training,'" Stell said. "But that can't happen."

Stell called the situation in Brooklyn Center terrible.

Officers in the APD are trained to wear their Taser on the opposite hip as their pistol, Stell said. APD officers are recertified with Tasers every year.

"Even with the best training, something can go sideways on you, and bad things can happen," Stell said.

Stell said that officers are often not looking down at their hands, so making sure whether you draw a Taser or pistol is something that you need to be very careful about.

No APD officers have made the mistake of drawing their pistol instead of their Taser, Stell said.

Stell said Tasers are safer options than pepper spray or clubs. Police in Ashtabula have had to draw their Tasers thousands of times since the department started using them, Stell said.

Conneaut Police Chief Michael Colby said officers in Conneaut recertify annually with Tasers. They are trained to wear their Taser on their left hip, opposite their pistol, he said.

Conneaut Police officers train in switching between handguns to Tasers, train in classrooms and have range recertification, Colby said.

Colby said that, when under stressful situations, sometimes people don't think clearly. No CPD officers have mistakenly drawn their pistols instead of their Tasers, Colby said.

Colby said Conneaut officers are trained not to have both weapons out at the same time, and they are trained to notify other officers when they have a Taser out.

Tasers have a safety that has to be activated to use the weapon, Colby said.

"A lot of the officers, most of which seem to carry Glocks or semi-automatic handguns that don't require a thumb safety, so there's distinguishing differences between a Taser and a handgun," Colby said.

Geneva Police Chief Rodger Wilt and Sheriff William Niemi could not be reached for comment.