By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
A number of law enforcement agencies in Rowan County that provide resource officers to schools don’t equip them with Tasers. But officials at those agencies and one that doesn’t employ a school resource officer say they appreciate having Tasers in their crime-fighting arsenal.
The issue of Taser use in schools came up at a meeting Monday of the Rowan County Child Abuse Prevention Task Force when one of its members alleged school resource offices use the stun guns too often and in unwarranted situations.
Rowan County Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Auten and Salisbury Police Chief Mark Wilhelm both serve on the Task Force and said their resource officers don’t carry Tasers.
However, Auten said Tuesday, a resource officer who requests backup can have another deputy equipped with a Taser use it.
And deputies providing security at football games do carry Tasers, Auten said.
Wilhelm said Salisbury Police Department supervisors have access to the devices. An officer who needs a Taser can call a supervisor who has one.
“Tasers are useful tools when used appropriately,” Wilhelm said.
Todd Taylor, the Taser instructor for the Granite Quarry-Faith Police Department, said his agency doesn’t deploy the weapons in schools, even though older students can often outweigh officers and even elementary students have assaulted officers.
But in the two to three years the agency has had Tasers, officers have found it valuable.
“For us it has been one of the most advanced tools we have ever gotten,” Taylor said. “It’s actually come out better in some situations where we would have to use deadly force or physically restrain someone.”
He described one incident in which an officer deployed a Taser. The suspect came at the officer, threatening to hit him with a piece of asphalt. The officer warned the suspect to stop. When he did not, the officer used the Taser on the suspect, forcing him to comply but not seriously injuring the man.
“I think it’s one of the best tools we’ve ever received,” Taylor said.
Officers train and every year and know that Taser use is warranted, he said, in “any kind of confrontation with a suspect, where force is necessary to subdue him, that could result in harm to the officer or to the suspect.”
When officers engage a suspect, they don’t know that person’s medical history and often have to judge quickly whether to use a Taser.
“If we stop to hesitate, that person could cause damage to someone else,” Taylor said.
Granite Quarry-Faith Police officers do not carry pepper spray.
Rockwell Police Chief Hugh Bost said all of his full-time officer carry Tasers, and he called them “a very useful tool.”
His officers have never had to deploy Tasers, he said.
“It’s been one of those tools that’s more preventative right now,” he said.
He added that if Tasers had not been “tested, tried and proven,” he would not have them in use.
Rockwell does not have a school resource officer.
A call to the Landis Police Department was not returned Tuesday.