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6.1.D. - Page 6 The use of a TASER device in an instance where otherwise the officer would be required to use physical force to subdue a subject has been reported to reduce the incidence of officer injuries, and consequently the cost to taxpayers for insurance and disability payments. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), which provides the insurance pool for all of the police agencies except the Sheriff's department and California Highway Patrol, encourages the use of TASER devices and provides grants for departments to obtain them at no charge. TASER devices are used by uniformed police officers in all law enforcement agencies in San Mateo County with two exceptions, the cities of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Peace officers in the Coroner's Office, District Attorney and Probation Department do not use How a taser works The electric shock delivered by a taser rdun overwhelms an attacker's nervous sysmin, forcing Ili$ mttscles to contract. Disposable launching mechanism Contains compressed nitrogen iwtndge, obes 1"It aiwires 4 A ii provide e lectrical pathway from the nun tothadarts prob" Attach to attacker and dehvershock eleaAccotrent soorca Hight AA baltenes In &1p pTheganlsfired {�jTheprohesstfitrsea =etai rnches:rpon: ernbed in the anatkof s Skin or cloth l iwKt djASdecond, travels through um vines and Into the attacker's body, causing the _ attaCktv`s muscles to YnnfraCi. D, AddMmaishadamaybeda livendbypulhng the nigger topaftMily. The gun also has backup Shock probes built into the gun's nose that arcoo ivatecl by t*mbing the gun directly to the attacker. TASER devices. No police agency uses an ECD made by any other company. Although the TASER device is less lethal than a firearm, no use offorce is without lethal risk. In the last two years in San Mateo County, TASER devices have been used approximately 130 times with no reported loss of life or serious injury attributable to the device. One agency reported an instance in which a TASER device was used under circumstances which, had it not been available and successfully activated, deadly force would have been used. The use of the TASER device likely saved the life of the subject. The TASER device has a laser light that is used for aiming. This light is visible to a subject and when an officer "lights up" a subject with the laser light, this alone is often sufficient for the officer to gain the subject's immediate compliance. TASER devices can be misused by officers, just as any other use of force can be misused. The Grand Jury is unaware of any reported abuses by any of the law enforcement agencies in San Mateo County in the past 2 years which is the time frame studied here. The law enforcement agencies that use TASER devices have chosen to require extensive training, multi -level practice is usually employed when the barbs of the TASER fail to attach, or when the officer is too close to use the TASER device at a distance. 2 See Reduction in Injuries charts from several police agencies at http:// www. taser.com/pages /le_overview.aspx Sworn peace officers, as specified by statute, are authorized to use deadly force if needed. See Appendix A. s For the purpose of this report we are calling this "deployment," "Activation" is when the officer actually uses, or attempts to use, the TASER device on a subject.