Supplying Tasers for Anchorage Police: A Feasibility StudyEnglish 212: Technical WritingZach Erickson

Overview• Introduction•Criteria Questions•Methods •Results•Conclusions•Recommendations

Introduction• Examined the feasibility of funding Tasers

for all Anchorage police officers

• Researched current percentage of Taser use by Anchorage Police Department (APD)

• Researched the pros and cons of using Tasers over other methods of force currently used by APD

• Examined the financial aspect of supplying officers with Tasers

Criteria Questions• Is the use of Tasers by police legally

defensible?

• Will increased deployment of Tasers lead to fewer injuries and deaths for both police officers and suspects?

• Is there funding within the department, or cuts that could be made, that allow for the purchase of Tasers at no additional cost to taxpayers?

Methods• Performed both primary and secondary research

• Primary research consisted of a questionnaire distributed to fellow students

• Secondary research consisted of using multiple online databases to locate six articles regarding the topic

• Researched current percentage of Taser use by Anchorage Police Department (APD)

• Researched the pros and cons of using Tasers over other methods of force currently used by APD

• Researched the financial aspect of supplying Tasers to APD officers

Results-Legal Defense• Municipalities face the biggest threat

of losing a lawsuit for unlawful tasering when policies regarding Taser use are too broad.

• If proper training and proper policies are in place, the city will be at less risk to face a lawsuit

• Officers are also rarely at risk for a lawsuit after a tasering

Results-Amount of Lives Saved

• In 9 years, the use of Tasers decreased officer injuries 62 percent in Orlando, Florida and 25 percent in Austin, Texas

Results-Funding Tasers• Currently, APD has requested the city

to provide an additional $47,292 for Tasers and training

• There are some grants available to help cover the cost of Tasers

• Most citizens of Anchorage were willing to pay for Taser through their taxes

Primary Research

Table 2. Would you be willing to have your taxes go up about $7 in order to pay for APD to have Tasers and Taser training for all officers?

# Answer

Response %

1 Yes

2 67%

2 No

1 33%

Total 3 100%

Conclusions• There have been enough studies

conducted to justify the purchasing of Tasers for APD

• Two-thirds of participants were willing to pay additional taxes to support this purchase

• Those who were surveyed said they trusted APD to use the weapons responsibly

Recommendations• APD should only purchase the pistol model

Tasers, not buying the shotgun model would save them about $10,000 overall

• The department should also provide thorough training and subject all officers to a Taser before deployment

• There are several options for funding this cause: grants, not filling one open patrol position, and tax money