Title
Recommendation to Authorize a New Taser Program, including the Purchase of 60 Taser Conducted Electrical Devices (CED) and the Approval of a Five Year Taser Assurance Plan for a Total Purchase Price Not to Exceed $139,509.00. (Police 3121)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Authorize the Purchase of 60 Taser Conducted Electrical Devices (CED) and Approve a Five Year Taser Assurance Plan for a Total Purchase Price Not to Exceed $139,509.00
BACKGROUND
Over the past several years, there has been a great deal of public conversation and discourse over the issue of the use of deadly force by the police, especially in handling the mentally ill. It is critical that police officers have less lethal options in handling critical incidents including people experiencing a mental health crisis and who may be armed. This topic has been the focus of widespread media reports, public protests, and has been discussed at the highest levels of our government. It is an issue that affects all communities and law enforcement agencies, regardless of size. This report does not intend to sort through the various opinions on the subject, but rather identify the need for the Alameda Police Department (APD) to purchase and deploy a device to give our officers an effective and preferred less-lethal alternative to deadly force in critical situations. The device is called a Conducted Energy Device (CED). The most widely used CED in law enforcement is made by Taser International. As of the completion of this report, the Alameda Police Department is one of only three agencies in Alameda County that do not currently deploy Taser CED's (Berkeley PD and the UC Berkeley PD are the other two agencies). All other agencies have successfully used CED's as an alternative to firearms when reasonable and appropriate.
DISCUSSION
The first version of a CED was developed in the early 1970's, but its development for u...
Click here for full text