One by one, deputies from the Dodge County Sheriff's Office took their turn experiencing the newest less-lethal weapon in their possession.
With two deputies holding both arms of their brethren, Deputy Don Elliott fired two wired barbs into the backs of the deputies from up to 21 feet away.
The Dodge County Sheriff's Department recently purchased two Taser X26 units as part of their less-lethal policing practices. These tasers will momentarily incapacitate a suspect fighting with officers so he or she can be restrained and handcuffed. The $400 pieces of equipment, paid for out of the general budget, will be transferred among trained deputies during duty.
In the past, less-lethal weapons have worked on pain compliance that could be overcome by an intoxicated person.
The taser does not rely on pain to achieve compliance. It overrides the central nervous system to achieve incapacitation.
"The original stun weapons you could fight through it," Elliott said. "It worked on pain compliance that wouldn't be usable on people on drugs and alcohol."
The taser acts on voluntary muscles, not involuntary muscles like the heart and lungs.
"The taser uses the same frequency as the body," Elliott said. "It takes over the body and causes involuntary actions of the muscles. One probe can probably go through up to two inches of clothing (to shock the suspect)."
During the training, even an almost 300-pound deputy with nary an ounce of body fat was screaming and fell to his knees instantly.
According to company statistics, as of January 50,000 human volunteers have been tased. There were no long-term effects, but 99 percent of them were incapacitated.
"People lose voluntary muscle control and most fall right to the ground," Elliott said. "You may feel dazed for several seconds and have a temporary tingling sensation, but no long-term effects."
Tasers have been in use by law enforcement for many years without problems, Elliott said. There have been no instances of serious burns, no damage to the nervous system, no reports of tasers causing death, and it generally does not cause urination or defecation.
In addition to learning how the taser works and practicing on it, deputies also had the opportunity to feel what it does to a suspect who has been hit.
"Officers are exposed so they can understand the effects of the weapon and for court expertise," Elliott said.
Deputies are trained to use the tasers in barricading and hostage situations, combative suspects and combative DUI arrests.
"That allows you to go in and handcuff (the subject) without injury to yourself or the suspect," Elliott said. "You can use it in a crowd and even target just one suspect.
"I think it's the best less-lethal weapon out there," he said. "This is the only weapon we can use to incapacitate people without hurting them."
After Deputy Dustin Weitzel regained his senses, he described the experience of being tased.
"The longer it was in, the effect got worse — my whole body was in convulsions and I couldn't talk or tell them to stop," Weitzel said. "This is the best tool a policeman could probable ever use. It provides the same effect no matter what size the suspect."
Once all deputies have been trained and passed tests, the tasers will be in use on the road.
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