Using force

In the police department, an arrest is a must-win scenario. Most times the person comes peacefully, but occasionally there is resistance.

"Police officers are not prepared to lose when it comes to making an arrest," Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Barry Hovis said, adding a person under arrest could be a danger to the officer or others. To ensure an arrest goes through, officers are trained to use varying degrees of force, from hand grapples to firearms.

During an arrest, the officer gives a suspect verbal commands, such as to kneel down with hands behind his or her head. When a subject does not follow the commands, guidelines are in place to suggest what an officer should do, Hovis said.

Officers are told they can meet the level of force brought to them and go a step higher, he said. For instance, if a subject is violent and attempts to punch the officer, the officer could fight back or use a Taser or pepper spray.

Only when an officer feels an individual may seriously hurt or kill someone is an officer allowed to use lethal force with a firearm, according to police chief Carl Kinnison. He said such an occurrence was extremely rare, noting the last time a Cape Girardeau officer had to fire a weapon was about three years ago.

In most situations, officers prefer using a Taser as it takes a subject down quickly. When someone is shot with a gun, even fatally, there are a few seconds after which where the person can fire a few rounds themselves. Not so with a Taser.

"A good shot with a Taser will incapacitate immediately," Kinnison said.

A Taser fires two half-inch, needlelike prongs into the subject. Two wires connect the prongs to the Taser, allowing the officer to send a nonlethal, 50,000-volt charge for five seconds.

The only time someone hit by a Taser has been taken to a hospital, Hovis said, is to have a professional remove a prong from a sensitive area.

With a maximum firing distance of up to 25 feet for the Taser and 10 feet for some pepper sprays, the officer can stand safely away from an individual for subduing.

"We like to keep a distance between officers and the subject," Hovis said. Any time an officer has to physically force a person under arrest, the risk of injuries to both the officer and the person under arrest increase.

After the initial charge, the officer can continue Tasing the subject in five-second bursts if he or she remains combative. The wire that tangles between the prongs and Taser are also live, and could send a charge through anyone who touches it, Hovis said.

However, there are times the officer cannot keep his or her distance. The option for a Taser or pepper spray is lost when there is a crowd of innocent bystanders, such as in a bar fight, that could be inadvertently hit by the Taser's charge or mist from the pepper spray, Hovis said.

From the beginning of the year through March 28, officers have used a Taser on eight people, according to police spokesman Jason Selzer. In 2005, a Taser was used on 44 subjects, he said.

"We wish we could do our job without ever using force," Kinnison said, stressing the use of force is entirely up to the those under arrest.

Some times people under arrest resist because they feel they are innocent or the officer is unjustified. Kinnison said if this were the case, the subject should not resist and listen to the officer to avoid force being used.

"You won't have these issues if they just complied with the officer," he said of those under arrest. "Address disagreements in the court and not in the street."

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127

By the numbers

Cape Girardeau Police Department:

50,000: Volts sent through a person struck by a Taser.

Eight: Number of times a Taser used between Jan. 1 and March 28, 2006.

44: Number of times a Taser used In 2005.