By Jane Prendergast
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Since Cincinnati police started using Tasers almost three months ago, officers fight with suspects less and they're not spraying people as often with chemical irritant.

TASER VIDEO

• Good Morning Tri-State's David Rose takes part in a taser demonstration. See the video

The guns that administer electrical charges have delivered another benefit too, officials say: Suspects who surrender when they see the Taser's red laser dot on their bodies. It shows exactly where the metal barbs are about to be fired.

Tasers deliver 50,000 volts that usually temporarily immobilize suspects so officers can gain control. But as more law-enforcement departments across the country start using them, questions are emerging about the Tasers' effects on suspects' health and whether officers are pulling them too quickly.

Cincinnati is among 4,000 departments, including the U.S. Army in Iraq, using the weapons and is among about 500 departments that have put Tasers on every officer's belt, the company says.

Cincinnati bought 1,100 of the $799 models after the November death of Nathaniel Jones, who died of a heart attack brought on by a violent struggle with officers. His obesity and drug use also contributed to his death, officials ruled.

Chief Tom Streicher calls the Taser the only tool in 35 years to revolutionize an aspect of policing.

An Enquirer review of police reports has found that Cincinnati officers have fired their Tasers 71 times between the first deployment on Jan. 8 and the end of March.

Other findings of that review:

• Virtually all suspects fired at were either thought to be mentally ill or had run from an officer, often during a drug investigation.

• Use of chemical irritant has dropped by nearly 30 percent for the first three months of this year compared to the pre-Taser 2003. Use of the irritant dropped 55 percent this March compared with last.

• One five-second jolt often isn't enough. In many cases, officers fired their Taser more than once and used it in its secondary capacity, as a stun gun applied directly to the body. One man was fired at 12 times before officers were able to handcuff him. The multiple stuns usually happen because officers miss or because the metal barbs that deliver the electricity don't penetrate loose or thick clothing, therefore not delivering the stun.

At least 40 times so far, suspects have complied with officers' order after they've seen the red dot, submitting to being handcuffed before officers fire, said Lt. Doug Ventre, SWAT and tactical planning supervisor.

In at least three cases, he said, people trying to commit suicide were shot with a Taser in order to save their lives.Lt. Teresa Theetge, supervisor of Cincinnati Police's inspections unit, said that officers have not used pepper ball guns or beanbag guns since the introduction of Tasers.

The number of officers assaulted has dropped from 17 to eight.

"I don't have to get down and wrestle and fight, skin my knees and risk getting hurt,'' said Officer Richard Dews, a member of District 2's Violent Crime Squad who has used his Taser twice. "It's better for us and it's better for the bad guys.''

Increasing concern

But there is growing debate about Taser use.

Cincinnati officers, like most of their colleagues throughout the nation, are trained to use their Tasers early, usually as soon as they might otherwise spray chemical irritant.

Some activist groups say officers should have to wait to use their Tasers until they're threatened.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado asked the Denver Police Department in February to limit their use of Tasers, citing the deaths of several suspects who'd has Tasers used on them. Amnesty International called last year for police departments to stop using Tasers pending an independent study of the weapon's effects on health.

A national news program this week focused on deaths of suspects struck by Tasers. But Taser International, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., defended the 40 cases in which suspects died after Tasers were used to restrain them.

The company denies its equipment caused any of the deaths, outlining each on its Web site, www.taser.com. In many of the cases, suspects had used drugs or had pre-existing medical conditions, the company said.

Locally, police commanders on Tuesday will brief City Council's Law & Public Safety Committee on the first three months of Taser use.

"Our detractors, I think, are going to be disappointed,'' Ventre said. "We have had no one who has been injured as a direct result of being shocked by the Taser.''

Minor injuries

But some suspects did suffer minor injuries, after they were shocked, not solely from the stun, Ventre said. One woman had to have one of the Taser barbs removed from her breast. Another woman, arrested for hitting an officer with her purse, fell face forward after she was stunned. She broke her jaw.

In one case, a 31-year-old man was shot with a Taser in February when officers said he sold drugs to an informant. He was stunned in the back, calf and thigh.

At the time, according to the police report, McMullen complained of trouble breathing because of his asthma. He later claimed in court that he had to have his right testicle removed because a Taser barb caused an infection.

Ventre said suspects likely would suffer more serious injuries if officers took them to the ground instead of stunning them with Tasers.

About half the department's 1,050 officers have been trained to use Tasers and now carry them on their belts. Most of those - about 475 so far - volunteered during the training to be shocked themselves. Calling it "riding the bull,'' they say they want to know how bad it is in case a suspect ever gets their Taser and uses it on them.

Councilman David Pepper volunteered this week to be stunned.

"It's unlike any pain or any sensation you can imagine,'' Pepper said.

"You're not going to get away and it's going to really hurt. So why go through it in the first place?''

Email jprendergast@enquirer.com