Police and reporters take a hit in Taser training in Norfolk

By Matthew Roy
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 14, 2008

NORFOLK
When the probes from the Taser struck him, Detective Dan Love fell forward onto the mat.
After five seconds, the electrical current stopped and his body relaxed.

"Whew," he said while a class of officers looked on Wednesday at the Norfolk police training facility.

Norfolk's patrol officers will hit the streets Friday with Tasers, a tool the department plans to use on combative and aggressive people. Training on the devices wrapped up Wednesday, with some officers volunteering as Taser guinea pigs.

The hand-held device fires two probes that are attached to the weapon by insulated electrical wire, which delivers pulses of electricity. The result? Love and others dropped like stones, incapacitated for a few painful seconds.

"I was completely unable to control myself," he said later, back on his feet. "I tightened up."

In addition to using Tasers to subdue aggressive people, the devices could be used in situations such as one in which a man threatening suicide with a knife kept officers at bay, said Capt. Ed Ryan, who oversees the training division.

Some Suffolk and Hampton officers are already carrying Tasers, as does Virginia Beach's SWAT team.

Norfolk's patrol officers will check out Tasers when they begin their shifts. The department has 150 of the devices.

Tasers haven't been without controversy. A news release on the Web site of Taser International Inc. on Wednesday announced that three wrongful death lawsuits against the company have been dismissed, bringing the total number of dismissed wrongful death or injury lawsuits to 66.

The company "has not lost any product liability lawsuit," the release says.

Norfolk's Tasers have cameras that will record audio and video when the safety is turned off. That means supervisors will be able to review the images later, Ryan said, should there be a complaint. The images can also be reviewed for training purposes, he said.