South Heidelberg police officers all have Tasers

by Steve Reinbrecht

All seven South Heidelberg police officers plus the chief now have Tasers – handheld weapons that shoot thin wires onto uncooperative suspects and knock them down with electrical shocks.

The eight weapons bring the force to modern standards, Police Chief Barry Whitmoyer said.

Each Taser cost $900. The township spent $10,000, including batteries, holsters, and cartridges. The Fritztown Fire Company social quarters contributed $5,000, and the township expects to get a subsidy from the Berks district attorney’s office to offset the cost.

The weapons help protect the officers by giving them a method to subdue a non-cooperative person other than fighting him or shooting him, Whitmoyer said. Often simply the sight of the Taser calms an unruly person.

“Just seeing the red [targeting] light is a deterrent,” Whitmoyer said.

And the new Tasers come with “warning arcs” – flashing blue sparks zapping from the front of the weapon to show the suspect what he’s facing.

In general, opponents of the weapons cite that hundreds of people have died after being shot by a Taser, and that officers have been charged with using them when not necessary.

South Heidelberg bought X2 models, the latest available. They provide a backup shot, so officers don’t have to reload if the first shot misses or there are two suspects.

Police got the weapons in October, and haven’t used one yet, Whitmoyer said. The department will report and document every time they are fired, he said.

Whitmoyer said he was surprised when he took the job July 1 to discover his officers haven’t been equipped with the weapons. Officers in adjacent municipalities have them, he said.

Supervisors approved the purchase Sept. 8.