Lake Bluff police will soon add Tasers to their belts.
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Village trustees approved buying 13 Tasers at a cost of nearly $25,600 at their Aug. 24 meeting. After one year, the village will pay $4,120 annually for a warranty and after the fifth year, all 13 units will be replaced with brand-new equipment at no cost, according to documents on the village website.
The purchase was proposed by Police Chief David Belmonte, who said he reviewed equipment needs when he became chief about a year ago.
“One thing that came to light was a need for less lethal weapons for officers,” Belmonte said. “That was combined with our insurance carrier strongly looking for less lethal options.”
“The ability to have more tools in the toolbox is a plus,” said Village Administrator Drew Irvin. “That it’s a less lethal tool, that’s an opportunity we should act on and make available to them.”
Other than to euthanize an animal that’s been struck by a vehicle, Belmonte said the last time a Lake Bluff officer fired a gun at a person was in 1965.
“[In that situation], the officer came across a burglary in progress and that person was armed with a weapon,” Belmonte said. “While Lake Bluff is extremely safe, we deal with a multitude of people who travel through town on Route 176, Green Bay Road, etc. There is the possibility that anything can happen anywhere.”
Each Taser will have a connected camera. While Belmonte doesn’t know whether the cameras will turn on automatically, he said every time a Taser is used, officers will be recording.
“The more transparent we can be, the more comfortable we can make everybody,” Belmonte said.
Tasers will only be used when someone is actively resisting arrest, Belmonte said.
Two officers will be sent to Taser International in Scottsdale, Ariz., to become certified as Taser instructors, Belmonte said. Those officers in turn will train other police officers.
At neighboring Lake Forest, Police Chief James Held said his department is considering buying Tasers, as well.
“It’s something we will definitely have, eventually,” Held said, adding that he recently attended a presentation by Taser International. “Our department is a little larger than Lake Bluff’s, so it’s a little more of a cost.”
Over in Highland Park, police officers have carried Tasers for three years, said Chief Paul Shafer.
“It’s a lot better than hitting someone with a nightstick or baton when somebody is going to resist,” Shafer said. He added that sometimes just seeing an officer pull out a Taser is enough.
“When you point it at someone, it has a laser light,” Shafer said. “People think twice before resisting. Sometimes, we don’t have to deploy it.”
Robert Hunter, a Lake Bluff resident, says he doesn’t have a problem with Lake Bluff Police carrying Tasers.
“We don’t have the same type of issues as the inner city has,” Hunter said by phone on Monday. “I think they would hardly use it, if ever.”
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