June 15, 2008
Tasers May Cause Drop in Fatalities, Pants
Following the release of the Rand Corp. report commissioned by the NYPD, much attention has been given to Tasers, the ballistic electrode-firing weapons meant as a less violent alternative than gunfire when dealing with life-threatening situations.
Immediately, there are concerns the police will use Tasers as compliance tools. Just this past week, a Brooklyn man died after being shot with a Taser by a Long Island cop while trying to swallow a bag of cocaine.
While Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is considering widespread adoption of Tasers by the NYPD--ordering 20% of sergeants on patrol to begin carrying them on their hips instead of secured in a vehicle--he is being cautious. The NY Times points out Kelly was the deputy inspector in charge of cleaning up a police scandal during the early 1980s that involved cops using a stun gun to coerce a confession from a drug suspect.
On a more practical level, some of the sergeants ordered to strap on their Tasers are wondering ..."Where?" A police officer's belt already weighs more than 15 pounds and a Taser will bring the total weight to 16.8 pounds. As the Post graphic (pictured) illustrates, police sergeants already have to carry a pistol, spare ammunition, a flashlight, pepper spray, an expandable baton, a gas mask, handcuffs, a radio, and station house keys. Batman's utility belt was hardly as unwieldy. At almost 17 pounds, sergeants may want to add suspenders to their uniforms along with those Tasers.
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At almost 17 pounds, sergeants may want to add suspenders to their uniforms along with those Tasers.
Maybe not suspenders, but does anyone remember back in the 60s that some foreign police uniforms had a cross-body leather strap connected to the belt to help hold up the gun holster?
Or NYPD can really get avant garde. Send out an RFP for a tactical cargo vest design for beat cops. Something like the military, SWAT or even fishing vests, but lighter, cooler and more breathable. That way, the radio can be more easily accessed in a pocket high near a shoulder and the gun can be in a secure cross draw holster in front where it can be pulled faster. It can't be fun trying to get into a cruiser with all that junk dangling behind your back. The bat-belt look is so passé.
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Whoops. Should have read the Post article. One cop actually says it's hard to sit in a car while wearing a jam-packed gunbelt.
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but does anyone remember back in the 60s that some foreign police uniforms had a cross-body leather strap connected to the belt to help hold up the gun holster?
The belt is called a Sam Browne belt and is still used by many armed agencies (including Italian Police dress uniforms, I believe). It was also a favorite of the Nazis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Browne_belt
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I also think the MA State Police incorporate that across-the-chest belt design in their dress uniform. Of course, dress uniforms are not the problem. It's the stuff that cops have to wear every single day on duty that becomes an encumbrance.
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Good info. So nice to have a comments section where there's actual discussion and information rather than vapid trolling and race-baiting. According to that Wikipedia article, NJ state police still wear the Browne belt daily.
One more reason to do away with gunbelts: they can be clumsy during foot pursuits with all those large, heavy, dangling things flopping around. I can see four items in that photo that could bounce around as they ran: gun, escape mask, Taser and radio.