HPD to be issued electric-shock weapons

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

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Taser's jolt Using compressed nitrogen, Taser fires two darts at a speed of 180 feet per second. The darts can fly as far as 21 feet. Darts are connected to the weapon by thin insulated wires and attach to an assailant's skin or penetrate through up to 2 inches of clothing. Pulsating electricity sent through the wires interferes with communication between the brain and muscular system. The assailant is incapacitated almost instantly. The electrical shock is designed not to kill, but the darts must be surgically removed. Taser weighs 18 ounces with batteries. Source: TASER International Inc.

The Taser can be fired like a pistol but is less lethal. It's designed to stop a "truly aggressive, focused, combat-trained attacker" by applying a five-second electric charge, according to the Web site of TASER International, the manufacturer.

Honolulu Police Department officers will be using the company's Advanced Taser series as part of a federally financed six-month pilot program.

Members of the Honolulu patrol district and Central Receiving have gone through Taser training, with some agreeing to be zapped to know how it feels.

"It feels like your muscles are being torn apart," one officer said. The pain is indescribable, he said.

The weapon has the support of the police union.

"We're in agreement that it's a good tool," said Tenari Maafala, president of the State of Hawai'i Organization of Police Officers. "It gives us another option other than the use of a firearm."

In one training exercise, five officers linked arms, Maafala said. "One got zapped and they all went down."

The battery-operated Advanced Taser's low electrical amperage and short duration of pulsating current ensures the charge will not be lethal, the company said.

Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.