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Rules Imposed By Miami-dade Commissioners For Stun Gun Use

November 22, 2005

Miami-Dade County Commissioners approved new rules imposing a five-day mandatory waiting period and background checks for people purchasing a stun gun or other electronic control device. The rules were approved because the stun guns were being sold without regulation in the county to untrained individuals. The stun guns also have the potential to cause bodily harm and incidents involving their use by criminals have occurred, the new ordinance said. Although the waiting period does not apply to police, officers will be required to be trained.

'Police departments will have to do some training,' said Toni-Anne Blake, media liaison for the commissioners. 'It is potentially dangerous. Just in the same way that you would want a police officer to be properly trained in the use of a firearm, you would want them trained in the use of an electronic device.'

While the new regulations take a preventive approach by requiring training in the weapons, there is no indication that Tasers and other devices have caused fatal injuries in the county, said George M. Burgess, county manager for Miami-Dade County. 'I don't know frankly that one can say there have been Taser-related deaths. I don't think that's ever been shown to be the case,' Burgess said.

The intent of the new rules was to attempt to make sure stun gun buyers understand how they work. Although training requirements apply to police, the primary aim was to regulate civilian use, Burgess said. 'The understandable concern of the commissioners was: Let's make sure we regulate the use of these,' Burgess said.

A bill filed in September for consideration next year by the Florida Legislature would impose restrictions on police when using stun guns. Police throughout the state would be able to use the devices on suspects only when confrontations escalate to physical fights, or when fleeing suspects are considered a danger, under the bill SB 214. The bill also would require training in electronic weaponry for all police officers, with one-hour updates each year. Another proposal by Florida legislators would ban stun guns from school grounds.

More than 8,000 police, prison and military agencies worldwide use Tasers, which fire two small darts with electric wires carrying up to 26 watts of electricity. The recipient of a shock normally loses muscle control long enough to be subdued and handcuffed.