San Francisco police Chief Greg Suhr last week cited a recent policy change in Memphis, Tenn., as a reason for why his department needs Tasers.
However, Suhr had the wrong Memphis.
Police in Memphis, Mich., rather than the much larger city in Tennessee, were the ones who adopted the use of the stun guns last December, San Francisco police spokesman Sgt. Mike Andraychak said today.
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After a controversial and failed effort to acquire Tasers for the Police Department last year, and two officer-involved shootings that a former police chief said may have been prevented by the “less lethal” devices, the department is still no closer to obtaining them.
But whereas there once wasn’t the political will to arm San Francisco cops with Tasers, the major obstacle now is budget cutbacks.
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BART’s board of directors will vote Thursday on a motion to purchase 130 new Tasers for its police department.The contract proposal, recommended by the BART staff, would more than double the current amount of Tasers — 60 — that the agency’s police force has. To purchase the Tasers — at the cost of $140,000 — BART’s board must approve the measure with a two-thirds majority.
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It’s been a busy year so far for the Police Commission. Decisions have been made on studying the use of Tasers and a plan has been put into motion to avoid fatal standoffs with the mentally ill.
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The Police Department might finally equip its officers with Tasers, but one major obstacle still exists: The police chief has to prove it is the best option available.The Police Commission voted 6-1 last week to allow the department to study the use of Tasers. But the commission wants the SFPD to look into other so-called less-lethal alternatives.
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The San Francisco Police Commission voted 6-1 Wednesday night to allow the Police Department to look into the use of Tasers by officers, nearly a year after shooting down a similar proposal.The decision came after a lively six-hour debate regarding the conducted energy devices, widely known as Tasers.Last March, the commission voted 4-3 against a proposal by then-Police Chief George Gascon to study the use of Tasers by the department.
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Prepare for another electrifying round of talk about Tasers this Wednesday when the Police Commission, once again but with a different political slant, discusses whether to adopt the controversial stun guns.
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Outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom seems to think Tasers could be in San Francisco’s future. Days after police shot a mentally disturbed man in a wheel chair, Newsom said it would be appropriate for the San Francisco Police Commission to consider an “organized and judicious” pilot project — and he still thinks so. The Commission has the four votes to do so, though they did not in early 2010.
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The Police Commission could barely pull enough members together Wednesday night for a hearing as two members quit and another, the panel president, is awaiting reconfirmation.
The most shocking news is the departure of Board of Supervisors appointee Vincent Pan, a solid liberal voice who said he would be concentrating on his position as executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action.
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Police Chief George Gascón’s fight to bring Tasers to the San Francisco Police Department fizzled after a divided Police Commission rejected the controversial stun guns.
“I think we’re going to wait,” Gascón said Thursday after a marathon meeting at City Hall the previous night. “The commission has spoken and we’re moving forward. We’ve got a city to run.”
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