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Gone in 60 Seconds

by Shannon M. Lahey, CCPOA Government Relations

In California, more than 1,600 correctional officers were injured or disabled last year from inmate attacks and other workplace hazards, at an estimated cost to the state of $3.2 million. Electronic control devices (ECD) can significantly reduce these injury rates and save the state millions of dollars.

There are many different types of ECDs, and most of them generate high voltage - 40,000 to 80,000 volts - and very low amounts of amperage. That's a good thing because high amperage - not high voltage - is lethal. But, as most correctional officers know, chemicals, alcohol, and adrenaline can reduce pain's motivating qualities. TASER International's X26 takes the concept of control devices to another level because it impacts both the sensory and motor nerves.

At CCPOA's annual convention in Temecula last year, CCPOA Chief Communications Officer Lance Corcoran was incapacitated - not once but twice in two days - by the very powerful TASER X26. He agreed to receive a blast in front of hundreds of convention attendees to raise several thousand dollars for two deserving groups: Minorities in Law Enforcement (M.I.L.E.) and the CCPOA Retired Chapter.

Gone in 60 Seconds

The TASER X26 electronic control device provides correctional and parole officers a way to immediately and completely incapacitate inmates and parolees, allowing officers to gain control over a situation without injury. The device uses a replaceable cartridge containing a compressed nitrogen propulsion system to deploy two small probes that are attached to the TASER X26 by insulated wires. The TASER X26 transmits incapacitating pulses through these wires into the remote target at distances from zero to 35 feet.

In addition, the TASER CAM, which records the date and time of an incident, offers increased accountability for officers. The recorder is activated any time the safety is in the off position, allowing officers to capture vital information prior to, during, and after the potential deployment of a TASER X26 device. Until now, it's been the officer's word against that of an inmate or parolee. Now, with the TASER CAM recorder, every potential TASER X26 deployment can be documented with full audio and video - even in zero light conditions.

State Department of Corrections in Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Kentucky have found that the TASER International technology is ideal for inmate transport, cell extractions, special operations, suicide watches, and parole. The X26 and the TASER CAM provide nonlethal-force control options for correctional and parole officers that protects lives and reduces officer injury. The technology also modifies criminal behavior, as inmates and parolees are more likely to become compliant to avoid being on the receiving end of a blast from the TASER X26.

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