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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
A five-year contract for new Tasers for the Winnipeg Police Service is up for approval at city council.<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Police Service Supt. George Labossiere, who oversees operational support, said the latest Tasers are a significant advancement over the technology used by front-line officers. The service has used Tasers since 2005.<\/p>\n
Labossiere said the service wants to end the five-year contract it signed with Axon Public Safety, which manufactures the devices and associated software, in 2023. Instead, it wants to sign a new deal with the company for the latest Taser 10s. Ending the current contract will come at no penalty, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason we\u2019re so highly motivated (to seek a new contract) is because the enhanced technology allows us to do so much more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The new devices carry more rounds and have a range of about 45 feet, compared to 25 feet with the current model.<\/p>\n
The devices shoot two electronic probes into an individual to complete an electric circuit that shocks and incapacitates them.<\/p>\n
The current model has three probes, allowing for one first shot and one followup, whereas the new model allows officers to make as many as nine additional shots to try to complete the circuit.<\/p>\n
Labossiere said the Taser 10 shoots faster and more accurately; it offers more opportunities to complete the circuit and incapacitate suspects.<\/p>\n
He argued the devices will potentially save lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really do believe the extra time, the distance, the ability to get a better probe connection to the individual, will allow us to stay at that intermediate weapon use of force, in that range. If the Taser is ineffective, then you\u2019re potentially looking at higher levels of force, which nobody wants, which police certainly don\u2019t want,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tasers, along with pepper spray, batons and foam-round launchers, are considered intermediate weapons.<\/p>\n
The next step up is lethal force in which officers draw and potentially shoot their firearm at a suspect.<\/p>\n
Data on when the new devices are pulled from their holsters and what angle they\u2019re fired at is automatically recorded.<\/p>\n
When pulled from their holsters, the new Tasers can also automatically trigger body-worn cameras on officers in the immediate area.<\/p>\n
Labossiere said the police service is looking at adopting body-worn cameras.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the event that officers are just happening to be in a situation where they\u2019re not required to have their cameras on, pulling the Taser out will automatically turn the cameras on\u2026 so we\u2019ll get the vantage point of every officer in that area,\u201d said Labossiere.<\/p>\n
The superintendent said he believes the benefits of the new devices outweigh the higher annual cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we think of the fact that we\u2019re going to be using less force\u2026 we believe that the cost will certainly outweigh the price of not having it, not to mention the saving of lives,\u201d argued Labossiere.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t put a price on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeff Wiggett, the executive director of the Winnipeg Police Board, said the board has supported the move and thinks the new models will be worth the increased price.<\/p>\n
He said the latest use-of-force statistics from WPS, from the 2024 annual report, showed that Taser use by officers had increased nearly twofold over the prior five-year average.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re proven to be the most effective control they have, while also being the least likely to cause injuries,\u201d said Wiggett.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo that end, new, modern equipment that is reported to be more effective at controlling people, when the need arises, I think from the board\u2019s perspective, it very much aligns with what they\u2019ve tasked the service with doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frank Cormier, a University of Manitoba criminology professor, said it\u2019s too early to determine whether they will be more effective than the current model.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI don\u2019t know if they\u2019re any less dangerous if you hit the person with it, but\u2026 if they\u2019re effective over longer distances and you can get more attempts, because they\u2019re not always successful, it\u2019s less likely you\u2019re going to have to switch to a gun,\u201d said Cormier.<\/p>\n
He noted companies often market the newest model of a product as being worth the money, but it\u2019s difficult to assess the veracity of those claims until the products are tested in the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think police are no different than anybody else, in that we can be persuaded by effective marketing and\u2026 (Axon) is a huge corporation with a huge budget for marketing,\u201d Cormier said.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 Until they\u2019ve been in the field long enough to get data that can be confirmed, it\u2019s hard to know if it\u2019s worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Erik Pindera Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.\u00a0 Read more about Erik<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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