REGINA - Saskatchewan police chiefs appeared to be at odds Monday with the province's police commission over a decision to hold off on expanding the use of Tasers.
The Saskatchewan Police Commission said last week it won't allow conducted energy weapons to be distributed to regular municipal officers until questions about the device's use and safety are fully answered.
But the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police said Monday it doesn't fully agree with that decision.
"Obviously this is a controversial situation," said association president Dale McFee.
"Certainly our commission takes their job seriously and they want to have all the information in front of them. From our perspective we respect that, but that said I think it's important that we review all aspects of this."
The commission initially approved the stun guns for regular municipal police, but decided to hold off until a proper policy was developed for their use.
While that policy was being put together, members of the commission became increasingly concerned about the safety of Tasers because of cases in other provinces.
Last October, Robert Dziekanski died at Vancouver International Airport after being Tasered by RCMP. Last week, a 17-year-old Winnipeg youth, Michael Langan, died after he was shot with a stun gun by city police.
Twenty-two people in Canada have died after being hit by a Taser, which can shoot 50,000 volts into a person with such force and heat that it can blister skin.
Arizona-based Taser International has said the weapons have never been directly blamed for a death, although they have been cited as contributing factors.
McFee said there are procedures for any type of use of force, whether it's a Taser, firearm or baton.
"We just want to make sure that it's clear that there is a lot of policy and things in place to ensure that these are used properly," said McFee, who is also the chief of police in Prince Albert, Sask.
"We do recognize that there's a few reviews going on across the country right now in relation to how they were deployed ... but we've yet heard a report that says the CED or Taser (has) directly been the cause of any death."
RCMP and municipal police tactical teams in Saskatchewan already use stun guns and will continue to do so.
But Saskatchewan's police chiefs are worried about the safety of officers and citizens if Tasers aren't allowed for regular officers.
"If the next step in some circumstances is the firearm, well, we know what often the result of that is," said McFee.
"We just want to make sure that our officers aren't second-guessing themselves and that they do have every tool readily available to them."
