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Oxford police may soon be carrying tasers for the first time in more than a year, but not before the public has a say in the matter.
The Oxford Police Department (OPD) is inviting members of the community to attend a meeting of the Police Advisory Board at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Oxford Senior Citizens Center. The meeting will be focused on the department's taser policy and slight changes that have been made to the policy.
According to Lt. Tom Horvath, OPD hopes to gain perspective on public opinion and discuss the few changes that were made to the policy.
"If people have an opinion, we want to know what it is," Horvath said.
Horvath said the changes to the taser policy were very minor, but OPD wants to present it to the community and receive input.
Greg Rutherford, Oxford city councilor and Police Advisory Board member, said he hopes for an open and honest dialogue about the policy that involves permanent residents as well as Miami University students.
Rutherford recognized the potential impact of the policy and the need for discussion due to the death of a Miami alumnus in an incident involving a taser in April 2008.
"A taser is (a) potentially deadly force and as such I believe it should be considered in the same way as other things in a police officer's arsenal," Rutherford said. "While we don't expect it to kill someone, we should treat it as though it will."
According to Sgt. Jim Squance, while the city was researching the device and its correct use, only OPD supervisors have been permitted to carry tasers since the 2008 incident.
"After the incident, the city really wanted to study the use of tasers," Squance said.
According to Horvath, OPD's taser policy was reviewed by the Butler County Prosecutor as well as the Butler County Sheriff following the incident. It was determined that the officer in the case operated within the policy.
Miami University Police Chief John McCandless said while MUPD has never deployed a taser, officers do have them in their cars and the department views them as useful tools.
"We wouldn't have them available for our officers if we didn't think they were a good tool," McCandless said. "They're just another tool in the toolbox."
Both McCandless and Horvath said without tasers, officers are left with few options in threatening situations.
"If we didn't have them it doesn't leave a lot of options short of deadly force," McCandless said.
Horvath said the usefulness of tasers is clear as several officers have been injured in the past few months in incidents that OPD believes may have been avoided if the officer had a taser.
According to Horvath, OPD plans to return tasers to its officers as soon as possible and all officers are undergoing re-training.
"We're anticipating giving them back as soon as we can," Horvath said. "We want to equip our guys with the best equipment we can to do their job."
