MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Police Department is still testing tasers, but in a recent YouTube video, Interim Police Director Michael Rallings announced he would soon equip more officers with the technology.
MPD posted a self-promotional video online, in which Rallings sits down with Crisis Intervention Team Officer Adam Bittick.
Bittick describes how he took down a suspect, who was armed with a machete, using a taser that he had requested from Rallings.
The incident happened last month.
“I said ‘I’m going to give you another chance drop it.’ He said, ‘You’re going to have shoot me tonight,’ and I said, ‘Okay,’ and I deployed the taser,” Bittick said in the video.
In the clip, Bittick recalls telling Rallings that there were not enough tasers for officers’ use at his precinct.
“I asked you about the equipment issue and you made a promise to me. You said you would take care of it. About a week later, we had more tasers.”
Currently, there are not many police tasers on the streets.
MPD told WREG it has been testing tasers since last July.
Currently, 29 tasers are deployed, which cost about $41,000 from the operational budget.
Memphis residents may be surprised to know each precinct only has two tasers, except Airways, which has four.
At the end of the video, Rallings reveals more tasers are on the way.
“This year, we’re going to equip all CIT officers that go through the program with a taser so you’re not going to have to worry about that,” Rallings told the officer.
“I think that’s more than fair, you know, for the officer’s protection as well,” said Memphis resident Robert McNeal.
CIT officers are trained to respond to calls, involving someone with mental issues.
They already have some techniques to take down suspects with non-lethal force, like chemical agents, batons, and launchers.
Police said 95 officers have certificates to carry tasers, but at this point, MPD still does not know exactly how many tasers it plans to buy or when that will happen.
Just last month, WREG reported on two different mental consumer calls to which CIT officers responded.
One of those cases led to an officer-involved shooting.
