Since 2002, ISU Police have packed some electrifying heat, but last week’s events involving the Chicago Police Department’s use of Tasers have sparked interest in the controversial use of the non-lethal weapon.

In Chicago, the use of Tasers may have contributed to the death of a 54-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy experiencing cardiac arrest.

The university’s and Board of Regents’ approval three years ago for state-certified police officers to carry stun guns was based on several factors, said ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger.

“Officers already carried less-lethal weapons like chemical spray and expandable batons, but there was concern about the proximity in the use of those weapons,” he said. “We wanted to give officers some standoff room, and we also wanted something they could carry routinely.”

Deisinger said factors of “high effectiveness and minimal injury” were also considered.

“The goal of the use of force is to increase safety and to increase compliance of [the officer’s] request,” he said. “We look at the lowest levels of force that are likely going to be effective to control a situation based on all factors.”

ISU Police Lt. Joel Congdon, who is a certified stun gun instructor, has been shocked seven times for training purposes — an option that is not required of officers but encouraged by the department, Deisinger said.

“This is done for two reasons: to better understand the weapon’s capabilities and to better understand recovery time,” he said.

Congdon said the Taser experience helps officers evaluate the use of the gun.

“You get tunnel vision — [you’re] only focused on getting that person into custody,” he said. “We have to weigh out the facts very quickly, but I trust my officers will make the right decisions.”

Campus police at the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa also carry Tasers.

“We looked at the types of incidents that occur on campus and found something that would have stopping power but not [add] injury to an individual,” said Chuck Green, assistant vice president and director of public safety at Iowa.

Milissa Wright, associate director of public safety at Northern Iowa, said Tasers were implemented because officers were responding to calls they were not equipped to handle.

“It was a measure of personal safety and the safety of others,” she said.

All three universities implemented Tasers into their public safety departments in 2002. Wright reported that Northern Iowa has used the gun fewer than 25 times, Green said Iowa has had approximately 12 incidents and ISU Police reported no more than five Taser instances.

The stun guns used by all three universities are manufactured by Taser International, the same company that manufactured the guns used by Chicago police.

According to the company’s Web site, all models used by Iowa universities deploy 50,000 volts, with a firing range of up to 21 feet.

The Tasers fire dart-like projectiles that can penetrate the skin and can also be used as a contact weapon. Each Taser comes with two record-keeping components, according to the manufacturer’s Web site. The guns either have a scene marking mechanism or a data recorder to increase accountability.

Deisinger said accountability was another factor the department considered when it chose to include Tasers in their arsenal; accountability protects the public against misuse, and protects officers against false claims.

However, some organizations are concerned that more safety precautions may be needed.

Wendy Balazik, a spokeswoman for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said the organization is releasing a report, hopefully Tuesday, to give agencies some guidelines to make using stun guns safer.

She said the report “is not a direct response” to the Chicago incident and is something the organization has been working on with the National Institute of Justice for more than a year.

Balazik could not comment on how these guidelines might affect any university’s use of the guns.