This Monday, the university is holding an open forum to discuss the arming Department of Public Safety Officers with taser stun devices.

DPS proposed to President Geoffroy an initiative to arm its officers with taser guns. Currently, officers carry an ASP expandable baton and Oleoresin Capsicum (pepper) spray, used in specific situations to take dangerous subjects in to custody.

Currently, if a situation is deemed to require officers with firearms, DPS must contact the university president or their designee and receive special permission. Or, DPS contacts the Ames Police Department to also respond to the call.

However, this initiative should be considered carefully. The taser proposal could be taken as a halfway point to fully arming DPS officers. In addition, the medical implications of the use of these stun devices is not completely known.

Captain Gene Deisinger of the Department of Public Safety said that Iowa State is one of three four-year universities in the nation with 20,000 or more students that does not have police carrying firearms. But fully arming DPS officers is not a position all community members support.

The weapon works within 20 feet of a subject, firing two tiny barbs capable of piercing two inches of clothing and even body armor. Deisinger, who has been shot with the device during training, said the weapon then emits a 50,000-volt, 26-watt electrical charge. That charge provides a stun that overrides the subject’s neuromuscular control.

The entire action happens in a matter of milliseconds and the subject drops to the ground. The weapon is capable of providing that charge for five-second periods, with the officer able to stop the electricity at any time.

The recovery seems to be immediate. The subject returns to near normal within one or two minutes. According to Deisinger, in the many trials of the device in training there is rarely blood drawn from the barbs. The barbs are designed not to penetrate past the outer layers of skin and do not even need to come in to contact with the skin in order to deliver the required stun.

With such recovery characteristics, the advantage for such a recovery over a gunshot wound seems to be obvious.

Desinger said that he has seen demonstrations on tape and said the benefits are significant. He described the feeling of being shot with the device as an “intense” feeling. According to Deisinger, it is not necessarily a painful experience, but simply an “intense” one.

However, human rights organizations are worried. Amnesty International USA is extremely concerned with the unknown medical effects of electric shock devices. The organization stated, “We have called for suspension of the use of electro-shock equipment until the full medical consequences of its use, especially when used frequently, are clear.”

In addition, Amnesty said there is is a lack of proper monitoring systems and national standards to regulate the use of these weapons. These concerns were raised on a national scale and may not be applicable to the Iowa State Department of Public safety. However, these concerns are based on a solid foundation of research via Amnesty International USA.

It is understandable that fully certified, well-trained law enforcement officers wish to have tasers at their disposal for specific and dangerous situations. DPS officers work to protect the Iowa State community, and we have immense respect and gratitude for that.

It is equally important, however, to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of possibly making way for the arming of DPS without taking into account all of issues raised. Tasers now may seem to be an intelligent step. However, the all of the evidence has not been presented.

The Iowa State Department of Public Safety is known for its knowledge and ability to diffuse volatile situations without the use of violent force. Its officers are trained in criminal psychology and are highly skilled in the methods of negotiation.

Until this point, officers rarely need to resort to pepper spray and have never used an ASP baton on a subject, Deisinger said. That is due in large part to expertise of officers in calming dangerous subjects without force.

The department should be commended for its regard for the value of less damaging weapons and in its careful consideration of options.

We too must carefully contemplate the implications of a department with high skill level in less violent conflict resolution adding the responsibility of carrying tasers and possibly making way for firearms.

The taser proposal is one that calls for the university community to make a truly careful and informed decision taking in to account medical factors. And the best way to start is to do your research and attend the forum Monday night.

Omar Tesdell is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Slater. He is online editor of the Daily.