The Government of the Student Body will vote tonight on a senate resolution supporting the use of tasers by the Department of Public Safety.

Several senators said they feel DPS officers lack adequate tools to deal with violent situations, and tasers would provide increased security for both DPS officers and the ISU community.

“I don’t think people realize how often DPS officers run into dangerous situations,” said Tony Luken, LAS. “Tasers will provide them with another tool to help resolve very tense and very dangerous situations.”

Speaker of the Senate Andrew Kothenbeutel, TRA, said there are a lot of misconceptions in the ISU community regarding the use of tasers.

“Some students think that people writing parking tickets will be given tasers,” Kothenbeutel said. “Only officers responding to critical situations would have tasers, and they would have to go through extensive training.”

The law enforcement division of DPS, not the parking division, would be the only officers equipped with the non-lethal device, he said.

“Our public safety force has most of the same training as police officers do,” Kothenbeutel said.

DPS Capt. Gene Deisinger will be present at tonight’s GSB meeting to discuss the advantages tasers provide to law enforcement officials.

“We do have a safe campus,” Luken said. “Our law enforcement officials do an excellent job, but they run into situations where they are not adequately equipped. I’m not going to wait for a DPS officer to get seriously injured or die before we take steps to make this campus safer.”

Kothenbeutel said he hopes GSB will pass the resolution.

“I believe many of the senators see this as something that will protect their fellow students,” he said. “With DPS cooperation, we should be able to get this through and send it to the Board of Regents.”

The Board of Regents ultimately has the final decision, Luken said.

“President [Gregory] Geoffroy has expressed an interest in tasers and wanted to solicit opinions,” he said.

The GSB Senate will meet at 7 p.m. today in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union. The following will be discussed:

General Orders

A bylaw bill that would place the power of who is seated as a senator to be controlled by the Senate. By Luken, Kothenbeutel and others.

A bylaw bill that the parliamentary authority of the Senate be replaced with the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised. By Marvin and Darr.

A funding bill to transfer $2,346.70 from instructional fees to boat rental in the ISU Waterski Club’s 2001-2002 GSB budget. By Stallmann, Kothenbeutel and others.

A senate resolution to endorse the proposal made to the ISU administration to provide trained DPS officers with tasers or similar non-lethal devices. By Kothenbeutel, Stallmann and others.