WI officers start with 6 hours of Taser training, annual refresher
Wisconsin officers start with 6 hours of Taser training, annual refresher
A traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota turned deadly. 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed after Officer Kim Potter fired her gun instead of her Taser. Brooklyn Center’s police chief called it a mistake, but it’s raising a lot of questions about Tasers in general.
MILWAUKEE - The shooting in Brooklyn Center raises a lot of questions about use of force, especially when it comes to Tasers and guns.
It’s the body camera video seen around the world as a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota turned deadly. 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed after Officer Kim Potter fired her gun instead of her Taser. Brooklyn Center’s police chief called it a mistake, but it’s raising a lot of questions about Tasers in general.
"The Taser unit, it’s the shape of a firearm but certainly different markings," said Brian Dorow, chief Homeland Security and law enforcement advisor for MITRE Corporation. "You have a cartridge. It’s different, as well."
(GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP via Getty Images)
Dorow said Wisconsin officers start with six hours of training.
"Once you’re on the job, there’s a refresher course every year that an officer has to take," said Dorow.
Dorow says there are also guidelines as to where an officer keeps their Taser.
"So if you’re right-handed, right is your dominant hand, the Taser would be on your support side, or your left hand," said Dorow.
According to an Associated Press report, there were nine cases across the country of an officer shooting a suspect with a handgun when they said they meant to fire stun guns. The study only looked at the years between 2001 and 2012.
"They are making split-second decisions and ultimately, what is happening?" said Dorow. "How is the situation unfolding?"
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