Ohio Airport Equipping Officers With Tasers

Mar. 5 -- Four airport police officers were injured this year when they tried to subdue a man who was harassing people at Port Columbus.

One of the officers was hit in the head and required stitches, said Richard Morgan, director of public safety for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.

It is a perfect example of how Taser stun guns might have ended the situation differently, he said.

"This guy was 165 pounds soaking wet, and I had some big guys there," Morgan said. "If they had Tasers, they could have used the device and he would have gone down and then they could have handcuffed him."

The airport police force, which includes 39 full-time and eight part-time officers, will be equipped with Tasers once they complete training, probably this spring, airport officials said.

Money to pay for the Tasers, which cost about $45,000, came from assets seized in drug busts at the airport.

From Oct. 1, 2004, to Sept. 30, 2005, authorities made 11 drugrelated seizures at Port Columbus that netted $125,780 in cash, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Morgan said he's convinced that the tasers will help reduce problems. Last year, six airport police officers were injured trying to handle disruptive and unruly people, he said.

"It just became apparent to me that we needed to have some kind of a tool to protect not only the person involved, but my officers."

Tasers are viewed as a "lessthan-lethal" option.

"Needless to say, in an airport environment you have people in close quarters," Morgan said. "And especially when my officers have to go onto aircraft to take unruly people off, we were kind of limited.

"You don't want to have to spray tear gas because then that affects everybody in a surrounding area."

Officers will continue to carry firearms.

"Tasers have a distance limitation, so there are circumstances where they don't work well," said Rod Borden, senior vice president and chief operating officer at the airport authority.

"But it is definitely a first resort versus using a weapon. We are excited about it."

Officers at more than 40 airport police divisions are equipped with Tasers, according to Taser International. Columbus police started using Tasers in 2004.

"If you need to incapacitate an individual and not have a fear of taking out a whole section of the airport when doing it, a Taser is really a good choice," said Al Arena, researchcenter project manager of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Critics have raised concerns about health and safety risks associated with Tasers. They also say it may lead to more cases of excessive force by police.

"As with any tool, it requires proper training and understanding and knowledge of how to apply it and when to use it," said Tim Kimsey, president of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network and chief of police for the Port of Seattle.

"With all that in consideration, they are a safe tool to utilize."

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