My name is Michael and I've been in law enforcement for just over 24 years.
I remember being on a Specialty Unit. We were one of the first officers (maybe 18, 19, maybe 20 years ago) whenever the TASERS first came out and we were given this device and it was something futuristic and it was something completely unknown, but after the first use it was a game changer for us.
I’ll tell you the first time we ever used it. I was in my early to mid 20s. You know, just a young cop, thought I knew everything about law enforcement. And I didn't realize that the tools that were given have a specific use and a primary purpose. And the TASER was one of them.
It was an individual that was very erratic. He came at us with clenched fists. Typically, we would go hands on with somebody like this and, you know, we would usually take someone to the ground, maybe, punches would be thrown. Sometimes guys would break their hands. Sometimes there would be blood and scrapes and scratches.
But I remember somebody reminded me saying, “Hey, use your TASER, use your TASER!” And I was like, TASER? What? And I had to remember it's on my leg. I had to pull it out. It was this big device and I pointed it at the guy, and one shot and he went down. And I was like, what do we do next?
You know, it was the first time I'd ever seen it used. My squad that was there - the group of guys - we were a Specialty Unit, Neighborhood Enforcement Team. And it was the first time we had used something like this. And from there on, it was like, “wow, this thing really works.” And we didn't have to use the other methods. And it was something that was easy and it worked.
My family, my kids, they know what TASER is. They know how we use it. They know what it is. They've never used it. And I would say yes, if this is in homes, absolutely it's a device that can be used to save lives, to get away from somebody.
