Budget, Tasers on City Council agenda
Necklaces for People for a Taser-Free Columbia hang from a toolbox that member Pam Forbes brought to the Columbia City Council meeting. The group handed out the necklaces to generate support for an ordinance that will ban the weapons if the council approves it.
The Columbia City Council meeting has just been called into session. Issues that will be covered tonight include the council’s decision on a ban of all tasers, stun guns, and other conducted electrical devices. If passed, the ordinance will make it a Class A misdemeanor for private citizens and police officers to use, or threaten to use a taser on any person within the city.
If the ordinance does not pass, it will be put on the Nov. 2 ballot for the population of Columbia to decide upon. Other significant items on tonight's agenda include the 1/8-cent sales tax increase for the creation and rebuilding of parks within the city, the city’s budget for the fiscal year of 2011 and a decision following the controversial SWAT raid last February regarding who is eligible to file a complaint of alleged police misconduct. Look to The Maneater for up to the minute coverage on all the decisions made tonight.
7 p.m., Aug. 16, 2010
Kevin said:
It seems a ban on all electrical devices would diminish our law enforcements ability to take control of some individuals in critically needed situations. This could also put law enforcement and civilians in danger in certain situations. Why?