City Council hears report on Taser policies

By Kathleen Pointer

Published Aug. 19, 2008

Interim Columbia Police Chief Tom Dresner presented a report to the City Council about the department's use of Tasers Monday night.

Council members requested the report at their July 7 meeting after members of Grass Roots Organizing, a mid-Missouri human rights group, asked the council to reconsider its decision to buy 40 new Tasers for the department.

The issue gained momentum this summer when Columbia resident Phillip McDuffy fell 15 feet from an overpass after being shot with the Taser. McDuffy had threatened to kill himself by throwing himself from the Providence Road pedestrian bridge onto Interstate 70 below.

"The report the council members have compare our Taser use with the nationally recognized best practices," Dresner said.

Specifically, the report compared policies by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Executive Research Forum and USDOJ COPS program. According to Dresner's report, the department's standards are "more restrictive than suggested national standards.   

The report also stated that the department's Professional Standards Unit would conclude its investigation into the circumstances of Phillip McDuffy's injuries and release the results within 14 days.

During the discussion of the report, Mayor Darwin Hindman said new independent studies are out and would be available in the next couple of weeks.

After McDuffy's fall, which left him with two broken arms, a broken jaw and a fracture near his eye.

Since then, the department has reached out to the public to foster support for Taser use.

"We've held two informational sessions and several council members attended those," said Dresner. "Police officers will go through training for the new Tasers in September and council members are also invited to attend. "

Councilman Karl Skala commented during the discussion that he attended one of the informational sessions and that he had found it very informative.

The department has used Tasers for three years and currently has 38 in service, Dresner said. The new Tasers, which were acquired in July, have not yet been deployed.

The City Council does not typically act on reports. When a person attending the meeting asked why there was little discussion, Hindman said the topic would likely be on future agendas.