Schaumburg police may soon carry Tasers

The Schaumburg Police Department was the first nationally accredited law enforcement agency in Illinois, but it’s also one of the last suburban holdouts in the use of Tasers or stun devices.

But that may soon change if the village board Tuesday grants permission for the purchase of 12 Tasers along with training of the department’s own instructors.

Schaumburg Police Chief Brian Howerton said a combination of changes in society and improvements to the Taser’s technology contributed to the pending policy change.

“We’ve done our homework, and that’s partly why we held off as long as we have,” Howerton said. “I think it was more of a philosophical or policy decision in the past. There aren’t a lot of use-of-force incidents in Schaumburg.”

Among the changes that have occurred in recent years because of the economy is that people with mental illness are less likely to be institutionalized. Police departments are looking for nonlethal-force options in confrontational situations besides just batons and pepper spray, Howerton said.

But a strong policy on their use also is required, he added. Schaumburg’s intention is to use the devices only for truly aggressive assailants, not for simply uncooperative subjects who might not get into or out of a squad car.

“We’re trying to minimize force, not escalate force,” he said.

From 2006 to 2011, there were 44 use-of-force incidents that resulted in an injury to a Schaumburg police officer, 23 of which led to workers’ compensation claims.

A department analysis determined that 21 of these claims might have been prevented through the use of a Taser, potentially saving 75 percent of the $358,006 that was paid out.

One of these use-of-force cases involved the death of 47-year-old officer Frank Russo, who suffered a fatal heart attack while responding to an unruly subject at a club who resisted officers on Halloween in 2008.

“Could it have made a difference?” Howerton said about the potential use of a Taser in that situation. “Possibly.”

Purchase of the Tasers and the instructor training will cost $20,661. Cameras add $500 to each device’s price tag. Howerton said the village’s public safety committee members were strongly in favor of the cameras, which are optional.

If the full village board approves the purchase Tuesday, it’s expected that officers on each squad will be trained and armed with the Tasers by the end of the summer.

Hanover Park and Skokie were the only other police departments in the area identified by Schaumburg as not currently using Tasers.