Buffalo Grove chief: New TASERs will allow safer de-escalation

Buffalo Grove will receive new TASERs under a $1.1 million agreement the village board recently approved with Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon Enterprise Inc.

Police Chief Brian Budds said the new TASERs will have greater safety and reliability, as well as compatibility with existing Axon products such as the department’s body-worn and squad-car dash cameras.

The current model, the X2, which the village began using in 2011, is nearing the end of its life and will no longer be supported by the company, he added

The deal with Axon also includes accessory hardware and cloud-based software.

The new Taser 10 model has a 45-foot maximum range, double that of previous models, which will allow safer conflict de-escalation, Budd said. Its ability to deploy up to 10 targeted probes without reloading also significantly reduces the need for lethal force, he added.

In addition, it has energy efficiency features such as a rechargable battery.

“It will be a little greener than what we have,” Budd said.

By signing the agreement prior to 2024, the village will reduce net costs by approximately $200,000 over the life of the agreement, which runs through May, 2032.