Chief Lartigue of VPPD requests tasers

As the call for police reform grows around the country and a more watchful eye is on police training to help prevent another George Floyd situation, Ville Platte Chief of Police Neil Lartigue has requested the use of stun guns (“Tasers”) for his officers. During the Tuesday, October 13 meeting of the Ville Platte City Council, he said he came to the decision to get Tasers because he was involved in an arrest where a suspect was resisting and “it took five of us to subdue him. One officer by himself or two officers would not have gotten that done. It would have gotten out of hand, and somebody would have gotten hurt really bad or killed,” he said. “It’s time that we step up and get more into reality. Every other police department has Tasers. The Sheriff’s Department has them. It’s less lethal,” said Lartigue.
“It’s amazing how they get strong when they’re on those drugs. I don’t know what kind of drugs they’re on, but they become Herculean strong,” said Mayor Jennifer Vidrine. “They feel no pain. I saw one just throw himself on the street the other day, just throw himself on the concrete street.”
The Chief said one such drug is the mind-altering PCP (Phencyclidine). Other popular drugs in recent years have been synthetic cathinones (bath salts; flakka), and “wet,” which uses embalming fluid often laced with PCP.
Vidrine added, “With Tasers we can preserve life. When using a weapon, lives could be taken. I think at all costs we want to preserve life as much as possible, no matter what the crime is. We’re going to let the justice system take care of the crime.” Councilman Lionel Anderson said, “Anything that’s going to help us out, Chief, I’m all with you. If we need to have them, then we need to have them. We’ve got to get with the program.”
Lartigue presented two options from the Taser company, Axon Enterprise, formerly Taser International. One option for four Tasers for patrol supervisors would cost $11,000, and the other option for 15 Tasers, which would cover 12 patrol officers and three detectives, would be $54,000. Training comes with the package of 15, but the package of four does not come with training, so the police department would be responsible for training the officers. If Axon provides the training, then the company would be liable for testifying in court if there would be a lawsuit. Also, payments on the package of 15 can be paid over a five-year period, which comes to $10,800 a year.
Councilman Bryant Riggs said Tasers are a good tool for de-escalation. He brought up the usual police training of choke holds and kneeling on a suspects neck, which is how George Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a police officer excessively used the kneeling technique for eight minutes and 46 seconds. “If you’re thinking about physically putting someone down, then that’s when you use a Taser,” said Riggs.
Sometimes, stun guns can escalate the situation instead of de-escalating it, particularly if someone is on a mind-altering drug or has a mental illness. According to a May, 2019 report from American Public Media (APM), they found there were “more than 250 fatal police shootings nationwide between 2015 and 2017 that occurred after a Taser failed to incapacitate a suspect.” According to APM’s review of case files and media reports, in 106 of those fatal shootings, the suspect became more violent after receiving the electrical shock, “suggesting the Taser may have made a bad situation worse.”
Further in APM’s report on the effectiveness of stun guns, they say Axon claims their Tasers are between 80 and 97 percent effective at subduing someone. However, a year-long investigation by APM Reports shows police rate Tasers as considerably less effective. A recent example of stun guns failing was in August in Lafayette when a suspect, 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin, was shot 11 times after Tasers failed to subdue him.
For safety reasons, Axon reduced the power of its Tasers in 2009 when they were fighting dozens of product liability lawsuits, according to APM. The lawsuits alleged the Tasers caused death or serious injury. Axon then added a risk management strategy and put new warnings on their products. After the power was reduced, officers across the country found the stun guns to be less effective than the older models. As of 2019, Axon’s lawsuits dwindled to eight.
As Lartigue pointed out, Axon can provide officer training and would be liable for testifying in court should there be a lawsuit. When asked about the effectiveness of Axon Tasers and the complaints on certain models, Lartigue said the department is getting the newest model which is TASER 7. According to Axon’s website, “TASER 7 is the most effective CEW ever because it dramatically improves performance with misses, clothing disconnects, and close probe spreads – giving officers even more confidence to de-escalate or pause dangerous situations.”
The Ville Platte City Council agreed to the purchase of Tasers, contingent upon bids from two other companies, however Axon corners the market on stun guns. The council also gave the go-ahead to purchase the stun guns as soon as the decision is made on which company to use, rather than wait until the next meeting.