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The Takoma Park Police Department has a fun community activity scheduled next week. On September 7, officers will demonstrate for residents their arsenal of non-lethal weapons that they use to stun would-be getaway criminals.
Takoma Park police are eager to show off the benefits they’ve experienced in using Tasers in chasing down suspects. The electronic deterrents have provided many advantages to law enforcement efforts, the department boasted on its website earlier this month. At the forum next Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Takoma Park Community Center, officers will share some of the ways their work has been improved by the use of Tasers.
But this won’t be some dreary old lecture by a dry civic official. It’s interactive! The forum’s audience is limited to 25, but people who show up will have the opportunity to get buzzed with a Taser:
In providing this educational presentation, we hope to provide community members a clear understanding of the weapon as well as to clarify any misconceptions in reference to Taser use. Those who attend may also voluntarily request to have the Taser deployed on them.
The “get stunned with a Taser for science” thing has long been a feature of, say, local television news. It’s generally an unpleasant experience:
Tasers are legal for civilians to carry in 43 states, including Maryland; they’re forbidden for D.C. residents to own.
The immediate discomfort aside, Tasers can also have longer-lasting negative effects. Gizmodo noted last year that Taser attacks can cause muscular failure, bone fracturing and exposure to cancerous materials.
And now you can try it, too!