Meijer donates money to Cadillac Police
CADILLAC -- Cadillac Police have three new taser guns thanks to a generous donation from Meijer.
Police say it's the most effective and safest way to stop violent situations in the field. The taser gun is a small, lightweight gun that sends pulses of electricity directly to the muscles of the person being tased. The shock does not affect the heart or organs, but gives enough electricity to drop someone to the ground instantly.
"It puts a low amperage shock in your body which jams your central nervous system from sending messages to your muscles," said Cadillac Sergeant Tony Crawford. "It basically contracts all your muscles so they kind of lock up in place."
Meijer donated $1,650 to the Cadillac Police Department for the three new taser guns. There's a six-hour training course for officers to carry a taser, and they say getting tased is the best way to learn!
"Because this is a new weapon system that we're using, I want to be able to feel comfortable using it in the field so I know what it's going to do to the people I may need to use it against," said Cadillac Patrolman Jeff Rork.
Rork volunteered to be tased and said he didn't know what to expect.
"That was intense," said Rork after being tased. "It was unlike any other feeling I've ever felt. I didn't feel anything prior, just all of a sudden my body locked up and I lost all control."
More than 15,000 police officers and military agencies use taser guns, and as painful as the seem, statistics show tasers have reduced officer and suspect injuries by as much as 80% nationwide.
Now Cadillac Police are on board.
