TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Tasers for the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office
Liberty University Helms School of Government
GOVT 480: Terrorism
Professor Joel Cox
November 6, 2022
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Memorandum
To: Sheriff Donald Lowe
From: John Bradley
Date: 3/6/23
Re: Arming Police Officers with Tasers
When officers engage in hand-to-hand use of force tactics either using a baton or bare hands their odds of
injuring the suspect as well as the odds of their own injury increase greatly. The use of tasers would give
officers an additional option to avoid lethal force while also not using tactics that may involve major
blunt-force trauma or breaking bones. There could be a full implementation of tasers to every officer, only
supplying tasers to officers currently on patrol, or no officers could be supplied tasers as they already have
non-lethal options. The officers of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office do not currently have tasers
available for their use and this makes their arrests of suspects more dangerous for everyone involved.
Louisa County is a smaller county and does not have many people flocking to the Sheriff’s Office to join,
so if the Sheriff’s Office can increase officer safety while decreasing the injury rate of suspects, leading to
fewer complaints, officers will be able to be more effective in their job and cover the whole county
effectively. Many agencies throughout the country and in larger cities have the use of tasers employed by
their officers so they can reduce situations where excessive use of force or lethal force is used. This would
help to bring the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office into the modern world of policing and protecting her
citizens. The purchasing of tasers for officers and the ammunition charges are able to fall under grants for
less lethal ordinances for police departments meaning it would cost little for the department to pursue this
path. Overall, the implementation of tasers for the officers of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office will
allow officers to better protect themselves while reducing injuries to suspects of crimes and aid in the
apprehension of suspects before they can do further damage.
The following white paper will expand upon the importance to act for this agency as well as the overall
significance of the issue. Three potential solutions along with a discussion of the benefits and pitfalls will
be presented: do nothing, full implementation, and incremental approach. I thank you for your time in
advance in considering this proposal.
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Introduction
Tasers are an effective tool for police use, giving officers a tool capable of stopping a
suspect without having to resort to batons or firearms which have much higher injury rates for
suspects and increase the odds of officers being injured. Tasers provide a safer option for use of
force, they are capable of being deployed at a distance, do not rely on blunt force trauma to
coerce a subject into submission, and are less lethal. The solution to some use of force problems
is to arm officers with tasers which will allow officers to arrest suspects without long-term
damage.
Problem
Police use of force puts both the suspects and the officers engaging at a higher risk of
injury. Police officers’ rates of injury increase when hand-to-hand tactics are used when using
force against a suspect in the process of an arrest. Tasers while not completely getting rid of
injuries in the process of arrests and have their own unique issues as well do reduce the rate of
injuries to both suspects and officers.
Significance
Use-of-force incidents are often a headache for agencies across the country and lethal-
force incidents are more so. The addition of tasers for officers would allow officers to deploy
them against suspects and would lessen the possibility of lethal force issues
Solution
Full Implementation
Level 3. Each officer would have a taser for personal use in incidents where the level of
force is necessary to use a taser. This would guarantee that each officer would have a taser for
their shift and if more officers were needed for an incident then officers who were called in from
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
being off duty would have guaranteed access to a taser for use. Additional training would be
needed for all officers as they would need certification to use tasers and there would likely be an
adjustment period while the officers learn to use the tasers over other methods.
The X2 taser has two separate cartridges which can be activated simultaneously and
allow an officer to engage multiple suspects or use a second cartridge on a suspect. If an officer
has used both of his projectile cartridges the X2 has drive stun capabilities to use in closer
quarters.
Level 3. Arming all 25 officers of the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office with X2 Tasers
from Axon costing $1,500 each would lead to a total of $37,500. There are grants available from
Policegrantshelp.com which offer help to specifically fund less lethal options like the X2 tasers.
There would need to be a section of the budget each year for extra taser cartridges which cost
$100 each, the amount needed to ensure the officers
Level 3. This program would receive public support as it would reduce the incidents
which result in harm to suspects while also allowing officers to end the conflict quickly. This
would likely lead to better public approval as fewer suspects would need medical attention and
there would be fewer incidents requiring lethal force. The public should be informed how this
will prevent suspects from being injured during apprehension and help keep the officers from
having to resort to lethal force.
Incremental Solution
Level 3. The incremental solution would be to purchase only enough tasers for the
officers who would currently be on duty. This would be prudent as there is no need for there to
be an abundance of tasers on hand as they are reported by Apex, their manufacturer, to be
durable in hand-to-hand combat. This means that there is not necessarily a need for all of the
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
officers to have tasers on hand, but if there is an emergency that needs off-duty officers to be
called in they will not have the option of using a taser.
Level 3. This would be less financially draining on the department as they would need to
purchase about half the amount of tasers than they would need if they were to arm all of the
officers. The Sheriff’s Office would still need to dedicate the same amount of budget towards
purchasing ammunition to arm the tasers. The officers would still need certification and training
so they can use the tasers properly.
Level 3.
Do Nothing
Level 3. Tactics and use of force would proceed as normal, requiring no additional
certification or training. The officers would carry on with their jobs as normal. This would result
in the continued use of force incidents some of these incidents may be unnecessary as the
officers had to use more force than required in dealing with a suspect in order to pacify them for
arrest.
Level 3. There would be no costs for the Sheriff’s Office relating to the purchasing of
new equipment, training, or certification. However, the Sheriff’s office may be liable for
wrongful use of force that results in the injuries of suspects.
Level 3. Public opinion would not be as much of a worry with the do-nothing solution as
nothing is changing from what they already know. The public already has a decent opinion of the
Sherrif’s office so the Sherrif deciding not to adopt a new policy and add tasers to the budget and
officer’s equipment would likely make no difference for any civilians’ daily lives.
Christian World View
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
The Bible makes it clear that God is the judge and it is not our place to decide the fates of
others, as well as commanding us not to murder, while The Bible does speak about justified
murder during times of conflict it never directly says for the killing of others to be a clear
solution. “21 You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever
murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his
brother[c] will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and
whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). While officers do
not often act out of anger, they are still taking a human life and God knows their every action and
thought, he knows that they may have had time to find an alternative but were too scared. The
use of tasers could help fill this gap of protecting human life and even the lives of those who do
evil. “28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's
offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:28-29). Everyone is united under God’s love
and it is the duty of Christian law enforcement officers to ensure that his precious creations are
protected and have the opportunity, should they believe in Christ Jesus, to one day live in eternity
with him.
Conclusion
Arming officers with tasers will reduce aid officers in the apprehension of suspects while
also reducing the risk of injuries to both the officers and the suspects. All three solutions are
reasonable, but the full implementation and incremental solution are better because this will give
the officers good alternatives to nightsticks and guns, while the do-nothing solution would
maintain the status quo it is not the best solution.
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
References
Axon. (2022, February). Taser X2 Professional Series Manual.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/npz40u8wl8ed1f2/X2%20Pro%20manual
%20book_051722.pdf?dl=0.
Common services. Sheriff | Louisa County, VA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2022, from
https://www.louisacounty.com/2687/Sheriff
English Standard Version. (1971). BibleGateway online.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205&version=ESV
English Standard Version. (1971). BibleGateway online.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203&version=ESV
Office of Justice Programs. (J. Hernon, E. Zedlewski, C. Crawford Watson, G. Tillery, K. Rose,
N. Ritter, M. Moses, A. Moore, L. Mockenstrum, & T. Feucht, Eds.), Police Use of Force:
The Impact of Less-Lethal Weapons and Tactics (2010). Washington D.C.; U.S.
Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs.
Taser X2. TASER Self-Defense. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2022, from
https://taser.com/products/x2-professional-series
The Stanford Criminal Justice Center. (n.d.). Use of Tasers by Law Enforcement Agencies:
Guidelines and Recommendations. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from
https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/child-
page/164097/doc/slspublic/tasersv2.pdf
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
U.S. Census Bereau. (n.d.). U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Louisa County, Virginia. census.gov.
Retrieved November 6, 2022, from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/louisacountyvirginia
Less Lethal. Less lethal. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2022, from
https://www.policegrantshelp.com/products/less-lethal/
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Addendum
Research Paper Rubric Fall 2019
CJUS 300 Rubric
Name:
Points Earned Points
Possible
States Problem Clearly “the problem is…, the issue is…” 45
The problem section provides sufficient background on the
topic, previews major points, and “problem” as a thesis. Must
show this is a significant issue to deal with.
17 20
The significance section expands upon the explanation of the
problem. Brings significant research to back the problem as an
issue. How persuasive? How Significant? What has been impact
in other areas? The questions are just a few potential questions
that could be included in the significance section.
19 20
Solution – outlines the benefits and consequences of “doing
nothing – or no change” as the solution. Should have
researched detail in this section.
13 15
Solution – outlines the benefits and consequences of “an
incremental approach” as the solution. Should have researched
detail in this section.
15 15
Solution - outlines the benefits and consequences of “the best
proposed policy/proposal” as the solution. Must show a well-
researched and comprehensive answer.
12 15
Major points are stated clearly; are supported by specific
details, examples, or analysis; and are organized logically.
Students must: have a minimum (remember minimum is
average a “C” or 10 points) of five to seven citations. This
10 15
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
section deals primarily with the quality of references.
Dedicated Christian Worldview section. Show the integration of
your subject matter, critical thinking, and Christian Worldview.
Not merely one sentence or one short paragraph. Must have a
section relating to how a Christian Worldview will impact each
of the proposed solution to the issue.
20 25
Student has proper page count. Five pages (+/- ½ page) not
including title page or reference section. Improper page count
will be an overall decrease of the percentage of paper
complete, e.g. 4 pages of a 5 page requirement will have earned
grade reduced by 20% , 4/5 = 80%
55
Readability and Style
15 Points
Paragraph transitions are present, logical, and
maintain the flow throughout the paper. 45
The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment.
Third Person APA style. 810
Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. Sentences
are well constructed, with consistently strong, varied
sentences.
45
Mechanics
15 Points
The paper, including the title page, abstract, reference
page, tables, and appendixes, follows APA formatting
guidelines.
This paper requires a Title Page, Abstract, Memo,
Main Body, and Reference Section.
10 10
Citations of original works within the body of the
paper follow APA guidelines. 10 10
TASERS FOR LOUISA SHERIFF’S OFFICE
The paper is laid out with effective use of headings,
font styles, and white space. 55
Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are
followed. Spelling is correct. 810
Completes Self Rubric (you must score yourself!)
10 10
Late
-19.5 (0)
Total Score
154.5 195
