Southwick Reserve Police Officer Jesse Rizzo, front center, is helped to the ground after being shot in the back with a Tazer by Belchertown Police Officer Edward Dey, right, during a Tazer training session at the Southwick Police Department Saturday. Dey is also the Belchertown police department’s chief firearms instructor. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
SOUTHWICK – The Police Department received a gift this week – Tasers.
Chief Mark Krynicki said Ralph and Diane Pitello, owners of Southwick’s Motocross 338, gave the department a $5,000 gift recently which was used to purchase four Tasers.
“The gift allowed us to purchase the Tasers, holsters and dart heads,” said Krynicki.
The department’s officers received eight hours of training from a Belchertown Police Officer. Training included four hours of classroom work and four hour of hands-on training. Krynicki said there were two options for training.
“We could use life-size targets of a person and learn what commands to give,” Krynicki said. “When the Taser is fired, there is an aluminum foil backing on the cardboard ‘person’ so it’s life-like training.”
Krynicki said training option two is to have a volunteer get tased, which an officer did during training.
Krynicki hopes to purchase more Tasers in the future. For now, the department’s 16 officers will check out a Taser during their shifts.
“We usually have four officers per shift,” Krynicki said.
Having the Tasers assists officers in situations where using a lethal weapon may not be necessary.
“In our use of force continuum, it’s going to fill a gap,” said Krynicki.
Now, officers have nightsticks, sprays, and guns as options when dealing with criminals.
“This gives another option,” Krynicki said.
The state must approve the department’s Taser policies and procedures before the Tasers can be used by officers.
“We will probably get approval in mid-May,” Krynicki said, adding “This is a great opportunity and we want to thank the Pitellos and Belchertown Police Chief Fran Fox.”
