Every Chicago Cop Will Soon Carry a Taser

Mayor Rahm Emanuel changing policy after high-profile shootings
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 30, 2015 10:57 AM CST
Every Chicago Cop Will Soon Carry a Taser
In this Aug. 16, 2007, file photo, a police officer demonstrates a Taser in Brattleboro, Vt.   (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Today, about 20% of Chicago police officers have a Taser on hand when responding to calls. By June 1, that figure will be up to 100% with each officer trained in how to use the devices, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office says, per CNN. The changes in policy also will include training that will focus on "de-escalation tactics to reduce the intensity of a conflict or a potentially violent situation at the earliest possible moment," Emanuel says, per USA Today. The changes come in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting and the more recent shooting of a 19-year-old and a grandmother over the weekend. (More Chicago police stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X