Officers at the Ohio University Police Department now have a non-lethal weapon that can produce 50,000 volts of electricity. Police Chief Michael Martinsen announced last week the department had spent $8,000 to purchase five Tasers. Martinsen cited student safety and not wanting to depend on other law enforcement agencies as reasons for the purchase. In other words, according to Martinsen, officers at the OU Police Department don't want to wait for an Athens officer to show up with a Taser when one is needed immediately.
A Taser is an appropriate tool for OU officers to have. For one, non-lethal weapons are always preferable to lethal force, and Tasers seem to be the industry standard for non-lethal force. The new models also come with cameras to record its use every time the Taser is fired. That will be especially useful in holding accountable officers who might be prone to abusing the weapons.
But the timing of this announcement and Martinsen's justifications for purchasing the weapons are somewhat questionable. Student leaders should have been alerted to this purchase a little earlier in the process, as opposed to letting them know after the fact. Additionally, it seems unlikely that police need these weapons only to protect students; they also want the weapons to protect themselves from students.
The OU Police Department's policy of only using the weapons in cases of physical assault or verbal threat also is much better than the Athens Police Department's policy of using the weapons as a compliance tool. As long as officers adhere to the policy, this purchase shouldn't be any cause for alarm.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Post executive editors.
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