At their meeting Sept. 14, the Waldoboro Board of Selectmen revisited and then tabled a request from Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde to authorize the purchase of Tasers for Waldoboro police officers. They will address the issue at their next meeting.
The issue was tabled to give Labombarde and Town Manager William Post time to revisit the draft Taser use policy and make changes suggested by the selectmen.
The changes will be minor, but it’s necessary that the town is comfortable with the policy before the board approves buying the Tasers, said Selectman Bob Butler.
“It’s difficult to describe in no uncertain terms when these things should be used,” Butler said. “I’d encourage us to look closely at this and be as specific as possible.”
If the draft is approved, Labombarde will move forward with buying three Tasers, cartridges, and cameras that mount on the Tasers.
The cameras allow any incident to be recorded from the time the Taser is armed. This protects the officers and civilians in the case of abuse allegations, Labombarde said.
The total cost of purchasing the equipment is $4913. The funds will be taken from three sources within the Police Dept.’s budget: $1233 from the Bryne/JAG Grant, which the department recently received; $2430 from the equipment reserve fund; and, $1250 from the eradication fund, which consists of money seized during arrests.
Labombarde initially requested the Tasers because they will give a new tool to the department, and will be an asset in incidents involving physical violence against officers or the public, he said.
“Tasers save lives of both officers and citizens,” Labombarde said. Waldoboro police are the only agency in Lincoln County without them, he said.
Labombarde cited two recent incidents during which suspects threatened officers with weapons, and Waldoboro police had to rely on sheriff’s deputies to step in and use their Tasers.
Two of the Tasers would be for the on-duty patrol cars, and the third would be for the school resource officer, Labombarde told the board.
Labombarde said officers will be trained to rely on good police work, not their Tasers.
Once the policy for Taser use is approved by the town, it will still need to go to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy for their approval, Post said.
If the Tasers are purchased, Labombarde will volunteer to be the first victim at a demonstration of their use, he said. “It’s not fun, but I’ve done it before,” he told the board.
John Blodgett and Roy Hatch were presented lieutenant’s helmets at the meeting after the selectmen voted unanimously to confirm their promotions.
The pair was chosen for the new rank following a rigorous selection process, said Waldoboro Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer.