UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State and the Borough of State College jointly have formed an advisory committee to evaluate Taser use since the departments began using the non-lethal equipment last February.
"The Taser Advisory Committee was charged with the responsibility to provide an external process to review the use of Tasers by officers," said Penn State Police Chief Tyrone Parham. "It is of the utmost importance that the Borough of State College and Penn State community have confidence in the manner in which the Taser program is implemented and maintained by both police departments."
Penn State Police and State College Police announced the joint implementation of Tasers for trained police officers in February. Tasers, which use an electrical impulse to briefly immobilize violent or resisting suspects, provide a safer option for arresting individuals who are clearly at risk of harming themselves or others.
The devices, commonly carried by police nationwide, are carried by State College Police officers and police officers at most of Penn State's campus locations, including University Park and the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport.
All officers who carry Tasers are required to complete a rigorous course conducted by a certified trainer, and to complete annual refresher training. The Penn State and State College police officers began training in January.
The committee will meet four times from the program's inception through May 31, 2016, to review summarized information of both departments' Taser usage, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, confirm compliance with policies and reasonable officer standards, and make recommendations for improvement. Names and other personal information will be kept strictly confidential.
The Taser Advisory Committee was formed by David Gray, Penn State senior vice president for Finance and Business, and Tom Fountaine, State College Borough manager, and is comprised of five State College residents.
The committee includes Mark Bergstrom, executive director, Pennsylvania Commission for Sentencing; Doris MacKenzie, Penn State professor of criminology; Emily McDonald, Penn State student and president of the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA); Susan Bardo, attorney with Stover & McGlaughlin; and Jim Locker, retired Penn State College of Agriculture employee and member of the State College Borough Civil Service Commission. Penn State Police Chief Tyrone Parham and State College Police Chief Thomas King serve as ex-officio members.