Kendall County Sheriff's Office Awarded Grant For Taser System

KENDALL COUNTY, IL — The Kendall County Sheriff's Office has been awarded a $10,000 Safety grant from the county's insurance provider, the Insurance Program Managers Group (IPMG), for part of the cost of new Tasers, the sheriff's office announced Thursday. This grant comes nearly two weeks after the sheriff's office found out Jan. 9 it was awarded a Traffic Safety grant funded by AAA for traffic safety equipment. The grant award from IPMG is for what officials said will cover a portion of the cost towards purchasing Taser X-2 stun guns for the Kendall County Sheriff's Office Patrol and Correction Divisions.

According to the sheriff's office, Tasers are designed to incapacitate an attacker from a distance when two pronged darts conducting electricity are fired at the offender. The sheriff's office said Tasers are also equipped to work in a "drive-stun" mode at close range without using darts.

The new sheriff's office Tasers will include a camera that records both video and audio footage when deployed, officials said.

“The TASER system will allow our deputies another option to deploy when faced with incidents that could possibly result in serious injury to deputies and citizens," Sheriff Dwight A. Baird said in a release. "The leadership of the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office is confident that the TASER devices will reduce possibility of these injuries. Our commitment to the safety of our citizens and our deputies remains the utmost priority every day.”

RELATED: Sheriff's Office Awarded Grant For Traffic Safety Equipment

This quick yet extra level of protection for deputies is what the sheriff's office describes as a less "lethal" force option to subdue a suspect and minimize the potential injury of the suspect, responding law enforcement and members of the public, during what the sheriff's office said are potentially violent encounters.

"IPMG has provided grants to the Sheriff’s Office in the past allowing us to purchase valuable equipment to assist the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office to perform their duties and keep the residents of Kendall County safe and secure," the sheriff's office said in a release.

Photo provided by the Kendall County Sheriff's Office