Corrections Seeking $1.9 Million For Tasers

By Annmarie Timmins, New Hampshire Bulletin

Corrections officers do not carry firearms inside the state’s prisons – and right now they can’t count on access to a reliable Taser, said Assistant Commissioner Paul Raymond. That would change if the Executive Council approves the department’s $1.9 million request Wednesday to buy 186 Tasers for use inside and outside the prison walls.

The money would come from the state’s general fund.

About 115 of the new Tasers would go to probation and parole officers, investigators, and officers who transport prisoners, Raymond said. The remainder would allow the department to put two Tasers in every housing unit in both Concord prisons and in the Berlin prison.

They’d replace the approximately 120 existing Tasers that are out of date and in short enough supply they are not always readily available, Raymond said. As one example, he said Tasers are especially useful when unarmed officers encounter someone with a weapon.

“From our perspective, this is really about safety, not only for our officers but also for the residents,” Raymond said. “It’s another tool that is widely adopted and accepted in the corrections environment. Our hope is that we never have to use a Taser, but if we have a situation where we need one, we’d rather have officers have them than not have them.”

The department’s existing Tasers from Axon reach 25 feet, where the new ones, also from Axon, would allow officers to use them from 45 feet away. If the council approves the department’s request, New Hampshire will be the second state in the country to deploy the new Tasers, Raymond said.

The New Hampshire Bulletin, the Granite State's newest independent, nonprofit news organization, delivers accountability reporting on New Hampshire politics and policies. The New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.