San Francisco Police Commission Approves Restrictive Taser Policy

The San Francisco Police Commission voted to adopt a policy Wednesday night regulating how officers can use Tasers, bringing a months-long debate over the less-lethal tools to an end and clearing the way for the rollout of the devices at the end of the year.

The Police Commission approved arming officers with Tasers in November. The commission voted 6-1 Wednesday in favor of the policy developed by the Police Department and several community working groups.

The 24-page addition to the Department General Order encompasses a multitude of regulations on Taser use and accountability measures, including the appointment of a review board that will oversee and investigate cases in which Tasers are used, SF Gate reports.

Only officers with crisis intervention training will be authorized to carry the weapons.

Officers will only be allowed to use Tasers when a person is “armed with a weapon other than a firearm, such as an edged weapon or blunt object” and is injuring or intending to injure another person, or if a person is violently resisting.

Officers are limited from using Tasers in special circumstances, including when a person is pregnant, elderly, frail, appears to be a child or when the officer has “credible information” the person is suffering from a serious medical or psychiatric condition.

“I’m very happy,” Police Chief Bill Scott said after the hours-long meeting. “We can move now toward implementation. It was a well-vetted process.”