Ohio University Police to Carry Stun Guns

ATHENS, Ohio – Ohio University (OU) police will be issued Taser stun guns to help quell people at risk of harming themselves or others on campus.

OU police have been trained to use the Tasers by the State Highway Patrol. The five stun guns requested by OU Police Chief Mike Martinsen cost the university $8,000.

OU will join more than 580 Ohio law-enforcement agencies in using Tasers to subdue violent people.

While Amnesty International reports more than 150 Taser-related deaths in the past six years, police at Miami University have not used their Tasers once since arming them three years ago. Miami also recently equipped its Tasers with audio and video equipment to record their use, like cruiser cams in police cars.

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