Campus police adopt new policies on Tasers

By Phil Hampton

The UCLA Police Department has adopted a comprehensive new policy and instituted new training procedures governing the use of Tasers, Chancellor Gene Block announced Dec. 10.

The changes are a result of recommendations made in August by an independent investigator who called for greater clarity in policies covering Taser use. The investigator's report followed a November 2006 incident in which a UCLA police officer used a Taser in the course of removing a student who refused to follow procedures and identify himself during late evening hours in a Powell Library.

"Clarifying and bolstering our policies governing the use of Tasers underscore UCLA's commitment to ensuring the safety of the campus community and providing officers with the guidelines they need to do a difficult job," Block said.

Said UCLA Police Chief Karl Ross: "After conducting a lengthy review of not only our Taser-use policies but also those utilized by multiple law enforcement agencies, we further refined our policies." Ross added that all UCLA Police Department officers — sworn peace officers like those serving any municipality or sheriff's department — are being trained on the new policy, which will take effect in January 2008.

"Before the new policy takes effect, all of our officers will receive training that includes practice in multiple practical scenarios to ensure that they clearly understand the guidelines and are skilled at applying them in real-life situations," Ross said.

The new police policy explicitly defines terms that explain various resistance levels, including "violent," "active aggression" and "active physical resistance." It prohibits the use of a Taser on persons presenting purely "passive resistance."