City approves $19,735 for stun guns and cost to outfit new squad car
By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
The City of Elkhorn Common Council voted in favor of two purchases by the police department to acquire new stun guns and outfit a new squad car recently purchased by the department.
The two purchases come to a total of $19.735.31, $8,780.49 of which will come from the department’s 2015 weapons budget, with the remainder coming from the department’s vehicle and equipment replacement fund.
In a memo to the Council, City of Elkhorn Police Chief Joel Christensen said the police department is looking to replace its stun guns, or conducted electrical weapons, purchased in 2006, and the money would come from the department’s 2015 budget, which included $16,430 for the purchase of weapons and associated equipment.
Christensen said in his memo the police department was able to work with the company it’s purchasing the equipment from, TASER International, and the Wisconsin DNR to “piggyback” on the Wisconsin DNR pricing, saving about 3 percent from the pricing provided directly to the agency by TASER International.
“The pricing that you have in front of us is state pricing which is obviously better than what we could get on our own,” Christensen said at Monday’s meeting.
Christensen said stun guns provide officers with a tool to utilize and overcome active resistance or its threat, which can counteract an officer’s efforts to control a suspect and put the officer, subject or another person at risk of bodily harm. He additionally noted in his memo the appropriate use of stun guns should result in fewer serious injuries.
According to the quote from TASER International, the $8,780.49 would include six new stun guns, eight holsters, six right-handed and two left-handed, a dataport download USB, 10 battery packs, 30 simulation cartridges and a four-year warranty.
The Council voted unanimously in favor of approving the purchase
Squad car outfitting
The second expenditure approved by the Council, totaling about $11,000, will cover the cost of outfitting a new squad car purchased by the police department.
In his memo to the Council, Christensen said the new squad car, included in the department’s 2015 budget, will be added to the city’s current fleet of five and will be beneficial not only for time periods when the department has a need for all six vehicles, but also provide a vehicle when one is down for maintenance or repairs.
Christensen said the department worked with General Communications, the department’s emergency communication provider, to develop a total vehicle solution that meets emergency equipment needs, such as lighting and sirens, provides officer safety protections, weapon storage and communication equipment accessibility storage.
Christensen said Monday with General Communications being the department’s service provider, they preferred to go with the company rather than another because it can cause complications when service is needed.
He said the department worked with General Communications due to their experience in the field and their knowledge of the department’s communication and equipment needs.
The Council approved the purchase unanimously.
