Cops in Mississauga and Brampton will soon be armed with better tasers
Published September 14, 2021 at 4:33 pm
Peel Regional Police will soon arm their frontline officers in Mississauga and Brampton with more effective tasers—and they’ll save about $2 million for good measure.
The newer Axon T7 devices, to be distributed to all frontline officers at some point after a pending agreement with Axon Public Safety Canada is signed, represent a significant upgrade over the current Axon X2 taser, which is quickly becoming outdated and not aligned with newer police technology.
The Peel Police Services Board, the civilian body that oversees the police force, recently gave the go-ahead to a request from Peel Police Acting Deputy Chief Rob Shearer to negotiate directly with Axon for the new tasers rather than go through a distributor as they’ve done previously.
Shearer said cutting out the middle man, accomplished thanks to a strong working relationship this summer with Axon, which also provided Peel Police with new body-worn cameras for their officers, will save just over $2 million.
He said the five-year agreement for 1,520 tasers (and related equipment/accessories) will cost about $5.8 million, much less than the $7.9 million set aside in this year’s budget.
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Shearer said conducted energy weapons (CEW), more commonly known simply as tasers, “are one of the most effective weapons to gain compliance in use of force situations.” Peel Police have used tasers for the past 17 years.
The newer T7 devices, Shearer noted, offer several key improvements over the X2 taser currently being used including an improved compatibility with other devices (such as the body cams), a rechargeable battery and a shortening of ideal deployment distance.
The taser fires two dart-like electrodes that produce electrical impulses that cause involuntary muscle contractions, essentially causing the person on the receiving end to be temporarily incapacitated.
Axon, the sole CEW vendor in the North American market, has provided two previous versions of the devices to Peel Police.
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