The Andalusia City Council met its last regular meeting in 2022. It approved only one agenda item upon request from the Andalusia Police Department.
Paul Hudson, Chief of APD, requested that the city purchase 25 Taser guns for officers in the department. The total cost of the tasers was $40,064.
“Mental health is a major issue in Andalusia as well as the surrounding area. A taser is one of the tools we use to assist us in this endeavor. It is basically an electronic control weapon that can help us to control a situation. Hudson explained.
According to the police chief, a taser allows officers to diffuse situations without resorting to traditional weapons.
Two prongs are ejected from the taser that when injected into a suspect apply 50,000 volts electricity. This is sufficient to render them unconscious.
It’s another tool that we use to manage certain situations, where we don’t have to grab them immediately. This prevents everyone from getting hurt. Hudson explained that it helps to avoid drawing a weapon or taking lives.
According to the police chief, eight Tasers are currently in use at the police department. They were bought around seven years ago.
Hudson stated that officers who are issued tasers must be trained. This includes being subject to a taser.
“That is because an officer who knows the effects it has on someone will make sure that its use is not taken lightly or overused. He said that although it is an expensive piece of equipment, we prefer to use it than move it up the ladder.”
The purchase was unanimously approved by the council using funds from the Coronavirus Relief Act Funds. (CARES).
The council was able to hear updates about several projects currently underway, including the construction of a park on Tisdale and S. Cotton streets.
John Thompson, City Clerk, stated that the park project is progressing and that the council could soon receive the final plans.
“We were notified by engineers that we are hopefully just days away from completing the environmental permitting and filing all the necessary documents with the Army Corps of Engineers Archives and ADEM. We are confident that all of this will be approved, and we will receive notification shortly.
“With that, all engineering has been completed and the plans are now in their final stages. The final details such as lighting and landscaping are being laid out by the architect. Thompson stated that we could present this to the council at one of our first meetings in January.”
The next meeting is set for Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 6 p.m. at city hall. A workshop will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The post Council approves purchase tasers and hears about a park update appeared originally on The AndalusiaStar-News.
