Pima Sheriff's Dept. upgrades Tasers

The Pima County sheriff's academy recruit volunteered Wednesday morning to be on the receiving end of a demonstration to showcase the department's new Taser, the X2.

The department purchased almost 700 new models, valued at $1,500 each, to replace the old Tasers deputies had used since 2003. And the price was right. The department got a $300 trade-in credit for each old Taser, and proceeds from drug seizures covered the remainder of the cost, said Deputy Tom Peine, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department.

Though Valenzuela received only one shot from the Taser, the new X2 is a dual-shot device that allows for an immediate backup shot "because two shots are better than one," according to the manufacturer's promotional flier.

Before the demonstration, Deputy Elliot Lyle told Valenzuela what to expect when the two barbed probes hit her back. He said her muscles would contract involuntarily and the pain would last for five seconds.

"Take a big, deep breath and ride it out," he advised.

Being shocked by a Taser is something all recruits must endure once as part of training.

Immediately after she was hit with the probes, Valenzuela was lowered to a mat in the department's training room by two captains standing on either side of her. As she lay there for a few moments, Lyle pulled the half-inch-long probes from her back, leaving her bloodied but otherwise unharmed.

Unlike other law enforcement tools, such as pepper spray, batons and beanbag rounds that use pain to subdue suspects, a Taser causes involuntary muscle contraction that a suspect, no matter how combative, cannot fight through, said Capt. Byron Gwaltney, Sheriff's Department patrol commander.

"I definitely see why it's important that we know how it feels if we ever have to use it," Valenzuela said. "When I went down it felt like I ran miles. You're just kind of stuck. You're definitely not going to be able to move or walk."

Contact reporter Kimberly Matas at kmatas@azstarnet.com or at 573-4191.