Last year, provincial rules around the use of conducted energy weapons changed.
Since then, a number of police services have moved to expand its use of the weapons.
Waterloo Regional Police have posted an online survey to solicit public input, while Guelph Police have already set aside money to buy six more Tasers.
In Brantford, approximately one-sixth of Brantford Police Service members have access to Tasers.
Const. Chris Grantham says having a “less lethal option” is a positive for officers.
“The firearm will always have a place … however, having the Taser there can resolve a lot of situations peacefully, without having to resort to lethal force,” he said.
Brantford Police brass think all frontline officers should carry Tasers, but like their Waterloo Region counterparts, decided to see what the public had to think before making any concrete decisions.
Two public input sessions were scheduled for Thursday – and if the first of the two was any indication, the public doesn’t have a particularly strong opinion.
Only one person attended the afternoon session, finding himself outnumbered both by police officers and by the media.
On the city’s streets, residents seemed equally unperturbed by the issue.
“It’s up to them. I trust them to make their own decisions,” said Ralph Maiorano, a downtown travel agent.
Maiorano said officers should know when best to deploy a Taser.
Viplanarayanan Rudrasingham, the owner of a downtown restaurant, said he supported the use of Tasers as another option for police.
“I’d feel more safe here,” he said.
Police officers in Brantford have pulled out Tasers seven times thus far in 2014, but not fired it once.
