ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — The Rockford Police Department says that electronic stun guns are returning after a six-year absence.
Rockford police and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department stopped using the stun guns when manufacturer Taser International issued a warning in October 2009 against firing electrodes at a person’s chest. The Rockford Register Star reports that Taser has since changed the device’s target to an area around the abdomen and thighs.
Rockford’s police department has budgeted about $34,000 to purchase 15 stun guns with cameras and other accessories. They will be issued to uniformed supervisors in the field.
Winnebago County deputies resumed using the stun guns last falls.
