UMPD Taser FAQs

Protecting our entire community, including students, faculty, staff, and our officers, is the top priority for the University of Michigan Police and the Division of Public Safety and Security. The addition of Tasers addresses a gap between the current options: chemical spray, baton, and a firearm. Tasers can provide an alternative to lethal force and enable officers to arrest violent individuals more safely and effectively.

Using an alternative to lethal force is a safety benefit for both the subject and the officer.

Yes. The University of Michigan Police Department has a comprehensive policy in place. Officers must complete training before a Taser is issued and will be required to complete annual refresher training.

Officers are authorized to use tasers only on subjects who are resisting arrest or who are threatening serious harm to themselves or others. The policy prohibits officers from using the devices against compliant or passively resisting individuals. In all cases, using a Taser will require a thorough post-use evaluation by a supervising officer and generating a use-of-force report.

DPSS and UMPD leadership collaborated to develop a comprehensive policy. The policy conforms to best practices widely accepted by police departments across the country.

Three UMPD officers were trained and certified by Axon as official Taser instructors. Those officers conducted joint training sessions for all UMPD police officers. All officers who carry Tasers must complete the initial certification training course and the required annual refresher training.

Before a Taser can be issued to an officer, all officers must pass a written test and demonstrate proficiency with the device.

Training included practical, hands-on instruction as well as classroom training.

The decision to add Tasers as an option for UMPD officers was made after years of research and discussion by police and university leadership. A recommendation from the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing was among this research, suggesting the development and implementation of less-lethal technology.

We continuously explore options for equipping our officers with the tools to manage situations as safely and effectively as possible. Once leadership decided to move forward, they spent more than a year formulating the policy, implementing training, and purchasing the devices.

With UMPD’s deployment of Tasers, all local law enforcement in Washtenaw County now utilize Tasers.

No. UMPD decided to add Tasers after careful deliberation and evidence that the devices help reduce injuries to both suspects and police. These devices provide a safer option for taking individuals into custody who are resisting and clearly at risk of harming themselves or others.

Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. widely use Tasers. With UMPD’s deployment of Tasers, all local law enforcement in Washtenaw County, including the Michigan State Police, utilize Tasers. Additionally, nine out of fourteen police departments in the Big Ten Conference have implemented Tasers.

While the use of any method of subduing a violent, resisting subject, unfortunately, comes with some risk of injury for the subject and the officer, the appropriate use of a Taser has reduced this risk significantly.

Independent studies have shown Tasers to be as safe as or even safer than other use-of-force methods available to law enforcement. “Researchers found a 70 percent decrease in officer injuries and a 40 percent decrease in suspect injuries,” according to one study.

Yes. Officers will call emergency medical personnel to assist and provide medical care to the subject as needed.

UMPD officers who completed training began carrying Tasers on July 1, 2018.

The X-2 Taser.

U-M purchased 20 Tasers.

U-M purchased 20 Tasers and related equipment for approximately $33,000 (paid over a five-year period). We believe this initiative to be an essential investment in the safety of our community members while enhancing the protection we provide our officers.