San Francisco Police Chief Tries Again To Arm Officers With Tasers
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon said he is going back to the Police Commission to try to get the okay to arm officers with Tasers.
This comes in the wake of two officer-involved shootings in the past week.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
Last week, a man was shot and killed in the Portola district after police responded to a call of a disturbance at the home he was at.
On Tuesday, a man in a wheelchair armed with a knife was shot and wounded by officers.
Police Chief George Gascon said he believes that if the officers involved in both shootings had had Tasers, things would have been different.
"San Francisco is a little different. I'll be very frank with you, in most other cities in this country, the chief of police would not have to make a presentation," Gascon said. "They all have Tasers. I underestimated the political environment that I was operating under."
The makeup of the commission is different than when he first pitched the idea last year and Gascon admits that implementing the idea and training officers could take a year if it is approved.
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