BART Board Approves Purchase of New Tasers

BART's board of directors voted unanimously Thursday to spend $140,755 on the purchase of 130 more Tasers to allow all of its police officers to have their own stun guns.

The BART Police Department currently has 60 Tasers and many officers aren't equipped with the stun guns.

BART staff members said in a report that giving each officer a Taser would increase the officers' comfort level with the weapon.

The issue of officers' training and familiarity with Tasers was raised by lawyers for former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter last summer for fatally shooting unarmed passenger Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale station on Jan. 1, 2009.

During the trial, Mehserle's defense argued the former officer mistook his gun for his Taser during the chaotic incident on the train platform after responding to a report of a fight on a train. Mehserle had inadequate training on the weapon, his defense said.

After the shooting, BART was criticized for outdated police policies, including the sharing of Tasers.

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement executives (NOBLE), which reviewed BART’s practices following Grant’s death, recommended the purchase of enough Taser stun guns to outfit each of the agency’s police officers.

BART spokesperson Linton Johnson said the transit agency will get the new Tasers before the current fiscal year ends on June 30.

Johnson said BART previously had a voluntary policy under which officers could choose whether to carry Tasers, but now all officers will be required to carry Tasers once they get proper training on the devices.

BART staff members say each Taser costs $815 plus an additional $185 for a four-year extended warranty. Shipping and handling for 130 Tasers costs $400.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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