Police Taser backers submit names

San Francisco voters could decide in June whether to equip the Police Department with conductive energy devices — commonly known as Tasers — which have been the subject of a rancorous, 13-year debate.

Proponents of the “Safe Neighborhoods for All” ballot initiative turned in 19,253 signatures from supporters to the Department of Elections on Friday. If 9,485 of those signatures are found to be valid, the measure will qualify for the June 5 ballot.

If approved, the measure would allow the Police Department to purchase Tasers for every officer, beginning as early as August. It would also lay out training requirements and rules governing the use of the electroshock weapons.

Under the rules, police cars would carry portable defibrillators to resuscitate anyone who goes into cardiac arrest as a result of the electric current. Additionally, the Police Department would conduct a mandatory investigation every time an officer used a Taser.

Backed by the San Francisco Police Officers

“We said we can’t wait for the commission anymore, we’re going to have to go to the ballot and let the voters decide.” Gary Delagnes, head of ballot measure committee

Association, the measure follows a November Police Commission vote to approve the weapons but phase them in slowly, without allocating any funding or setting any guidelines. The commission authorized San Francisco police to begin using Tasers next December — a date that seemed unreasonably far off to law enforcement officials who have long advocated for the devices.

“We said we can’t wait for the commission anymore, we’re going to have to go to the ballot and let the voters decide,” said Gary Delagnes, a consultant for the Police Officers Association and head of the ballot measure committee.

He noted that police are using the measure in part to get leverage. If the commission writes a Taser policy the department likes, “we’ll pull the measure,” he said.

Supporters of Tasers say they help subdue violent suspects, giving police a safer alternative to handguns. Opponents point to the dangers of the weapons — which can kill people with heart conditions — and the temptation to abuse them.