ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — After the deaths of four people who were shocked by officers’ stun guns, a Maryland county leader is ordering police to review stun gun use and investigate the incidents.
The Baltimore Sun reports (http://bsun.md/1RzuRe6 ) Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett said Wednesday he wants to make sure the incidents and subsequent investigations were handled properly. His announcement comes after the newspaper investigated stun gun use in Maryland and found that officers frequently failed to follow best practices.
Montgomery County council member Marc Elrich, Chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee, says the review is needed and will hold a hearing on the issue on April 28.
Erlich says he doesn’t want to jump to conclusions about the use of stun guns by county police. He says, “I think it’s a matter of making sure that our policies are appropriate and that these are not the first resort” in a confrontation.
The Baltimore Sun reports four of Maryland’s 11 deaths in stun-gun-related police encounters since 2009 involved Montgomery County officers. In three of those, the newspaper found officers activated the devices for longer than the recommended 15 seconds and as long as 108 seconds. A county police spokesman declined to comment, but previously defended officers’ actions.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com
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