The Boston Police Department is equipping its front line officers with Tasers in response to the need for additional options when handling complex situations, especially those related to mental health.
“The successful use and de-escalation by those units, particularly when responding to mental health related calls, highlighted the need to provide access to these tools to our front line officers,” said Cox.
The goal is to equip all officers with the devices as part of a broader initiative to manage encounters without causing serious harm whenever possible.
Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councilor Henry Santana, chair of the city’s public safety committee, declined to comment on budget implications related to the Taser contract due to ongoing budget hearings.
Currently, the department has acquired 260 of the 1,500 Tasers planned for its officers.
Bruce Champagne, a retired police officer and use of force instructor, noted that Boston’s adoption of Tasers aligns with a national trend where most municipal police departments have integrated them into standard protocol.
“They’ve only grown more accepted as time goes on,” Champagne remarked, stating that Boston may be lagging slightly behind other jurisdictions in this respect.
Taser adoption is partly driven by their perceived effectiveness in addressing situations where individuals are in an emotional crisis, a scenario known to potentially lead to tragic outcomes.
According to a Globe analysis in 2023, over half of the individuals shot by police in Massachusetts since 2016 had mental health issues.
Many of these cases involved family members calling for assistance, only for the encounters to escalate violently and sometimes fatally.
Michael Bradley, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, emphasized that officers view Tasers as critical in resolving unpredictable situations safely.
“They can be particularly effective in reducing injuries to both officers and subjects, especially in cases where physical confrontation might otherwise escalate,” he said.
Axon, the Taser manufacturer, has reported studies indicating that their devices lower the risk of injury compared to other forms of force and pose minimal serious health risks.
However, civil liberties advocates and mental health proponents express skepticism about these assertions, particularly regarding individuals already suffering from health problems.
In 2019, a Reuters investigation identified 163 U.S. cases where medical examiners linked Taser shocks to deaths, often due to pre-existing heart conditions or stress from exertion.
Ivy Moody, a staff attorney at the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, stated, “We know that when mental health is managed through policing, sometimes it can be very dangerous and lead to escalation.”
While acknowledging that a Taser is not a firearm, Moody emphasized that it can still be lethal to those with comorbidities.
Carlton Williams, a Boston attorney and police reform advocate, remains doubtful that providing Tasers will enhance safety for mentally ill individuals.
He referred to the idea that Tasers could promote safer interactions as a “great theory in the abstract” but worries it will lead to greater use of force.
“In practice, in almost every jurisdiction people have looked into, people use it as an increase in force,” Williams argued.
Questions remain as to whether more equipped officers will adopt a less aggressive approach or intensify their response to perceived threats.
In 2021, Boston police implemented new engagement rules focusing on de-escalation during mental health calls.
Specialized training programs in mental health response have also been extended to hundreds of officers by the department’s street outreach unit.
The Boston Police Department’s Taser policy prohibits using the tool unless lethal force is justified, clearly delineating circumstances under which it’s permissible to aim the device.
This includes restrictions on aiming at the head or neck and prohibiting use against individuals in high-risk situations, such as those driving or in water.
A 2023 report from the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security indicated that overall Taser use in Massachusetts steadily declined from 2018 to 2021, including warnings and discharges.
In Boston, officers reported using Tasers in eight incidents from 2019 to 2024.
The department aims to standardize Tasers by purchasing the Taser 10, which is Axon’s latest model introduced in 2023, featuring a longer range, increased probe capacity, and advanced digital tracking.
Historically, Tasers have gained widespread acceptance within law enforcement since their introduction by Axon, which was then known as Taser International, in 1999.
A report highlighted that as recently as 2020, 93 percent of American law enforcement agencies had authorized the use of Tasers, up from just 500 agencies at the millennium’s turn.
Axon’s Taser division generated $818 million in revenue last year, significantly up from its 2018 sales figures.
This year, Boston police reported using Tasers in two notable incidents.
The first occurred on March 28 when officers responded to a report of a man behaving erratically near Forest Hills bus terminal.
Although he was unarmed, the man resisted efforts to assist him, claiming officers would have to “shoot him” to make him move.
After 15 minutes of attempted de-escalation, an officer ultimately deployed the Taser.
Boston police are currently investigating this incident as per department policy established for firearm discharges.
In a separate incident on April 8, an officer used a Taser to separate two fighting dogs in Hyde Park with no serious injuries reported.
Both cases underscore the different scenarios in which Tasers are employed and the ongoing discussions surrounding their use amid rising mental health crises.
image source from：https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/16/metro/boston-police-tasers-axon/
