More Belknap County Sheriff’s Department deputies will be outfitted with stun guns following approval of the purchase of the electroshock weapons by county commissioners.
The commission authorized a contract between the department and Axon Enterprise Inc., formerly called TASER International, for 16 of the energy weapons, at a cost of $55,125 for a five-year period. The cost includes training, and necessary certification.
At present, the department has six of the weapons. Once the new weapons are received, six of them will be allotted to deputies who provide security at the County Courthouse and the Laconia Courthouse. The rest will be issued to other officers on the force, Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Nedeau told the commissioners.
He said the deputies have activated their stun guns only twice, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been useful.
“They had a strong deterrent effect,” he said.
Sheriff Bill Wright said their use might increase in the future because more of the deputies would be carrying them.
The funds for the weapons are included in the $2.5 million Sheriff’s Department budget which was approved last month.
The commissioners allowed the department to purchase a new cruiser without going through the standard bid process.
Nedeau said the department was asking to use the expedited process because the availability of new cruisers — like other vehicles — continues to be limited.
He said if the department were to purchase the cruiser through Irwin Motors it would have to wait 30 weeks to take delivery. The cruiser it will be acquiring will be through a dealer in Massachusetts. The total cost for the vehicle, including outfitting with special equipment will be approximately $47,000.
The County Commission had asked that the Sheriff’s Department budget include funds for three new cruisers. However, the County Delegation provided enough funds for just one vehicle.
County Commissioner Glen Waring said he would recommend in the coming weeks that the county allocate COVID economic stimulus funds to pay for the two additional cruisers which were cut out of the budget.
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