Chicago police delay adding stun guns following incidents
February 11, 2005

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- The Chicago Police Department will not distribute more Taser stun guns to its officers while it investigates the device's use on a man who died and a teen who was injured this week.

The department will continue to use the 200 Tasers it has now, police Superintendent Philip Cline said. "We remain confident that the use of Tasers in Chicago has made our streets, our citizens and our police safer," he said.

Police said they used the stun gun on a 54-year-old man Thursday after they were unable to restrain him as he tried to kick and bite officers. The man went into cardiac arrest and later died, fire department spokesman Larry Langford said. An autopsy is planned.

A 14-year-old boy remained in a hospital after going into cardiac arrest after the device was used on him Monday. Police had been called after the 6-foot-2, 220-pound boy attacked three state home workers and punched out security windows.

The Department of Children and Family Services has sued the city and the officer, arguing the officer used the device without knowing if it was safe on a minor and without considering what medications the boy was taking.

The stun guns temporarily paralyze people by using two barbed darts to deliver a 50,000-volt jolt that can penetrate clothing.

Cline said the two closely timed incidents "have prompted me to ask questions about the use of Taser by law enforcement."

However, Cline said the department would investigate the two incidents before drawing any conclusions. The department has planned to give out 100 more Tasers, but Cline said he would put off deciding whether to distribute them until the investigations were complete. He offered no timetable.