Sand Springs Police Replace Tasers With Pepperball Guns

According to Sand Springs police officers, Sand Springs Police Department is one of the first departments in the state to replace some of their tasers with pepperball pistols.

The decision to make the change was partially in response to an arrest last year in which an officer’s taser failed to deploy. The officer was able to body slam the suspect and take him into custody, but according to Sand Springs Captain Todd Enzbrenner things could have been worse. In fact, Captain Enzbrenner says tasers are only effective about fifty percent of the time.

"If you are too close, the prongs don't spread out far enough, or there is heavy clothing and the probes don't make it to your body or you just miss, The more different types of options that we have available the better it is for us and for the public as well," said Enzbrenner

Over the next few weeks, some officers will begin carrying pepperball pistols instead of tasers. They hope between the two weapons; non-lethal force will be more reliable for officers on the streets.

Sand Springs Police Chief Mike Carter says the new tools are a continued effort to do everything they can, not to have to use lethal force.

 "There will still be deadly force encounters in America but anything we can do to lessen the number of times that happens then I think that is a good thing for us," Said Carter.

Officers say money from a police auction helped pay for the pepper ball pistols as well as other equipment.