Milleproroghe, Taser use in small municipalities for one more year

The experimentation of 'electric guns' for local police in small municipalities will continue for another year. At the request of the League last year with an amendment to the Milleproroghe decree, the government has now extended by one year, until 31 December 2025, the deadline by which municipalities with a population of less than 20,000 inhabitants can equip their local police with common electric pulse weapons, known as Tasers, with the new postponement decree published in the Gazzetta on 27 December 2024. Basically, Tasers can be used, as departmental equipment on an experimental basis for six months, by some of the personnel of the local police corps and services who hold the qualification of public safety officer. At the end of the six-month period of experimentation, the same local authorities can assign the use of Tasers as effective and stable equipment where positive results are recorded from the tests carried out

The Taser is a self-defence and control device used by law enforcement agencies. It works by emitting low-current electrical impulses that can temporarily immobilise a person, as it uses two electrodes that are fired from a device. Once the electrodes hit the target, the device sends electrical impulses that interfere with the nervous system, causing involuntary muscle contractions and temporarily immobilizing the person. It is designed to be a non-lethal alternative to firearms. Although generally considered safe, the use of the Taser can pose risks, particularly for people with pre-existing medical conditions, and in situations where the subject is moving or in dangerous positions.

However, the experimentation of extending the use of the Taser also in small municipalities with up to 20,000 inhabitants will have to be accompanied by a series of obligations and compliance with specific requirements. Firstly, the municipality concerned will have to provide for the definition of a specific municipal regulation to be issued following the general guidelines already adopted on the subject of staff training and health protection. Not only. The regulation will have to be adopted in agreement and in connection with the local health authorities. It will then be necessary to set up an armoury or ensure the availability of special metal cabinets, with certain structural and functional characteristics, in which Tasers will have to be kept.