Deputies with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office will soon
have Tasers on their hips again.
The office’s agreement with taser manufacturer Axon started
this month.
Sheriff Willie Rowe said the option to use a taser allows deputies
to contain a situation without direct contact.
“When you start rassling with people and you’re trying to
restrain them, that increases the risk of injury to staff or the arrestee,” he
said.
According to county documents, the 200 new Taser 10s come
with a roughly $1.4 million price tag, including tax. The contract with Axon started on Nov. 1, 2025. It will run through Oct. 31, 2030.
The agency phased
out Tasers in 2019 under previous Sheriff Gerald Baker.
At the time, the sheriff’s office adjusted its use-of-force
policy, citing liability concerns. The decision was based on a 4th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals ruling that Taser use may be seen as unconstitutionally
excessive force in some circumstances.
WRAL News asked Rowe whether he still has
concerns about liability.
“Liability will always exist,” Rowe said. “The focus is to make sure that
we have the proper training … [and] that we’re deploying the latest, updated
devices.”
Attorney Dawn Blagrove is the executive director of
Emancipate NC, a nonprofit focused on ending structural racism and mass
incarceration. Blagrove says adding Tasers back as an option for deputies is “beneficial.”
“Any opportunity that we have to minimize that physical
touch between the officers and the community … I think that is better,” she
said. “I think these Tasers can be a good way to prevent harm to the officers
and to the community at large.”
Rowe said he’s seen an uptick in “combative reactions” from
people as deputies are trying to arrest them.
“It’s difficult to speak to the state of mind of people.
However, we have seen an increase of impaired individuals that we deal with,”
he explained, when asked why he thought deputies were dealing with more
combative people. “Anytime a person is impaired – whether it’s alcohol or drugs
– that can contribute to people being aggressive. There’s been an uptick of
people suffering from mental illness.”
Data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation supports Rowe’s
observations.
“The past decade shows the rate of non-fatal assaults
against law enforcement officers has been increasing since 2021,” according to an
FBI
special report.
It also notes 2024 as having the highest officer assault
rate since 2015, at 13.5 assaults per 100 officers.
In North Carolina, about 3,644 law enforcement officers were
assaulted on the job in 2024, according to statistics from the FBI. In
most cases, officers were responding to disturbance calls, like family quarrels
or bar fights. About 19% of the time, they were trying to arrest someone. About
14% of the time, officers were working with an inmate.
Axon advertises the Taser 10s as “less-lethal.” The company
says the Taser 10s are safer, more accurate and have features, like bright
lights and loud noises to allow the user to de-escalate before actually using the
device.
“Studies and findings have shown that providing proper
training on (ECWs) promotes effective de-escalation, reduces overall use-of force
incidents, and supports officer safety,” according to county documents.
The documents also say reintroduced technology will help in
the county’s goal to reduce violent crime.
Blagrove said the technology will need to be paired with quality
training.
“We know that Tasers can be deadly,” she said. “I would love
to see a stronger emphasis on diffusing situations without the need for force.
However, when force is necessary, we always want to see as many steps as
possible that are available to the officers before lethal force.”
The sheriff said deputies assigned to patrol will receive
the Tasers first. Between delivery and training, the sheriff said it will take
anywhere from six to nine months to fully implement the Tasers.