Last year, on November 14th, the Chief of Police for Foothill and De Anza college held a community outreach session to openly discuss the possibility of Foothill Campus Police receiving tasers for duty. The meeting was led by Chief Daniel Acosta, Sgt. Shane Lueddeke, and Community Relations Supervisor Joy Garza. The police speakers opened with a presentation detailing their arguments in favor of tasers. They spoke about how tasers were safe and could reduce injuries for police officers. They also explained that tasers did not electrocute people, but rather only temporarily incapacitated them. Statistics concerning the positive impact that tasers have in their respective communities were also presented for consideration. The Chief of Police confirmed that they were going to fund these tasers with grants that may become available to them. After this, the floor was opened to answer any questions from the public about the issue.
Foothill students asked why tasers were needed, bringing attention to the fact that the police had not fired their weapons on Foothill or De Anza campuses in the last 10 years, and that the police had only a handful of injuries during that time. Police Chief Daniel Acosta said that the tasers would increase safety and the number of tools available to officers on duty. A student then stated that tasers were a weapon, not a tool. Sgt. Shane Lueddeke agreed with the student, then followed up by giving his personal testimony on why tasers are needed. He described two instances from his time in the San Jose police department where tasers had been useful. In one situation an angry driver they cut off had attacked him with an unspecified weapon, and in the other a citizen undergoing a mental health crisis attempted to be shot by police in order to commit suicide. In Sgt. Lueddeke’s opinion, both instances were helped by the presence and/or use of tasers.
Another student questioned if tasers were the best use of money, and how they would be able to tell if a person has compromised health or is undergoing a mental health crisis. The police chief conceded that they would not be able to. The students also brought attention to other things that could be fixed with money on campus first, such as how doors on campus do not lock from the inside – if an active shooter were on campus, faculty would have to go outside classrooms to lock the doors. Other students talked about how the police response on campus for stalking and harassment is perceived as underwhelming. The police chief agreed that these issues and others needed to be addressed, and that tasers were not the highest priority on the list of problems.
These outreach meetings will continue to be held a few times per quarter where students and faculty can ask questions and voice concerns regarding the possibility of tasers on campus. Some students have stated that the start time of the meetings isn’t convenient for students, and that the meetings are not on the school calendar nor advertised well, with some positing that this is because the police department doesn’t want the people who would push back against tasers on campus to be able to attend, but there is no direct evidence of this. These meetings are important for students to attend to ensure their opinions on tasers are heard, and to enable them to advocate for the safest campus possible.
If you wish to attend one of these meetings for yourself, and get actively involved in the Foothill Campus, the next Community Outreach Session on the topic of tasers will be held next month in February. The exact details have not yet been released, but keep posted on the date, time, and location by reaching out to its organizers!
