Every officer in the Kittery Police Department is now equipped with a Taser to help subdue unruly subjects who resist arrest. Police Chief Edward Strong said the new weapon, which uses an electric current to disrupt muscle control, is a non-lethal alternative to guns.

“It’s another tool to use before you have to use deadly force to make somebody submit to an arrest or control somebody,” Strong said.

The department purchased the Tasers for roughly $9,000 and spent the next several weeks training its officers on protocol surrounding their use. “All the officers have to be trained and certified in the use of Tasers,” Strong said.

Kittery, the southernmost town in Maine, becomes the latest in a string of Seacoast communities to equip its police officers with Tasers. Portsmouth Police acquired Tasers in 2006, and Seabrook Police followed suit the following year.

Thousands of law enforcement agencies around the world now carry Tasers, and their use has drawn scrutiny in many cases, spurring several lawsuits. Amnesty International and other human rights groups have questioned whether Tasers are safe and whether officers abuse them. Strong said his department has addressed those concerns.

“That’s why we do training, to make sure they understand how to use it, when to use it, and what we expect to comply with our rules and regulations,” he said.

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