11/04/2008: "Sex Offenders, Tasers, & Overtime"

A “Supplemental” to the Sheriff’s budget has been approved by the County Council for $30,000 for a Sex-Offender Residency Verification grant. The state grant will be used to fund overtime pay to verify sex offender residences, and will also fund the purchase of Tasers for the department.

Last year the Sheriff proposed a budget item to purchase Tasers, but due to budget concerns the money was not provided. It was suggested at the time that he apply for a grant to purchase them.

The Sheriff took the advice, applied for, and received a grant for a Sex-Offender Residency Verification grant; Auditor Milene Henley said “of which we don’t have a lot, but we have some.”

Henley explained that the grantor had given permission to use one third of the money to purchase the Lasers, and the remaining will pay the Deputies the overtime pay to check and see if registered sex offenders are in fact living where they have stated they will reside while in the county.

Councilman Alan Lichter told Henley that “I am not in favor of purchasing Tasers, there have been too many unexplained deaths all around the country.” Lichter said the Taser manufactures are trying to “keep a lid on that;” but he added that “I know Bill’s feelings, ‘better a Taser than a pistol shot’, but I am still very uncomfortable providing a large number of dollars to buy a whole bunch of Tasers.”

When it came time to vote, Lichter said he was not in favor of providing grant funding for Tasers. He suggested they confer with the Prosecuting Attorney to determine if they could withhold funding for the Tasers.

Lichter was told they could approve or reject the grant, but not pick-and-choose from it. A motion to approve was passed with Lichter voting “no.”