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\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nSEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE NUMBER: G – 51A GENERAL ORDER REVIEWED: SUBJECT: Weapons Policy (Taser) EFFECTIVE: December 22, 2006 REVISED: March 4, 2025 Table of Contents: I. Purpose II. Scope III. Definitions IV. Procedures V. Administrative Functions (Accountability) I. PURPOSE: A. Deputy Sheriffs shall use only that force reasonably necessary to perform their official duties. The primary purpose in a decision to deploy the Taser is to prevent escalation of subject resistance or violence and to minimize injury to both the Deputy(s) and subject(s). Only those Deputies who have completed the approved Taser user certification courses may use the Taser. B. This directive has been developed in conjunction with the General Order Weapons Policy, and Deputies are responsible for obeying that directive regarding weapons use, authority to carry, and other standards of Performance regarding the use of all Sheriff’s Office weapons. C. Seminole County Law Enforcement Taser Committee: It is the intent of Seminole County law enforcement agencies to have a common Taser policy. Representatives from these agencies have met to review and discuss differences among the individual policies in an effort to establish a policy that is as similar as possible. This group will meet periodically to review deployments and events that may affect the policy and determine if change is needed. II. SCOPE: The Taser 10 is the only Taser Energy Weapon (TEW) authorized for use by the Sheriff's Office. Before a Taser may be carried in the line of duty, it will be reviewed, thoroughly inspected, and approved by a certified weapons instructor before it is issued to a Deputy. III. DEFINITIONS: A. Taser Energy Weapon (TEW): Taser energy weapons override the sensory and motor nervous systems, causing uncontrollable contractions of the muscle tissue. The Taser affects both the sensory and motor nervous system. B. Warning Alert: The use of the warning alert can be utilized to gain the attention of a resisting subject, GENERAL ORDER Weapons Policy (Taser) G-51A PAGE 1 OF 8\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nor compel compliance with verbal commands. . A Warning Alert, absent an actual probe deployment , does not require a Response to Resistance report to be completed. . C. Deployment: The intentional discharge of a Taser at or towards a subject using probes. . . D. Injury: For purposes of this policy an injury includes, but is not limited to, probe contact with a sensitive area (the head, face, neck, female breast or male nipple area and the pelvic triangle). Injury does not include probe contact in non-sensitive areas. E. Custodial Situation: Events when a subject maybe taken into custody to prevent harm to themselves or others (i.e. Ex Parte, Baker Act, Hal Marchman Act). F. Martin Lee Anderson Act: State law limiting the use of intermediate weapons (chemical agents or baton) by employees of the Department of Juvenile Justice or any of their contractually bound providers. G. Neuromuscular Incapacitation (NMI) When a Taser is deployed using the probes against a subject, and the probe spread on the subject is sufficiently large enough, the subject’s sensory and motor nervous systems will be affected, incapacitating both systems and limiting their ability to resist. This effect is known as Neuromuscular Incapacitation. IV. PROCEDURES: A. Training: 1. Only Deputies who have satisfactorily completed the Taser user certification courses are authorized to carry or use the Taser. NOTE: Personally owned Tasers are not permitted for carry on duty. 2. Basic certification for the use of a Taser shall consist of no less than the manufacturer’s minimum recommendations or requirements of Florida Statute, whichever is greater. 3. Deputies will satisfactorily complete annual recertification training. 4. Taser instructors will complete biennial instructor certification training. 5. Training topics for both the basic certification and annual recertification training should consist of, but are not limited to, the following topics. a. Manufacturer’s recommendations and maintenance, b. Deployment / Use / Documentation, c. Response to Resistance Matrix Levels and other tactical options, d. Taser retention and transition drills, e. Scenario based training, and f. Medical considerations. B. Weapon Readiness: 1. When the Taser is carried by authorized Deputies, both in uniform and non-uniform in an GENERAL ORDER Weapons Policy (Taser) G-51A PAGE 2 OF 8\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\napproved cross draw holster on the non-dominant side of their body. Deputies wishing to use a non-issued Taser holster shall obtain approval from the Taser Program Manager prior to use. 2. The Taser shall be carried fully armed with the safety on and 10 cartridges loaded on the deployment end of the Taser in preparation for immediate use when authorized. 3. Only battery power sources approved by the Taser Program Manager shall be used in the Taser. Use of non-approved battery power sources may cause the Taser to not function and will void the warranty. 4. Deputies shall carry a second authorized intermediate weapon (i.e. baton or oleoresin capsicum spray) on their duty belt, in addition to the Taser. 5. To ensure the weapon is functioning properly, Deputies shall conduct a routine test/inspection of their Taser., to include a function test. These tests should be conducted at a minimum at the beginning of every shift rotation for Deputies assigned 12-hour shifts, and daily for Deputies assigned any other shift. Deputies assigned to specialty units where the Taser is not normally carried on a daily basis should perform a function check as instructed by TASER instructors at least twice per week. If practical, these tests should be conducted in a safe location out of the public view. 6. Deputies who fail to maintain their issued Taser and associated equipment can be held fiscally responsible for any equipment that needs to be replaced due to failure to follow testing and maintenance procedures set forth in this policy and as directed in Training. Professional Development or the Taser Program Manager will notify Professional Standards and Financial Services of any instances when this occurs. C. Deployment: 1. The Taser may be deployed on individual(s) exhibiting a Level 4 Active Physical Resistance or to prevent individuals from harming themselves or others. However, no policy/guideline can describe every situation Deputies might face. The Deputy may face higher or lower levels of resistance where facts and circumstances may justify the deployment of the Taser. 2. A Deputy’s decision to deploy the Taser shall involve an arrest, probable cause for arrest, or custodial situation wherein the subject is exhibiting active physical resistance or escalating resistance from passive physical resistance towards active physical. 3. A Deputy’s response to a subject’s resistance should always include consideration of subject and officer factors such as age, size, weight, physical condition and/or the subject’s apparent ability to physically challenge the Deputy or do harm to himself or others, balanced against the seriousness of the incident. 4. The aforementioned reference to escalating resistance from passive physical resistance may justify deployment of the Taser when the subject is exhibiting threatening body language in conjunction associated with verbal threats, refusing to comply with the Deputy’s instructions, and the apparent ability to physically challenge the Deputy. Threatening body language can be a variety of things, when coupled with the totality of the circumstances, can lead a reasonable Deputy to believe that an aggressive/hostile act is imminent. 5. Using verbal commands Deputies should make a reasonable effort to notify assisting Deputies of the intended deployment of the Taser, unless doing so would place other persons at risk. 6. The method of deployment of the Taser is the probe mode. Through the deployment of GENERAL ORDER Weapon