STUN GUNS FOR INSPECTORS ON HOLD COUNCIL COMMITTEE EYES TRAINING, LIABILITY.

Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer

A plan to give Tasers to code enforcement investigators for stakeouts should be sent back to the drawing board, the City Council's Public Safety Committee decided in a vote Monday.

Council members said they support the idea of Tasers for plainclothes inspectors who handle late-night surveillance and arrests, but they want issues such as training and liability to be resolved first.

``Genteel people don't drive along in their pickup trucks and dump hazardous waste and disgusting old things in our streets. I agree with that and understand that,'' said Councilman Jack Weiss, who chairs the committee.

``We're not vetoing this. We're going to give you a chance to have all the tires kicked on this before you deploy.''

In July, the Board of Public Works approved a one-year trial to allow 20 inspectors to carry Taser stun guns while staking out sites where suspects could be arrested for illegal dumping.

However, Weiss - a former federal prosecutor - had concerns and asked the Los Angeles Police Department to weigh in on public safety and liability issues.

Though the stun guns can reduce injuries to investigators and suspects, they can also be risky. Suspects have occasionally been hospitalized after a Taser shock, and at least 150 people have died.

LAPD Capt. James Cansler raised questions Monday about how the inspectors would be trained, how liability issues would be resolved if a suspect were injured and whether use of a stun gun by an inspector would trigger a process like the LAPD's use-of-force investigation. ``Although less lethal, it can be troubling at times,'' Cansler said about Taser use. ``It's difficult tactically to deal with it. There need to be sufficient officers on hand to implement the Taser and effect the arrest. If they're getting into that situation, they should be calling LAPD to respond to that.''

Street Services officials have said they intend for inspectors to use Tasers only in life-threatening situations.

Currently, inspectors wear body armor and carry pepper spray but they are encountering more aggressive suspects, especially since code-enforcement officers can now seize motor vehicles of individuals found illegally dumping large amounts of material.

``We're noticing that while investigators make every possible effort to avoid physical confrontations, ... people are trying to respond more violently than they used to,'' said Assistant Director Nazario Sauceda.

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

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