Alachua’s contraband fund to finance Tasers, rifles and stop sticks

ALACHUA – The Alachua Police Department may soon be outfitted with new Tasers funded by contraband materials seized by officers. Monday night the City of Alachua Commission approved the use of funds from a restricted forfeiture account to buy new equipment for the department.

It will cost $23,825 to equip all officers with X2 Tasers. The devices currently being used by officers are bulky and cumbersome, according to information provided by Alachua Chief of Police Joel DeCoursey.

The Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act allows law enforcement to use the funding once approved by the commission. Contraband materials generally include cars and money, with this particular fund paying for equipment totaling $37,459.

“I haven't heard about too many people getting tasered,” resident Connie Canny said during the citizen's comments portion of Monday night’s commission meeting.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Commissioner Robert Wilford said. “They're not just going to go around willy-nilly shooting people.”

Along with the Tasers, the commission also approved the use of the funds for new M16 rifles and stop sticks. Stop sticks are devises placed on roadways that are used to puncture and deflate tires to impede or stop vehicles.  Currently the department does not have stop sticks, and the rifles were requested in response to a school shooting that happened in a neighboring community. The cost of stop sticks is estimated to be $5,634 and the cost of the rifles will be $8,000.