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Police chief seeks $9,863 increase to Tasers purchase to include VR use‑of‑force training
Summary
Chief Troy Mills asked the council to increase an approved $94,000 purchase for Axon/TASER equipment to $103,863.20 to add a virtual‑reality community engagement and use‑of‑force training program and cover required instructor certification.
Sutherland Police Chief Troy Mills asked the council to approve a contract modification raising an approved appropriation of $94,000 to $103,863.20 for replacement TASER devices and related training. Mills said the additional $9,863.20 would cover instructor certification and an Axon TAP VR enhanced training program that adds virtual‑reality scenarios the department cannot safely replicate in the field.
Mills described recurring training obligations and said “Taser requires us to have instructors always trained. We have to go once a year to be trained. It's a thousand dollars per instructor to get trained,” and noted the VR program allows one‑on‑one instruction in a closed environment when staffing is limited. He said the existing devices are at the end of their service life and the department has exhausted its reserves for replacements.
Council discussed use and training; no alternate funding source was recorded. The motion to approve the Axon TAP VR enhanced training contract and related services carried unanimously: Councilor Woods, Councilor Daigle, Councilor Sarnoski, Councilor Smalley, Councilor Hamilton, Councilor Whitaker and the Mayor (name not specified) voted “Aye.” The council did not adopt any amendments to the contract terms at the meeting.
Mills said the new equipment and training are intended to reduce officer injuries and improve decision‑making in split‑second encounters; details on long‑term training costs beyond initial certification were not presented at the hearing.
