Harrisville police weigh 10-year Taser lease — $100,753 bundle includes devices, cartridges and VR training
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Summary
The Harrisville Police Department presented a vendor proposal for a 10-year, all-inclusive Taser lease priced at about $100,753 total (roughly $10,053/year), covering handles, cartridges, VR simulation and instructor certifications. Council members pressed for itemized costs, alternatives to a decade-long commitment, and how many officers would be issued devices.
Harrisville police staff outlined a vendor proposal for a 10-year Taser lease that the department says bundles hardware, training and ongoing supplies for roughly $100,753 total, or about $10,053 annually.
The package, described by a department presenter (identified in the transcript as Speaker 4), would supply 9 paid handles (the vendor would ship 10 so the department would have a spare), an initial stock of field cartridges and inert training cartridges, instructor certifications, a VR simulator and data-analytics licensing. Speaker 4 said the set includes about 145 field cartridges and roughly 70 HALT training cartridges, plus reality-based training suits that accept training cartridges.
Speaker 4 described technical reasons the department is considering the newer Taser 10 platform: “the Taser 10 ... doubles the effective range ... up to 45 feet” and the platform integrates with existing training simulators. The presenter also said the vendor’s bundle would automatically refresh hardware if the company introduces improved handles during the contract term.
Councillors probed the tradeoffs between a multi-year lease and an outright purchase. One councillor (Speaker 1) urged caution about committing to a decadelong contract without seeing an itemized price breakdown, saying training and liability implications matter as much as the device handles. Another council member (Speaker 2) asked whether fewer devices could be shared at a shift hub instead of issuing a device to every officer, noting events where 12–13 officers may be on duty but fewer devices would be available under a nine‑unit plan.
Staff said the vendor told them that the first payment would be modest (they cited an example first payment of roughly $218) and that the vendor projected shipping equipment in mid‑March if the city authorized the program. The presenter framed the 10‑year lease as a cost‑effective bundle, arguing it saves about $59,000 over the term compared with a hypothetical buyout approach, but also repeatedly noted the downside that the city would be tied to the vendor for 10 years.
No formal procurement decision or motion was recorded in the work session. Council members asked staff to obtain an itemized proposal comparing the 10‑year lease, an outright purchase of handles, and a hybrid model (buy handles but purchase only essential training packages), and to return with those numbers before any authorization.
Next steps: Staff agreed to request an itemized cost breakdown from the vendor and to provide options on device counts and training scope for the council’s next meeting.