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Sheriff announces $40,000 Timken Foundation grant for new tasers; county to cover remaining multi‑year costs
Summary
Sheriff Jeff Bailey told council a Timken Foundation grant will cover the first year of a taser program costing the county about $26,580.42 over the following four years; he described operational and training benefits of the less‑lethal devices.
Sheriff Jeff Bailey told Union County Council on July 9 that the department’s current tasers are outdated and increasingly expensive to maintain and that the Timken Foundation approved a $40,000 grant to obtain new less‑lethal devices.
Bailey said the replacement program requires a five‑year commitment. The grant would cover the first year; the county would be responsible for approximately $26,580.42 for the subsequent four years, which the sheriff said includes training, instructors and warranty. He described advantages of the newer devices, including multiple shots per unit compared with the single‑shot capability of the older models.
Bailey said officers prefer options that can avoid advancing to more lethal weapons and that staff are calculating long‑term savings in cartridges and training to determine the county’s true additional cost if council decides to proceed. He also announced a Back to School giveaway at the fairgrounds on July 27, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., and that the department would have a final inspection for accreditation on July 11–12 with a presentation in Columbia expected afterward.
