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Agreements yield Tasers, traffic-database software, police officer’s transfer to gang task force

Posted 1/21/20

Intergovernmental agreements between the Apache Junction Police Department and various agencies will provide Taser equipment, access to state vehicle-crash records and for an officer to assist with a …

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Agreements yield Tasers, traffic-database software, police officer’s transfer to gang task force

Posted

Intergovernmental agreements between the Apache Junction Police Department and various agencies will provide Taser equipment, access to state vehicle-crash records and for an officer to assist with a gang and immigration task force.

The items were approved at a recent meeting of the Apache Junction City Council.

Gang task force

One sworn AJPD officer certified by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board is to work full-time assisting the Arizona Department of Public Safety with a gang task force, according to one agreement.

The officer will be assigned to the East Valley team of the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission state gang task force, which includes Apache Junction, Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler, AJPD Chief Thomas E. Kelly said to the council.

“The DPS picks up 75% of the officer’s salary, all benefits and takes care of all equipment and training,” he said.

“It affords us additional resources to deal with some of the issues that the council has directed to us in the past when we had the Community Resource Enforcement Unit working, and through your support we were able to do a lot of the street-crime issues and deal with drug enforcement and other things we routinely deal with in the evening hours,” he said.

The mission of the Arizona state gang task force is --- in collaboration with citizens, partnered agencies and intelligence resources --- to suppress criminal gangs and transnational crime, according to azdps.gov/about/programs/giitem.

Taser equipment

The Town of Gilbert is to donate 216 used Taser X-26s in exchange for use of the City of Apache Junction’s firearms range, according to another agreement.

Gilbert Police Department is upgrading its entire system and getting a more-upgraded Taser, AJPD Chief Kelly said to the council.

“We currently still use that equipment and it’s still working fine for us, he said.

The AJPD firearms range, which is at 575 E. Baseline Ave., is able to accommodate Gilbert Police Department’s need for use of the range at pre-arranged dates and times, Chief Kelly said.

The Taser X-26 is a software-upgradable electronic control device manufactured by Taser International Inc., according to the manual at help.axon.com.

“ECDs use propelled wires or direct contact to conduct energy to affect the sensory and motor functions of the nervous system,” according to the manual.

“The X26 ECD uses a replaceable cartridge containing compressed nitrogen to deploy two small probes that are attached to the ECD cartridge by insulated conductive wires. The X26 ECD transmits electrical pulses along the wires and into the body affecting the sensory and motor functions of the peripheral nervous system. The cartridges are available with various wire lengths from 15 feet to 35 feet,” it states.

Crash records database

The City Council recently approved a resolution authorizing AJPD to enter into an agreement with Arizona Department of Transportation for connectivity to an electronic crash records database with Arizona traffic and criminal software.

“Currently, AJPD completes the accident reports and submits to the records unit, which makes copies of the reports,” AJPD Chief Kelly said in a memo to the council.

“When a sufficient number are compiled, they are mailed to the ADOT crash records unit. Through the use of AzTraCS, once the report is approved by the supervisor, the report will be transmitted electronically to ADOT and will save on processing time and the cost of postage,” he said.

In 2018, AJPD personnel hand wrote more than 3,700 citations in which 1,508 --- 40% --- were completed by motor units and 411 accident reports were submitted to Arizona DPS, AJPD Chief Kelly said.

The only direct cost associated with implementing the software is hardware that the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is providing, AJPD Chief Kelly said.