Minister Herbert Reul has decided to test Tasers (also known in police jargon as distance electro-pulse devices) in several police authorities as part of a one-year pilot trial. "We have to test the Tasers thoroughly and in a long-term test to determine their suitability for practical use. Only then can we decide whether to introduce the devices across the board for the NRW police force," said the Minister.
The pilot authorities are the police authorities in Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and the Rhine-Erft district. The trial phase is set to begin in January 2021 and will last twelve months. An evaluation will then follow by spring 2022. On the basis of this, a decision will then be made on the introduction of the distance electro-pulse devices for the NRW police. "The pilot authorities cover the entire spectrum of the police in the state: from large authorities with correspondingly large operations, to a medium-sized authority that is heavily burdened with soccer and clan operations, to the most heavily staffed district, everything is included. It is therefore likely that there will also be various situations in which the Taser can be tested," says Reul.
A project group will be set up at the State Office for Central Police Services (LZPD) from September 1, 2020. This will take care of the education and training of police officers as well as the acquisition of the devices.
Tasers are currently only used by the special units of the NRW police in North Rhine-Westphalia. The LZPD, together with the State Office for Training, Further Training and Personnel Matters of the NRW Police (LAFP) and with the participation of police authorities in the state, has previously tested the use of Tasers in an internal trial. Once the report was available, the Ministry of the Interior decided on the pilot trial.