Rancho Simi park rangers authorized to use Tasers

Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District rangers will soon be armed with Tasers to incapacitate potentially violent suspects without having to use their firearms.

The district board earlier this month voted unanimously to authorize District Manager Dan Paranick to update the agency's policy manual to permit the use of Tasers, an electroshock weapon, in limited circumstances.

"After attempting verbal de-escalation of an issue, the park rangers currently have two methods of force to utilize: pepper spray and firearms," a memo by Theresa Pennington, the district's director of administration, says. "Tasers would allow a less than lethal alternative to firearms that can be used by the park rangers to subdue dangerous individuals."

The district currently has one full-time and six part-time rangers, Paranick said Monday. The district is budgeted for two more full-time rangers, he said.

The rangers are sworn peace officers and have been authorized by the board to carry firearms since 1995.

They primarily patrol the district's dozens of parks in Simi Valley and unincorporated Oak Park.

The district's chief ranger, Jim Rosales, requested the Tasers.

"That's a tool that will be well needed in our tool bag for de-escalation and to try to avoid getting to lethal force," he told the board at its Nov. 16 meeting.

Board member Elaine Freeman noted the board had discussed possibly arming rangers with Tasers several years ago.

"Was there some incident that made you want to bring it back?" she asked Rosales. "Or did it just seem like a good time?"

"It's a sign of the times," Rosales replied. "Sometimes subjects don't want to comply. So again, we want to make sure we don't have to go to lethal force."

If pepper spray doesn't work, he said, "Tasers will at least stop that subject."

But in response to a question from board member Brian Dennert, Rosales said his rangers haven't had to use pepper spray at all this year.

Paranick said Monday the new Taser policy isn't in response to any kind of uptick in potentially violent incidents in the district's parks.

"But the rangers are susceptible to encountering any number of folks who are threatening to the public," he said.

He said to his knowledge, rangers have not used their firearms in recent history.

In voting to authorize the Tasers, Dennert said, "I like this idea because it gives you another tool ... to protect the community, let you do your job, and protect yourself and your fellow officers."

Board member Ed Abele said he "enthusiastically" supported arming the rangers with Tasers.

Before being allowed to use the Tasers, the rangers will have to complete a training course from Taser firm Axon, from which the district has ordered five Tasers under a five-year lease-purchase agreement. The training is expected to begin in mid-December and the rangers are expected to start carrying the devices in early January.

The Tasers will cost $3,818 per year for the initial purchase and for upkeep in subsequent years, Paranick said. The training will cost $375 for the first year.

Under the district's policy, Tasers can be used to incapacitate suspects who are posing a reasonable threat of violence or assault. They can also be used as a defensive weapon in situations where their use is likely to prevent serious injury to a member of the public or district personnel.

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If possible, at a ranger's discretion, a suspect should be warned and given a reasonable chance to comply prior to a Taser's use.

The Taser should be initially activated against a suspect for only one cycle — 5 seconds — after which an evaluation will be made to determine if further use is required.

If so, the number and duration of additional cycles should be kept to the minimum necessary to take the person into custody.

Unless extraordinary circumstances exist, the Taser should not be used on young children, the elderly, obviously pregnant women, handcuffed suspects, passively resisting subjects, persons in proximity to a combustible materials and persons in physical control of a vehicle.

As soon as possible after Taser use, emergency medical personnel should be requested, and only qualified medical personnel should remove the probes from a person's body.

Rosales will review Taser usage for compliance with the new policy and will forward a report documenting the use of force to Pennington.

Next door to the Rancho Simi district, Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency rangers are not armed, Jim Friedl, general manager of the Conejo Recreation and Park District, said Monday. Rangers primarily patrol open space owned by the agency, the district and the city of Thousand Oaks.

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Tasers greenlighted for Rancho Simi Park District rangers