City to Purchase 24 Tasers Through Lease Agreement, Chief Sherer Says CPD Will Save $7,500 Over 5 Years

COLUMBUS, Neb. - Every Columbus police officer will soon have their own taser after city council approval on Monday. CPD will purchase 24 tasers from Axon Enterprise for just over $34,000 over five years, through a lease-to-own program the company provides to cities. CPD Chief Chuck Sherer told the council that the department has set a goal of equipping every officer with a taser and has budgeted $41,500 over the next five years to achieve that. Therefore this new agreement should save the department around $7,500 over a five year period. Sherer says decision also may extend the life of CPD's tasers. Currently CPD uses six tasers that are swapped from officer to officer after each shift, doing what Sherer calls a "hot swap" that wears on batteries and cartridges. The swap would not be required with the new agreement. The Columbus City Council approved the taser agreement unanimously.