OCPD Chief On Tasers: ‘Proven To Be A Very Valuable Tool For Us’

OCEAN CITY — With all of the Ocean City Police Department’s front line officers and supervisors now equipped with Tasers, the program has reached fruition and is now exceeding the desired results.

During his report to the Mayor and Council on Monday, OCPD Chief Ross Buzzuro presented the Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW), or Taser, report for October. For the last three years or so, Ocean City has piecemeal-funded new Tasers for the OCPD and now all officers and front-line supervisors are carrying the electronic weapons designed to dissolve certain incidents. Buzzuro told the council on Monday his top lieutenants have been praising the Taser program for its role in reducing injuries to police officers and to suspects as well in certain cases.

“It really has paid dividends,” he said. “It has worked even better than we anticipated. It has proven to be a very valuable tool for us.”

The OCPD has been utilizing the Tasers to varying degrees since 2012 with some times of the year more active than others. Buzzuro said there were four incidents in October during which OCPD officers utilized Tasers for different situations.

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