Every Chicago Cop Will Soon Carry a Taser

Mayor Rahm Emanuel changing policy after high-profile shootings

By Arden Dier, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 30, 2015 10:57 AM CST

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Every Chicago Cop Will Soon Carry a Taser — In this Aug. 16, 2007, file photo, a police officer demonstrates a Taser in Brattleboro, Vt. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Today, about 20% of Chicago police officers have a Taser on hand when responding to calls. By June 1, that figure will be up to 100% with each officer trained in how to use the devices, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office says, per CNN. The changes in policy also will include training that will focus on "de-escalation tactics to reduce the intensity of a conflict or a potentially violent situation at the earliest possible moment," Emanuel says, per USA Today. The changes come in the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting and the more recent shooting of a 19-year-old and a grandmother over the weekend. (Read more Chicago police stories.)