It looks like some type of high-tech gun, but it fires two darts attached to wires that send thousands of volts of electricity through the body basically paralyzing the subject for five seconds, allowing police to control a suspect who is threatening an officer or someone else.
"It's the worst five seconds of your life. It hurts really bad," said Schaumburg Police tazer instructor Abdel Hamid.
Officer Hamid got tased as part of her training to become an instructor. The Schaumburg Police Department started using tasers for a few officers as an experiment a year ago. Now they are expanding the program to give one to all officers.
As part of the training, they invited me to take the class, learn about stun guns and fire one at their indoor range. The taser fires the darts at subjects up to about 25 feet away.
The taser, which costs $2,000, comes equipped with a laser light, so aiming is easy. It fires two darts simultaneously which are attached by wires to the gun and both need to hit the target for the electrical charge to work.
They said it's a little easier to fire than a handgun. It's lighter and there's no kickback.
