A proposal to purchase 40 Taser guns for the Gainesville Police Department was approved at Thursday's city commission meeting.
The cost for the Tasers and other equipment will be $47,000 or less and will come from the Federal Law Enforcement Contraband Forfeiture Fund, which is made up of money seized during drug raids.
The current balance of the fund is $1,887,015.
"This is not a matter of your taxes," GPD spokesman Keith Kameg said. "This is drug dealers' money that we took."
The money will be used to purchase 40 Taser International Inc. X 26E Advanced Tasers and accessories, such as holsters and replacement batteries, according to the meeting agenda.
"We've had Tasers for a while now," she said. "We're just buying more," said City Commissioner Jeanna Mastrodicasa.
Kameg said that currently about 60 officers have Tasers. GPD hopes that all of its 200 to 225 officers have Tasers by the middle of 2010.
"They have proven to be very successful," Kameg said.
"These Tasers have actually cut back on our own injuries," he said.
