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Equipping Chevy Chase Village police officers with electric stun guns would make for a safer community, according to the police chief, but residents concerned about the devices' necessity gave a mixed reaction.

Police Chief Roy Gordon argued that Tasers would give the village's dozen officers an important non-lethal tool in dealing with criminal suspects and other potentially dangerous situations. Gordon argued they were not as dangerous as depicted by the media and were also equipped with video recording devices to monitor police conduct as well as help criminal investigations.

He also told board members at their monthly meeting on Monday night, "The village is changing."

"Our officers should be equipped with the best possible equipment that's available," Gordon said during his presentation.

The devices would cost $30,000 for 12 Tasers, cartridges and training, and would be funded from the village's Safe Speed traffic cameras on Connecticut Avenue.

But a few residents questioned whether officers actually needed the Tasers given present crime statistics in the village and the county, and whether they were an appropriate choice for village police.

"It's totally out of character with our community," said village resident Peter Kilborn, who called the devices "brutal" and cited a statistic from Amnesty International that 334 Americans died after Taser shocks from 2001 to 2008.

Board members agreed that the village's Public Safety Committee should re-examine the issue and give a report to the village in December. The issue first came to the committee's attention three years ago and did not generate much discussion, according to committee Chairman Saul Goodman.

"It was really just sort of a budgetary question," Goodman said.

Tasers, one brand of electric stun guns, shoot two prongs between 15 to 35 feet that attach to a person's body or clothing and usually render the person immediately immobile. Montgomery County police are required to be shot with Tasers themselves before being permitted to carry them as well as undergo training with the devices, although not all county officers carry Tasers.

In addition to the cameras that record instances of the Tasers being used, Gordon said the devices could be tracked to see which officer used which device. He also said officers would undergo extensive training and meet all state guidelines regarding Tasers before they would be used in the field.

Current non-lethal options for village officers, such as the pepper spray and clubs, are not suited for use in enclosed areas, such as a home where an emotionally or psychologically disturbed person is committing violence, according to Gordon.

"It's another tool that's less than lethal force," he said.

Goodman said he supported the devices, despite some statistics showing that Tasers could pose several problems, because of his experience being robbed in the village.

"When you've been robbed at gunpoint right by your home, it puts a different perspective on things," Goodman said.

But village resident Herbert Geller, despite having his car broken into several times, recalled talking with a village police officer who said he had never had to use his club or gun. He also said Tasers could not be safely used on people with heart conditions, making police's job difficult in certain situations.

"The number of instances where we would actually need these is miniscule," Geller said, adding that he did think additional surveillance was necessary in the village.

Resident Kathleen McMackin said she had been open-minded about Tasers initially, but worried about the relative inexperience of young officers in certain situations.

"If you were the only police officer, I think everyone in here would say yes," she said.