Statement from NYS Senator Eric Adams regarding the issuance of Tasers for Transit Authority Employees

Senator Adams states: "This Bill will not authorize the issuance of Tasers to every transit authority employee.  Instead, it will change current law to grant the MTA and Amtrack the right to decide whether to implement a pilot program that includes the use of Tasers.

A Taser is one of the safest non-lethal tools available; it is an effective method of dealing with the threat of serious physical injury to or averting the death of innocent persons.  Unlike the damage done by deadly weapons like guns, no injury results when a discharged Taser strikes an innocent person unless the trigger is pulled to generate the electronic pulse after the leads have made contact.

Many people are unaware that during periods of commuter travel there are intervals when a train or bus is far removed from the protection of law enforcement personnel: when a train crosses a bridge, goes through an East River tunnel, or traverses the long distances between express stops and when a bus is moving late at night through a desolate area.  Currently, an individual who attempts to use a weapon or detonate a bomb can cause a devastating calamity without fearing intervention from unarmed transit employees.  Tasers will afford the transit crew the power to temporarily incapacitate an offender unitl law enforcement arrives."