CRANFORD PD EQUIPS OFFICERS WITH CONDUCTIVE ENERGY DEVICES

Following months of research and consultation with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, the Cranford Police Department became the first Municipal Police Department in Union County to equip trained officers with Conductive Energy Devices (CED), commonly known as the brand name Tasers. Officers began carrying CEDs in April, upon completing a two-day training course conducted by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office CED Training Task Force. CEDs will be carried by on-duty uniformed personnel during the course of their normal duties.
Chief James Wozniak selected veteran uniform officers to be authorized CED users, after each completed Crisis Intervention Team training. The Crisis Intervention Training is a 40-hour program focused on mental illness and crisis de-escalation techniques.
The goal of the CED program is to provide officers another tool and option to stop an incident before it escalates to the use of deadly force.
In 2016, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office revised its guidelines to allow for police use of the devices.
“As with other tools carried by our officers, this is one that I hope they never have to use. However, the implementation of these devices allows us to prevent potentially violent situations to escalate to a level where deadly force may otherwise be necessary,” Chief Wozniak said. “It allows an added level of protection for our officers and our residents. The Union County Prosecutor’s Office was a great partner in assisting us in getting our CED program off the ground. The training staff was an excellent source of knowledge, and their program administrator, Captain James Russo, was invaluable.”