One of Missouri’s largest police agencies will soon equip every officer on the streets with a Taser stun gun, a weapon the chief credits with reducing injuries to both suspects and officers.

Redditt Hudson of the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri on Thursday questioned the decision by St. Louis County police, saying stun guns are dangerous and too often deployed prematurely.

Police Chief Tim Fitch said the department will use federal grant money to purchase 312 additional Tasers. As a result, all of the county’s patrol officers and those in specialized units will carry the weapon — about 600 officers total.

“The device is another less lethal tool we have at our disposal and will be used only long enough to gain compliance and then (be) deactivated,” Fitch said in a statement.

Fitch said that to help ensure the safety of suspects he would institute a policy that requires officers to call an ambulance every time the stun gun is deployed.

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