San Diego Community College District Chancellor Gregory Smith announced that the district will not move forward with deploying conducted energy devices (CEDs), also known as Tasers, on its campuses at the April 17 Board of Trustees meeting.
Smith cited community concerns in his recommendation.
“Given the concerns that have been raised, I think it’s in our best interest to not deploy CEDs at this time,” Smith said. “Given the totality of what has been expressed, I think that that is the right decision for our students, for our faculty, for our community, and also for our police department.”
Chancellor Smith remarked on opposing opinions on Tasers coming from police, faculty and students.
“I’ve had few decisions that I had to be involved in where I had so many different perspectives and information,” Smith said. “I have been confidently told there are no additional perspectives coming forward.”
The proposal to equip SDCCD police with Tasers sparked significant debate and drew pushback from members of the campus community and the Police Advisory Committee.
At the Dec. 5, 2024 meeting, where the committee voted 8–1 in favor of recommending Tasers, Black Studies Professor Darius Spearman was the only dissenting vote, citing concerns that the devices could be misused.
Earlier in October, a student called “Chieftain” spoke at a Board of Trustees meeting, warning that Tasers could disproportionately affect students of color, saying, “I’m the person the Tasers would be used on, or look like him.”
Additionally, both the San Diego City College Associated Students Government and Academic Senate voiced opposition, questioning whether or not Tasers would contribute to de-escalation as well as expressing fears about student safety.
A 2020 review published in the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing further found that individuals experiencing mental distress are at heightened risk of being subjected to taser use during law enforcement encounters.
The study called for stronger partnerships between mental health professionals and police to reduce reliance on force during crises.
Research into the effects of Taser use highlights risks particularly relevant to young adult populations.
A 2022 report from “Strategies for the Youth ” noted that Tasers can cause cardiac, respiratory and neurological complications, especially in high-stress situations. The Stanford Criminal Justice Center similarly found that “prolonged or repeated shocks dramatically increase the risk of cardiac arrest, even in healthy young adults.”
Both reports stated that although tasers are often called “less lethal,” they still carry serious risks when deployed on people in their late teens and early twenties.
Two SDCCD officers were disappointed in Chancellor Smiths announcement,
Lieutenant Ken Nelson held the opinion that the decision was only temporary and argued that having Tasers, rather than continuing without them, is the better choice.
“It’s my belief it’s been taken off the table for now, but it’s not a forever no,” Nelson said. “We would not have brought it to the table if we didn’t think it was in the best interest for the safety of our officers and students.”
Nelson said the department is in lockstep with the administration’s decision. He also noted that SDCCD stands apart from other institutions.
“There’s a hierarchy, and we respect the decision the Chancellor made,” he said. “We are the only ones without Tasers, including in higher education.”
Lieutenant Jeff Hughes spoke about how the SDCCD police department will move forward from this decision.
“Even without CEDs, we are going to make this the safest possible learning environment for our students.”
Edited by David J. Bohnet, Bailey Kohnen and Danny Straus
