The Denver Police Department is currently revising its use of force policy regarding when officers can deploy Tasers, which could potentially loosen the guideline.

The proposed policy would allow officers to use a Taser on a person before they have become actively aggressive, according to a statement from Denver police. The revision to the policy is necessary because the department is switching to a new Taser model, DPD said.

The new Taser model, TASER 10, has a much lower maximum voltage of 1,000 compared to the old models’ 50,000 volts. The TASER 10 also has 20 extra feet of range, eight more probe cartridges and a 1,000 lumen strobe flashlight warning mode. 

Previously, the department only allowed officers to deploy a Taser against a person who was engaged in an “overt act or threat” of assault which put another person in danger of injury. Under the new policy, officers could deploy a Taser in response to “defensive resistance,” which the department defines as physical actions attempting to prevent an officer’s control. The department would not allow officers to use a Taser on a fleeing subject under the new policy.

Denver police’s watchdog, the Office of the Independent Monitor, is opposed to the proposed policy change. In a statement, OIM called the change “surprising and concerning,” and said the change could put community members in danger of unnecessary Taser deployments. In a report, OIM recommended the department retain the old policy of only using a Taser against an actively aggressive subject.

Additionally, OIM recommended that DPD update other policies relating to Taser deployment, including how officers provide medical attention to a subject hit with a Taser, how Taser deployments are documented and how the department audits less-than-lethal weapons.

A draft of the proposed policy was sent to the OIM by DPD on April 9, with recommendations asked to be provided by April 23. However, DPD said the new policy was mistakenly published ahead of receiving OIM’s recommendations, leading to the published policy being rescinded until DPD can review and respond to OIM’s recommendations.