SAN JOSE — A coalition of South Bay activists rallied outside the Santa Clara County Main Jail and Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday morning against the proposed expansion of a program that would extend the use of stun guns in the jail.
The protest was set to coincide with a Board of Supervisors hearing where the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office gave an update on the first six months of a pilot program that purchased 75 stun guns for deputies and correctional officers. The program would ultimately purchase 1,400 stun guns, according to a press release from the Coalition for Justice and Accountability, the group of organizations pushing against the ordinance.
“The community is demanding the video footage of the tasering of 9 inmates, their medical records and the corresponding use of force reports,” Aram James, co-chair of CJA, said in a press release. “Without access to these records the public is shut out of the critical oversight process. The community demands transparency.”
Stun guns are frequently sold under the brand name of Taser, which is owned by Axon.
Supervisors voted in 2024 to design a pilot program to outfit deputies with stun guns, ordering the creation of a report that would outline potential health impacts and community concerns of the the weapon’s disproportionate use against minorities. At the time of the initial vote, community members expressed concerns that the the sheriff’s civilian oversight body did not accurately represent stun guns under its billing of “less lethal than guns.”
Santa Clara County jail deputies were previously armed with stun guns until the 1980s — when they were removed from use after 37-year-old inmate Jeffrey Leonti died of cardiac arrest after he was zapped while restrained by guards.
In the program’s first six months, which began in March, 75 devices were purchased — 60 of which were given to tenured staff, according to the Sheriff’s Office report given to the Board of Supervisors.
In that time, the devices were deployed nine times and resulted in no injuries, the report said. There were 39 times when deholstering a stun gun was able to de-escalate a situation without the device’s deployment.
“These outcomes suggest that broader access to CEDs could further strengthen safety and reduce injuries to incarcerated persons, staff, and others in the jails,” the report reads.
The protesters chanted “no tasers now!” and held signs reading “tasers kill! and “no to tasers” as they stood on the steps outside the Main Jail. Speakers cited concerns about the dangers posed by stun guns and expressed concerns that their increased use will result in deadly force.
They then led additional chants as they marched from the jail to the Board of Supervisors meeting up the street. The board was expected to hear a report on the first six months of the pilot program at its regular Tuesday meeting.
This is a developing report. Check back for updates.