The Coleman City Council, in session on April 15, heard a presentation from Chris Bratton, Interim Police Chief, on the purchase of CLE gas guns, to move away from the use of Taser.  In his presentation to the Council, Interim Chief Bratton said “Our Tasers were no longer in compliance with the manufacturer’s requirements, none of our people had been trained in over three years in the proper use of them.  On the force scale, Tasers come right below your firearm.”  Bratton continued by saying – “We were either going to have to replace the Tasers and retrain everybody at a cost of a little over $30,000 or $35,000 or find an alternative, and fortunately I knew of an alternative,” Bratton said.

The Police Department has chosen the JPX America gas delivery system identified as CLE.  This product delivers a small packet of capsicum oil through a blank cartridge dispersal system which is effective to around 25 feet.  The capsicum oil causes the same incapacitation as the pepper spray previously used and is effective for a period of around 30 to 45 minutes with no lasting effects.  “It has been used around the country, extensively, for probably 8 or 9 years now,” Bratton said. The Council was given a close look at the CLE which is about half the cost of a Taser. “This is a significant cost savings to us, and, nobody is going to die from this,” Bratton said, noting that no fatalities have
been recorded in use of this alternative to Taser.  The City of Brady just went to the CLE
along with Bastrop County, Kenedy and Elgin to name a few.  “There are about 900 cities and counties using these in Texas right now,” Bratton said.  Three Coleman Police Officers will also be certified as trainers on how to use the product.  “This will have no impact on the budget for the City at all.  We have sufficient funds in our seizure account so we can just write a check and pay for these out of the seizure account,”  Bratton added.

The Council unanimously approved expenditures totaling $16,191 to pay for 11 of the gas guns.   The new CLE’s are now being utilized by Coleman Police. Bratton said the system is also effective against animals that may be aggressive.