County Sheriff’s Department Now Equipped with Tassers

From the left, County Detective Charles Shoemaker, District Attorney Dave Strouse, Clinton County Women’s Center Director Sandy Ludwig, County Sheriff Kerry Stover
From the left, County Detective Charles Shoemaker, District Attorney Dave Strouse, Clinton County Women’s Center Director Sandy Ludwig, County Sheriff Kerry Stover

LOCK HAVEN — Clinton County law enforcement officials were present at the county commissioners’ Thursday meeting to announce that the county sheriff’s department is now equipped with tassers.

District Attorney Dave Strouse lauded the work of the Clinton County Women’s Center, Sheriff Kerry Stover and county detective Charles Shoemaker in obtaining a Stop Violence against Women grant to secure the tassers. He called the tassers “a much needed non-lethal law enforcement tool.”

Stover said the sheriff’s office is the last law enforcement agency in the county to be outfitted with the stun guns and said the weapons will be useful in courtroom settings.

Strouse said the STOP grant money has also afforded law enforcement personnel various training opportunities serving to improve the skills and expertise to “better respond to, investigate and prosecute offenders of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking” in the county. He said it has also provided a line of communication between law enforcement and the women’s center helping “to assure victims…receive the best possible services without re-victimizing in the process.” He also announced because of the STOP collaboration, a sexual assault team (SART) has been formed to further focus on protocol and procedures that will best serve these victims.

Strouse and Women’s Center director Sandy Ludwig provided a list of STOP grant highlights since 2015. They range from four trained sexual assault forensic nurses trained for Lock Haven Hospital to assistance to the county in covering the cost of the Victim’s Witness Coordinator and Domestic Violence Sexual Assault investigator.

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