Honolulu police have expanded the use of electric stun guns, issuing the non-lethal weapons to 300 officers since November in hopes of reducing injuries to suspects and officers.

Maui police, who have been using Tasers since 2004 and have 300 issued to officers, say they have cut down on injuries and lawsuits.

"Once they're deployed and people know we've deployed them, they usually just give up," said Maui Police Chief Thomas Phillips. "It's been helpful to reduce injuries to the suspects as well as our officers. The Taser absolutely reduces injuries, and it reduces lawsuits because there is not as much injury to the defendants or our officers."

Kaua'i and Big Island police do not use Tasers but both counties are awaiting budget approval to buy them.

"The hope of the Taser is to minimize the officer's contact with a potentially dangerous individual. It's a tool that enhances the deterrent, and it makes suspects more likely to heed the officer's verbal commands," said Honolulu police officer Tenari R. Ma'afala, who is president of the State of Hawai'i Organization of Police Officers.

"The use of deadly force has always got to be the very last option, and this is an effective, non-lethal option. We're definitely in favor of Taser use."

In incidents last week, Honolulu police used a Taser to successfully stop a suspect from pulling a gun on an officer and in another case a Taser was used to stop a man who attacked an officer with nunchaku sticks.

Honolulu police have used a Taser 20 times since November. Tasers were first used in Honolulu in 2004 through a pilot program financed by the federal government. The department halted the use of the devices in March 2005 to create a policy governing their use. That policy was adopted last year and officers began using Tasers in November. During the pilot program, Tasers were used 66 times.

Detractors claim the Taser, which is fired like a handgun and delivers more than 25,000 volts of electricity in a quick burst, has played a role in hundreds of deaths. More than 100 deaths in the U.S. and Canada have been reported since 1999 after victims were shocked with stun guns, according to reviews by The Arizona Republic and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an interfaith activist group based in Atlanta.

In 2004, the Hawai'i chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union urged the county police departments to come up with strict guidelines governing the use of electric stun guns, citing deaths related to their use.

An ACLU representative was unavailable for comment.

Steve Tuttle, one of the three founding members of Taser International, said the majority of the deaths cited by Taser opponents are related to, but not solely caused by, the Taser. He said Tasers are sanctioned and used by more than 10,000 U.S. police departments as well as law enforcement personnel in 44 countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, France, South Korea and Singapore.

The Taser allows officers to subdue suspects from a distance and eliminates the need for hand-to-hand combat. The Taser stuns but does not kill or irreparably harm suspects, Tuttle said.

"(Police) chiefs love it because it is a nonlethal alternative, the union loves it because we are helping ensure the safety of their members, and the city risk managers are for it because it reduces the amount of litigation and workers' compensation claims," Tuttle said.

Both Honolulu and Maui have implemented written policies governing the use of stun guns by their officers.

Maui police mandate 16 hours of training and each officer experiences what it is like to be shocked with the device, Phillips said. Honolulu officers undergo an eight-hour course and must read an 11-page Taser policy.

Honolulu officers can deploy the device only after identifying themselves as officers and repeatedly demanding the suspect stop. The officer is not to aim at the face, neck, head or groin.

The Taser cannot be used "punitively for purpose of coercion, as a means of punishment, or in an unjustified manner," according to the policy.

Honolulu police use Taser International's X26 model.

According to Taser, the X26 delivers a 20,000- to 50,000-volt electrical signal transmitted through wires to probes that make contact with a person's body or clothing, resulting in an immediate loss of all neuromuscular control and the ability to perform coordinated action for the duration of the impulse.

This month, Honolulu police said an officer used a Taser to stop a suspect from pulling a gun on the officer.

At 11:56 p.m. March 18, a patrol officer responding to a report of a stolen car spotted a man driving into a parking lot in a car matching the description of the stolen vehicle. When the man got out of the car and walked away, the officer left his patrol car and followed, police said.

The suspect started to run and the officer chased him. During the chase, the man turned to face the officer and began to reach for his waistband, police said.

The officer pulled out his Taser and stunned the man, who fell to the ground after being shocked.

As the officer handcuffed the man, he found a handgun on the ground.

A search of the stolen car produced several rounds of ammunition.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.