Town hosts $5 raffle to Tase a city official

Have some aggression toward city officials? If you live in Van Meter, Iowa, you're in luck.

For the price of a $5 raffle ticket, the Des Moines suburb town with about 1,100 residents is offering its residents a chance to use a police Taser on a city official, with tickets being sold as part of a public safety fundraiser.

The raffle winner will get the chance to Taser or spare City Administrator Jake Anderson or Councilman Bob Lacy at the Van Meter Fire Association Street Dance on July 18.

A police officer will assist with the Tasering, with the proceeds going to help the department purchase a second squad car, add speed radar and possibly expand its six-member part-time and reserve force.

A poster created by the Van Meter Police Department advertises the raffle with the quote, "Don't Tase me bro!" a reference to a 2007 incident where a University of Florida student screamed that phrase after he was kicked out of a forum with John Kerry.

"It's not really a joke," Police Chief Bill Daggart said when asked about the signs. "It has no meaning to it. It was just a saying that's out there."

The city officials seemed ready for what's to come.

"I volunteered to be Tased," Anderson said of the idea that came up during a meeting with police about funding.

"The joke was sort of, yeah, let's Tase the administrators. They make all the friends," Anderson said. "I was like, yeah, that's funny. Do you think you could raise some money?"

Lacy volunteered to add a little competition, and Anderson was glad.

"I didn't want there to be a 100% chance I'd be Tased," he said.

Anderson said he's never been stunned with a Taser before, adding, "I imagine it will hurt."

Daggart admitted he's never been subjected to a Taser, either.

Daggart said that Tasers are not that dangerous, but that issues can arise when someone has a prior medical issue or already is in a state of shock and the Taser prongs go across their heart.

"Most officers will tell you they'd much rather be Tased than pepper sprayed. The effects are so short, and it doesn't burn," he said. "A Taser reduces suspect-officer physical confrontations immensely," he added.

Daggart hopes to purchase Tasers for Van Meter's department once they've raised the $5,000 to $10,000 desired to expand the force.

The desire to expand the force isn't the result of any crime increase, Daggart explained. Van Meter is hoping to attract a data storage industry from companies such as Microsoft or Facebook. Though the city has a patch of land suitable for that industry, those companies often require specific response times from police and fire services.

"It's not a crime issue as much as it is a growth issue," Daggart said. "It's a way we can compete with Omaha and West Des Moines."

The police department is also raffling gift cards for Sportsman's Warehouse valued at prices equal to a number of firearms, including a Ruger AR556 Patrol Rifle.