It’s not fun to get tased by a Guilford County Sheriff’s Department officer.

However, if you find yourself on the wrong side of the law in Guilford County, you should be aware that the officers will have plenty of powerful new tasers on hand to take you down with.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department has been approved to replace its aging line of “X26P” Tasers that are now in use by deputies and jail guards.

Late last year, the Board of County Commissioners gave the Sheriff’s Department the OK  to replace the X26P Taser line with the “Taser 10,” which operates in an entirely different way and should be more effective.

Now the department is ready to move forward with those plans.

The commissioners are expected to give final approval of the deal with Axon, the company which makes both types of Tasers, and the county will pay the company $242,970 for the department to upgrade its weapons that send electric shocks pulsing through the person being tased.

The new Taser models use a different type of cartridge than the previous X26P line, and that means there will be plenty of new training involved before the department puts the new Tasers in use in the field and in the county’s two jails.

If the county signs the  deal before February 15 as expected, the quoted price for the new Taser cartridges will be locked in for the next five years.

According to materials presented to the commissioners, “During that time frame, the Sheriff’s Office will not be charged a higher price for the cartridges, even if the market price increases.”

Also, “There will be no requirement to purchase new/replacement cartridges each year. The purchase of cartridges will be on an as needed basis.”

This product is available from only one company, which means the Sheriff’s Department didn’t have to go through the same formal competitive bidding process it does when it buys most of its supplies.

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