Published January 30, 2019
Eight daring residents in Chenoa, Ill., Tuesday night volunteered to be tasered by local police officers at an annual training event.
Chief of Police Travis Cornwall told Fox News he put up a last-minute invite on Facebook and was surprised by the high turnout. Eight brave souls willingly signed up to go on the 5-second 50,000-volt ride while another 20 came to watch.
POLICE CHIEF DEFENDS TASER USE ON WOMAN, 87, HOLDING KNIFE
"It was a great response but cities get nervous when you start shocking people," he said with a laugh.
Cornwall, who has been tasered himself, says the experience "locked" him up.
"It incapacitates you, you can't fight through it," he said. "It's five seconds of the worst pain I have ever felt... but after that, the pain is gone."
The event was part of Chenoa's annual Taser training.
POLICE RESOURCE OFFICER ACTIVATED TASER TO WAKE STUDENT
"It's good for my officers to be able to understand during a situation in which we've tased somebody that you can still control the person... to take them into custody, to put handcuffs on them and bring them to the ground safely," Cornwall said.
Volunteer Megan Gillette, who was required to sign an exposure waiver before she could participate, said "everything just tensed up all at once" when she was shocked.
"If you ever got a quick zap on an electrical device at home... it kinda felt like that only intensified a whole lot," Gillette said.
Chenoa police started carrying tasers about a decade ago. Although they conduct training with the devices annually, Tuesday's event is only the second time they’ve invited the public to participate - and it might be the last.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
"My mayor wasn't exactly excited at what kind of image this would have," Cornwall said. "'Hey, the cops want to tase everybody.'"
https://www.foxnews.com/us/illinois-cops-give-public-chance-to-get-tased-for-free-at-training-event