Illinois State Police to be Equipped With New Tasers

Each Illinois State Police patrol trooper will soon carry a video-equipped Taser that will capture video any time the high-voltage device is used.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports (http://bit.ly/16eeDiY ) the agency has spent about $1.4 million to buy roughly 800 Tasers for patrol officers and sergeants. Meanwhile, the Illinois Tollway is buying another 118 for troopers to use when they patrol the northern Illinois highway system.

ISP spokeswoman Monique Bond says troopers are often alone in "remote areas," and says the Tasers can be a "valuable resource."

The new Tasers will be distributed in the coming months after officers undergo specialized training.

Chicago Police officers also use Tasers. The newspaper says only four states don't equip state police with the devices.