After the recent incident at the University of Florida in which a student was tasered by university police, his classmates protested, claiming that campus authorities had used an excessive amount of force. Andrew Meyer had spoken out of turn during a question-and-answer session with Sen. John Kerry and struggled as police tried to remove him from the forum, which ended in the controversial use of the taser.

Regardless of the ensuing debate, the incident at Florida raises questions about security on other college campuses. Are students at Boston College, for example, likely to experience a similar encounter with campus authorities? "No officers of the Boston College Police Department are equipped with tasers," said BCPD Chief Robert Morse.

"And as far as I know, none of the officers in the city of Boston or at any of the universities in this immediate area have them, either." Morse said that there is a great deal of controversy concerning whether the devices are safe. A taser works by firing two small, barbed projectiles that can reach up to approximately 15 feet, effectively, which latch themselves to clothing or the victim's skin.

The hooked projectiles have wires attached to them that lead back to the taser, which pulses up to 50,000 volts of electricity into the person. "Most police departments tend to shy away from them," he said. BCPD officers carry pepper spray and batons with them, which Morse said are standard issue.

"We've had to use them on a few occasions, but very rarely," he said. Officers have a particular process that they are to follow in situations of conflict. Morse explained that officers are instructed to use force that is one level above that which is being used by the person who they are attempting to apprehend.

Officers are to start out with verbal commands, followed by physically restraining the individual if he or she does not comply with said commands. At this point, Morse said, if the individual is still not complying and the officers feel that lives are in danger, they are to move up to the next level of force - the use of their issued equipment.