Police could have avoided 5 percent of their shootings if cops were carrying stun guns instead of just their service weapons – and the NYPD is now considering equipping its entire force with the devices, officials said.

A study by the RAND think tank found that in 25 cases, from 2004 to 2006, NYPD officers could have subdued suspects by using Tasers instead of bullets.

“In a small number of cases . . . the outcomes might have been different if the officers had a less-than-lethal device other than pepper spray,” analyst Dr. Bernard Rostker said.

Of those cases, three resulted in a fatality. But they represent just a fraction of the 455 police-involved shootings, 45 of which were fatal, that were examined in the $350,000 RAND study.

Race – either of the victim or cop – wasn’t considered.

Most of the suspects in the police-involved shootings were already in a gun battle with cops, one official said. “The others were either shooting or stabbing someone else, or armed with axes, guns and knives,” he said.

The NYPD requested the report in the wake of the Sean Bell shooting – which was not considered – to examine its firearm training and discharge review process.

The think tank looked at three years’ worth of police-involved shootings examined by the NYPD’s firearms-discharge review board.

In the cases where Tasers could have been used, there wasn’t an issue with the legality of the shooting but rather the escalation of the situation to gunfire could have been avoided, Rostker said.

Researchers found “Tasers reduce injuries to citizens, reduce injuries to police and reduce the use of firearms” and are primarily used in situations that involve emotionally disturbed persons.

The researchers also suggested the NYPD change its training to prevent officers’ reflexive shooting – or firing because they heard shots or shouts of “He’s got a gun!”

It was once thought reflexive shooting played a role in the number of shots fired in the Bell case.

The report did not find any instances of reflexive shootings in the cases it studied.

The study also found that officers whose records show more than three negative marks – which result from anything from a suspension or an unpaid parking ticket – were three times more likely to use their guns.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the implications for the NYPD were not immediately clear.

“I think were tying to find out what that finding means,” he said.

The study also suggested the NYPD might not be able to do anything about it.

“It’s not actionable in the sense that you could not restrict these officers from performing their duties,” Rostker said.

Researchers said the NYPD should pay special attention to whether cops involved in shootings also rack up more than three negative points on their records a year.

Of the more than 2,600 officers in that category, only 16 have been in a gun battle.

The department already has 350 Tasers with another 170 on the way and is considering a pilot program to put them in the hands of every officer on patrol, Kelly said.

The move comes despite concerns by groups about overuse and lethality, Kelly said.

“We are still relatively conservative when it comes to Tasers,” Kelly said. “For the moment, we feel it’s best to restrict them to supervisors who are required to respond to incidents involving emotionally disturbed persons.”

The $400 devices, which are yellow and shaped like guns, will be worn by sergeants on their belts opposite their service weapons.

When the Tasers, which include laser sights, are fired, they unleash a 1,500- to 3,000-volt shock that “briefly involuntarily incapacitates most subjects,” according to the report. They have a range of up to 25 feet.

The devices may be used in “situations where officers have to take control of an individual, either for the safety of the individual, the safety of the public, or the safety of the officer,” Kelly said, but they are not a substitute for a gun.

tom.liddy@nypost.com

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