Toronto police board members voted unanimously not to proceed with the expanded use of Tasers “at this time,” as lawyers, police critics and concerned citizens opposed the weapon becoming more widely available to officers.

“The question that should be asked is: What are new Tasers needed for?” said lawyer Peter Rosenthal. “I would urge you to resist not only for today, not only for tomorrow, but until there’s some real proper studies.”

On Thursday, the board received a report from Chief Bill Blair requesting $386,000 for 184 new Tasers for front-line officers, after the province announced in August their expanded use would be permitted.

“The Service’s record consistently demonstrates that officers are using good judgment under difficult circumstances and are making appropriate decisions to use only the force reasonably necessary to resolve tense and dangerous situations,” Blair wrote in his report.

Rosenthal’s comments were followed by pleas from seven others to board members to listen to the overwhelming concerns brought to the board at a special public meeting in September.

Those concerns were reflected in a recommendation from the mental health subcommittee, which hosted the meeting.

“In concert with the overwhelming negative response heard at the public consultation meeting on CEW expansion held on Sept. 24, 2013, the community members of the Mental Health Sub-Committee strongly recommend that the Board not approve the wider distribution of CEWs at this time,” the report states.

“I can’t understand why you haven’t adopted that,” John Sewell, of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, told board members.

Earlier, board chair Alok Mukherjee told the Star that board members must wait to consider community concerns and recommendations from an inquest currently being held into three police shootings.

“The board is basically in the process of gathering information,” Mukherjee said in response to statements from Sewell, adding that the board is not yet at a “decision-making stage.”

Public outrage over police use-of-force reached a boiling point when 18-year-old Sammy Yatim died after was shot eight times and then Tasered on an empty Dundas streetcar.

At the beginning of this year there were 571 Tasers in use by Toronto officers.

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