DETROIT (WWJ/AP) – The Detroit Police Department is testing out stun guns and is working to determine how officers will use them.

Following years of debate on the issue, the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners in May gave the OK to a proposal by police Chief James Craig to use stun guns.

Craig has argued that they’re a tool for officers that can help save lives, since they offer an alternative to an officer using a gun. He’s familiar with them after working in Los Angeles and Portland, Maine which are among many cities where departments use stun guns.

MLive.com reports the trial period started in November, with camera-equipped stun guns being issued to 30 officers. Police say the stun guns begin recording video as soon as they are removed from their holsters.

Detroit police haven’t said when they expect stun guns to be fully implemented.

Previous efforts, dating back to the early 2000s, to make stun guns available to Detroit officers didn’t gain traction. In light of recent national concerns of police shootings of unarmed suspects, the use stun guns. as well as other alternative to lethal force — including rubber bullets or bean-bag propelling rifles — has been discussed in comm unites across the U.S.

Critics of stun gun use by cops, however, note that the weapons can still be deadly. The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality is among those who have spoken out against the DPD plan.

© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.