Sometimes You Have to Go to the Extreme': You May Wince at How Police Chief Chose to Raise Money for Cash-Strapped Force

Police Chief Danny Baker said he's tried everything — hog roasts, poker runs, golf outings, donation letters.

Even an Elvis impersonator.

But nothing he tried was bringing enough donations that the head of the cash-strapped force in Knightstown, Ind. said was needed for purchase more equipment, including a new squad car.

“I have three full-time, five part-time, and nine reserves, and we all have to use the same car,” Baker told WXIN-TV in Indianapolis.

So Baker took things to personally painful level, announcing that he would be shot by Taser at the middle school gym if curious folk wanted to pay admission to see him get jolted.

“Sometimes you have to go to the extreme to be able to get what you need, and he’s out here doing what he needs to provide for his department,” patrolman Derek Bertrand told WXIN.

And on Wednesday night, he took the hit.

Image source: WXIN-TV

So, how does it feel to be shot with 50,000 volts of low-amp electricity?

"If you can imagine somebody hitting you in the back of the head 19 times per second for five seconds, that's what it feels like. And boy, do it hurt," he told ABC News.

Glenn Beck and Mercury One jumped in to lend a hand, hoping their donation of $25,000 would let the chief off the hook. But Baker went ahead with the Taser shot anyway, noting that he made a promise.

Here's what Beck said on radio:

One of the things that came to our attention recently was small town in Indiana. They have four police cars and only one of them works and we found out about it. 63-year-old chief of police who said he was going to be hit by a Taser because they needed money to raise money to buy a new police car and so they were selling tickets...

He's 63 years old. We thought this was wrong and so Mercury One donated $25,000 to the Knightstown Police Department to support their policemen and also be able to get them the squad car that they needed, raise the extra money...

You can go to MercuryOne.org and 100% goes to whatever it is you choose, 100%.  It's kind of our hope that if we want to have the government stop doing things for us, if we want to reduce the size of the government, we have to take care of things ourselves, and I will tell you that's one reason why I do like the...chief of police. Instead of going and saying we've got to raise more money, got to raise the taxes, he said, "You know what? I'll take one in the chest." Good for him, but I think there's a better way, and because of you, Mercury One is able to help this small town in Indiana.  Have a blessed, blessed weekend, a blessed Thanksgiving, and for all of our gifts, we give praise to him.

The chief said he believes he may raised $39,000 with the fundraising event, but he needs $66,000 to buy two police cruisers, which is his goal, said WXIN.

The chief’s wife of 38 years was in the audience during the event, and WXIN asked the chief what she was thinking before the big electric moment.

“She wants to pull the trigger,” he said laughing. “She likes to see me in pain, I guess.”

Here's a clip of the action from WXIN, which doesn't note Mercury One by name, but acknowledges the donation in order that the chief could be spared the taser:

This post has been updated.

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