Pittsburgh City Council has voted to hold a special meeting to discuss city policy regarding crowd control and the use of Taser stun guns.

Council's interest was sparked by police use of a Taser on an unruly demonstrator at an Aug. 20 protest against the Iraq war.

Councilman Sala Udin, who pushed for legislation passed in February allowing the Police Bureau to buy Tasers, said he did so "to prevent the loss of life" and not "to use Taser guns for crowd control or for someone who was mildly resisting officers' orders or arrest."

Mayor Tom Murphy's office declined comment on the Aug. 20 incidents, which are likely to be reviewed by the bureau's Office of Municipal Investigations and the city's Citizen Police Review Board. The administration pledged to cooperate.