It took almost an hour for 20 officers from Stoughton, three other local departments, the State Police, and the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office to get the situation under control and arrest four people.

No one involved in the incident suffered injuries that required hospitalization, and Devine credits the use of a Taser — an electroshock weapon manufactured by Taser International — on one of the suspects with helping to defuse the situation.

“Had we not had the Tasers, the officers, in my opinion, would have been justified in using firearms,” said Devine. “I think their threat kept folks at bay and assisted in getting control of the situation. I know it did.”

Twenty-three police departments south of Boston now have access to Tasers, which fire gas-propelled prongs that attach themselves to the skin of a suspect. The powerful electric jolt that follows temporarily incapacitates a suspect without permanent injury, its manufacturer says. Fourteen departments issue the weapon to all patrol officers. Some departments, such as Stoughton and Hingham, require all officers to carry them, while others, including Foxborough and Mansfield, make them available to all patrol officers but do not mandate their use.

“We want every officer to have their own weapon because we want the officer to be accountable for that weapon,” said Stoughton Police Chief Paul Shastany. The federal government does not consider Tasers firearms and does not require a permit to carry them, but Massachusetts, three other states, and the District of Columbia do not allow citizens to carry Tasers.

Their use in any way is considered a use of force by all departments that issue them. And, said Devine, “Every use of force is looked into by the command staff.”

Police officials invariably hailed the Taser’s effectiveness as a deterrent and said they are more humane than other weapons — such as a nightstick or pepper spray — that might be used in a similar situation.

Freetown police Lieutenant Steven Abbott said his Taser helped him subdue a 68-year-old mentally ill woman armed with a butcher knife who had already stabbed a family member, preventing further injury.

Foxborough Police Chief Edward Leary said his department has had Tasers since 2007, and has used one to subdue an unruly prisoner.

“We have deployed them four or five times, with only one actual use of force,” he said, citing a situation in which a large, violent prisoner in a police holding cell ripped up the cell, plugging up a toilet and causing it to overflow, creating a dangerous situation for the staff.

All of Abington’s 24 police officers were issued Tasers about two years ago, but, said Abington Deputy Police Chief Chris Cutter, “We haven’t had to use them in full deployment with the probes.”

Cutter said that on “three or four occasions” the weapons have been used in their other available mode — the “drive,” or stun, mode — in which they can be used to inflict pain without incapacitating a suspect. He said the mere threat of the weapon — especially when the laser-sighting system is turned on and can be seen — is usually enough to get a suspect to back down. He cited a recent incident in which a suspect seemed about to assault an officer but stopped when the Taser was deployed, and no one was hurt.

“It’s been just as effective as a deterrent as it has been as a weapon,” Cutter said.

Hingham police Lieutenant John Norkaitis said all patrol officers in the town are required to carry their own Tasers. “It’s more humane than a nightstick or pepper spray, and it doesn’t have the lasting consequences of the nightstick,” he said. “People forget a nightstick is essentially a metal pipe and it can inflict tremendous damage.”

Pepper spray can also cause serious injuries, and even death, to those with heart or respiratory problems.

The state Executive Office of Public Safety requires police officers to undergo 24 hours of training with the weapon and must also approve a department’s Taser use policy before the weapons can be issued.