Starting next week, more New York City police sergeants will be carrying Taser stun guns.

The program, which begins Wednesday, is part of an effort to give officers more alternatives to deadly force.

Department spokesman Paul Browne said the main reason for the change is that newer Tasers are smaller, lighter and easier to carry in a holster than earlier models.

The NYPD has used Tasers since 1984, but policy called for sergeants to store the stun guns in their trunks while patrolling, rather than strapping the weapons to their hips.