Seattle police told to use extra caution with Tasers

SEATTLE Seattle police have tightened their policies on the use of stun guns called Tasers.

Under new directives, officers must be especially careful before using the electric shock devices on those who are sick, pregnant, especially young or especially old.

In those cases, the new policy specifies that a need to stop criminal or risky behavior "should clearly justify" the additional risks of using a Taser. <snip>

http://www.kpho.com/Global/story.asp?S=3162527


Police chief group recommends departments develop specific Taser safety guidelines

PHOENIX A police chief association is recommending that law enforcement departments using electronic stun guns, or those considering buying them, develop specific protocol for their use and track each time the weapon is deployed.

In a report, the International Association of Chiefs of Police urged police agencies to place stun guns on a use-of-force chart -- helping officers to decide better which tool to grab in a given situation. <snip>

http://www.kpho.com/Global/story.asp?S=3161399


Madison Police Change Policy On Taser Guns

<snip> The department has been under fire since an officer shot a Memorial High School student in January with a Taser gun. Some members of the community were outraged and wanted the guns banned. The department has used Taser weapons since December 2003. At a news conference Monday morning, Police Chief Noble Wray said officers will only Taser guns in cases when they are confronted with violent or assaultive behavior, or believe they are being threatened. <snip>

http://www.channel3000.com/news/4343891/detail.html

That should stop em.

to be "especially careful" before tasering "sick, pregnant, especially young or especially old", tasers are just one of your problems.

nightsticks and the teargas back in '99.

Despite the increased use of Tasers in police departments across the country, including Louisville Metro, Shepherdsville and Lexington, Hardin County departments are not expected to begin using the "non-lethal" weapon anytime soon.
....
Elizabethtown Police Department spokesman Virgil Willoughby said EPD does not intend to add Tasers to the weapons officers now carry. EPD Sgt. Tim Cleary, defense tactics instructor, said each police department has a variety of weapon options that are not lethal. Those weapons can be used to "gain control over resisting suspects."

"We have several less than lethal options available to us that we have been utilizing for some time," Cleary said.
....
"Because they are controversial, we're going to step back and see how it plays out. Later if they're proven good, the Radcliff Police Department would consider purchasing Tasers," said Mattingly, adding the final decision would be left up to the administration.

http://www.newsenterpriseonline.com/articles/2005/04/04/news/news03.txt

Used properly, there are situations in which tasers are the best option available. For example, against a knife-wielding assailant, a taser is capable of stopping the attacker, but without one, an officer would have to resort to using his gun instead. I also recall seeing a video on the Taser website which showed a violent individual under the influence of PCP who was completely unaffected by pepper spray and beanbag rounds, but dropped instantly when hit with a taser.

However, due to the risks inherent in the technology, they should only be used when there is no other way of subduing a suspect without either incurring excessive risk to the officer(s) or resorting to lethal force. All of these new policies on taser use are what officers should have been taught from the start, and Taser should insist on only selling their products to police departments if they meet certain standards for training in their proper use.

Keep in mind, though, that while there are have been a few deaths caused by tasers, they have probably saved far more lives than they've taken, by providing one last alternative where officers would otherwise have to shoot. Heck, billy clubs are more likely to kill people than tasers, and let's not forget about possible positional asphyxiation when a violent individual has to be forcibly held down.


BTW, I'd like to see the toxicology reports on all of those taser-related deaths. My guess is that, excluding the elderly, the majority had cocaine, crack, and/or meth turn up in their bloodstream - all of them greatly increase the risk of heart attacks or cardiac arrest. It's ironic that the same substances which can make it almost impossible for other methods to subdue an individual also increase the risk of a taser killing him.

Welcome to DU!! :toast: