Naomi Klein: Police and Tasers: Hooked on Shock

from CommonDreams:



Published on Monday, February 11, 2008 by CommonDreams.org
Police and Tasers: Hooked on Shock
by Naomi Klein


The past couple of weeks have been rocky on the stock market, but one company that hasn’t been suffering too much is Taser International. At the end of January, its stock jumped by an impressive 8 per cent, and it’s even higher today.

Matthew McKay, a stock analyst at Jeffries & Co. in San Francisco, cites a simple cause: news that the Toronto Police Services Board plans to buy 3,000 new Taser electroshock weapons, at a cost of $8.6 million for gear and training. If the deal goes ahead, tasers would become standard issue weaponry for all of Toronto’s frontline officers, right next to their handcuffs and batons.

On Wednesday night, I participated in a public forum about the prospect of a fully taser-armed police force, organized by the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition. One speaker, who had a history of psychiatric illness, told the room: “We’re worried because we’re the people who are going to get shocked.”

It’s a concern grounded in experience. According to Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair’s own analysis, in 2006, city cops deployed the devices in 156 incidents. In all but nine, the subject appeared “to have a mental disorder” or was in some sort of “crisis.”

Several speakers at the forum pointed out that $8.6 million would be better spent keeping people out of crisis - by opening more beds and providing better mental health and addiction services. Instead, four homeless shelters were closed last year, at a loss of 258 beds.

But the most troubling remark of the evening was this: “Why is this happening now?” The timing is indeed baffling. It was only three months ago that video of the death of Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver International Airport caused an international furor. The tragedy exposed the most prevalent misconception about tasers: that they are used primarily as an alternative to guns. As former Toronto mayor John Sewell told me, “the taser is not the thing that replaces the gun, it’s what replaces all the other things that police might do other than use a gun, like talk to you.” .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/11/6974 /

has taken to the streets of main stream America. No surprise there.

the taser is not the thing that replaces the gun, it’s what replaces all the other things that police might do other than use a gun, like talk to you

I'm very fond of Naomi Klein. But time and time again I think people are way out of context on the taser issue.

Cops work in a world of violent people and harmless kooks often behave in the same way as the guy will will stick a knife into them. The taser is a relatively safe way to bring down people who are being uncooperative. The alternative is a gun or a nightstick. One is extremely deadly and the other exposes both the suspect and the officer to more physical harm.

I assure you that police try to talk people down. I assure you that the paperwork over an incident is a pain in the ass that most blue collar people would rather not deal with. Yes there are bad cops out there. Yes there are times when people are inappropriately subjected to tasers. No one claimed perfection. But if I had my choice between a taser and being wacked with a nighstick, I'd choose the taser each and every time.

Finally, when the cop tells you to get down, leave ... whatever that doesn't put you in physical harm ... do it. You're not getting out of it and resisting will just cause trouble for all parties involved.