Taser International Bleeding Money

Arizona-based Taser International, maker of the widely used electroshock Taser gun, reported in fourth-quarter federal filings late last month a 98% drop in profits for 2005. The company's net income was just $1 million in 2005, down from $18.9 million in 2004, according to press accounts. The steep decline was precipitated by lower sales and higher costs – including nearly $7 million the company spent defending lawsuits filed in what company execs reportedly call the "war against Taser." Indeed, as Taser use has increased – about 8,500 police and other government agencies worldwide include Tasers among their arsenal – so has controversy over the weapon's use. Taser officials say 40 lawsuits were filed against the company in 2005; at year-end, 40 cases were pending, and 12 had been dismissed.
The seemingly frenzied acceptance of the Taser by police agencies has been met with equally frenzied skepticism and, at times, outright hatred by those who claim the Taser is more than a less-than-lethal police force alternative. Although some form of the weapon has been around for years, the modern version is not subject to government standard or regulation, and its health effects have not been studied (except in the most rudimentary manner) by the feds in more than two decades. So local governments (along with various advocacy groups) have been left to cobble together policies on Taser use (policies that are wildly disparate, according to a 2005 report by the federal Government Accountability Office), as well as to evaluate in medical reviews the health effects of the weapon's strike. While Amnesty International reports that more than 100 deaths can be linked to electroshock strikes, many medical professionals have been far more conservative in their assessments, and few – first among them a deputy medical examiner in Chicago – have actually ruled a Taser strike as cause of death.

Nonetheless, medical experts nationwide are beginning to qualify their often blanket approval of the weapon, noting that, perhaps, police might be well advised to restrain from using the weapon on suspects exhibiting so-called "excited delirium" – an agitated and paranoid state commonly associated with drug use, during which a person's body temperature typically spikes well above 100 degrees. Indeed, after an hours-long incident in September, 33-year-old Michael Clark died in police custody after being struck three times with a Taser. Deputy Medical Examiner Elizabeth Peacock reported that Clark had PCP and cocaine metabolite in his system and concluded that his death was caused by blood sickling brought on by excited delirium. Interestingly, she pointedly concluded that the three Taser strikes – two to Clark's chest and one to his arm – played no role in his death.

Still, some police agencies are now contemplating a possible link between ED-related deaths and Taser strikes. Notably, Nashville police announced on Feb. 20 that the department will revise its Taser policy to require 911 calls regarding certain types of agitated suspects be answered not only by police, but also by paramedics and police supervisors. According to the Associated Press, the newly adopted policy requires police to use a Taser with caution when confronted with suspects exhibiting ED. Instead of repeated Taser strikes, police are now advised to strike once (if necessary), then to move in and try to maintain control of the suspect in order to allow paramedics to come in and administer a tranquilizer shot, which, in turn, should allow police to place the suspect into custody using the least – and least deadly – amount of force. Corey Slovis, medical director for the Nashville paramedics, and chair of the emergency medicine department at Vanderbilt University, says the new policy is intended to save lives and protect police. "The few fatalities from excited delirium that have occurred seem to be consistent with not having enough medical attention early on," Slovis told the AP. "Tasers are generally safe," he continued. "Almost every adverse outcome has been in excited delirium cases."
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http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2006-03-10/pols_naked4.html

I wouldn't mind seeing a "friendly fire" mishap on the Taser plant during working hours.

Also, anyone who takes the word of a PRIVATE FOR PROFIT corporation blindly at their word is a fascist. It is UNNACCEPTABLE that the police, who are allegedly in place to SERVE AND PROTECT the public, would take the word of a corporation over real safety concerns. Note: there are many police forces out there who understand the problem with Tasers and have rightfully and for the safety of all, taken this POS weapon off the streets. I thank them for their consideration.

Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife.

This was the advertisement in Larry' Pistol & Pawn Shop window next to the condo we rented last month in Florida. So I went in to check it out. I saw something that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 30th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Gisele. What I came across was a 100,000 volt, pocket/purse-sized taser.
The effects of the taser were suppose to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety. WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two triple A batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arch of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. Awesome!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Gisele what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-a batteries,. right?!!! There I sat in my recliner, my cat Tabby looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Tabby (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong? So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries. All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-a batteries, thinking to myself, "no possible way!" What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.

I'm sitting there alone, Tabby looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, "don't do it master", reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a one-second burst just for the heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and HOLY MOTHER, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION@!@$@$%!@ *!!!I I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs. The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, do it again, do it again!

Note: If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second burst would be considered conservative. SON-OF-A-.. that hurt like he**!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they up get there??? My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I'm still looking for my testicles? I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return.
Still in shock

on some very pricy real estate here in Scottsdale.

:nopity: