taser misuse

[mguffey]

Not too long ago, I put up a web page addressing the issue in regard to the use of tasers for self defense, as a potential alternative to a firearm.

Tasers for self defense?

And now I find myself gathering material for another page about misuse and abuse of Tasers by authorities against the civilian population. It began as a result of a lady asking me about long term effects of multiple Taser shots. She has a relative who was Tazed (Taser Fried) 10 times while in custody and while restrained. Then I got a note from a guy in the Pacific Northwest working in a hospital where the security department had adopted or has plans to adopt the use of Tasers on psychotic or drug crazed patients who are violent. Then there was the note from a guy asking about information on the use of Tasers against children.

I began collecting bits and pieces and found Taser victims as young as 9 and as old as 75. And worse. I'm currently working on a new Taser page to be called Pandora's Tasers.

The point of this post is to solicit links or information on the use of Tasers in inappropriate situations. If you have such data, I would appreciate an e-mail with the link to [email protected].

Note that this page will not be anti-police or against the use and proliferation of Tasers. More of a call for use of Taser force guidelines.

 

[sendec]

The point of this post is to solicit links or information on the use of Tasers in inappropriate situations.

Note that this page will not be anti-police or against the use and proliferation of Tasers. More of a call for use of Taser force guidelines.

Are'nt these statements contradictory?

Every agency I am aware of already has a policy concerning use of force and less lethal weapons.

I would also hazard a guess that the vast majority of people who get lit up view it as "inappropriate"

 

[sendec]

And while I'm at it:

Under no circumstances are firearms and tasers or electronic restraints "alternatives". They both occupy distinctly different levels on any force continuum. People who need to be shot should'nt be tased and vice-versa - they are not interchangeable.

 

[mguffey]

But who sets the standards for who or who should not be tazed?

Under what conditions should a 9 year old child, a pregnant woman, a 75 year old citizen be fried with 50,000 volts? When is it appropriate to taze a restrained prisoner laying face down on a gurney a dozen times? All these things happen, have happened.

Is this something that is determined in the field or by a set of accountability or use of force standards?

I think the technology is proliferating faster than accountability when, for example a security force in a hospital in the Pacific Northwest decides to acquire Taser devices to deal with violent psychotic or drug crazed patients. (As past incidents elsewhere have indicated, that may be the wrong choice on the wrong target at the wrong time.)

It is not clear to me, as a civilian, the situation is so clearly black and white, especially when some cities are experiencing sharp drops in bullets (or no bullets, YTD) fired and fewer lethal encounters when the perp is armed.

This is a complex issue and there are no simple solutions. Or so it seems to me.

 

[sendec]

a security force in a hospital in the Pacific Northwest decides to acquire Taser devices to deal with violent psychotic or drug crazed patients

But this is what the taser is perfect for.....Would you think it is innapropriate if a cop tased a violent psychotic on the street?

Inappropriate use will be determined in individual circustances by the issuing agency, the community, and the courts.

If You are REALLY interested in this technology you need to go thru one of Taser's programs, and then talk to the ACLU. Just collecting anecdotes does nothing without context.

 

[publius]

I use my taser as a source of a spark for my tater cannon.

It may not be the only use for them, but it's the funniest!

 

[Greg L]

& to drag it even further off topic....

The kids were watching some sort of "funniest video" show last night. I was passing by & saw what looked like a demonstration of how a taser works to a police dept. There was a guy in a bright orange/yellow shirt (NOT prisoner wear) standing between a couple of uniformed officers (there to grab him as he fell I would assume). The camera was right next to the guy shooting the taser (maybe 10 feet away max). When he fired the darts caught the poor guy right in the ... er ... uh ... hit him right below the belt .

It got the howlingly funny seal of approval from the 8-12 year old audience (& their father ), however we all agreed that it would really suck to be that poor guy .

 

[sendec]

I always figured that with my luck I'd dart somebody one in an eyeball and one in a, er, gland and wind up working 3 jobs and buying them a new singlewide............