Taser Use in the United States.

[Miss Jasmine]

Calm down Dawn, I said "but that's coming from Taser" meaning the numbers may be scewed. And I didn't say there were never any inappropriate uses.

DH's force has had their Tasers for over a year and half now, and not one officer has deployed it yet. So not everyone is running around willy-nilly tasing people just for fun.

Oh and did you know in 43 states regular citizens can now buy Tasers? Sounds like a new cause for you to take up.

 

[DawnCt1]

Calm down Dawn, I said "but that's coming from Taser" meaning the numbers may be scewed. And I didn't say there were never an inappropriate uses.

DH's force has had their Tasers for over a year and half now, and not one officer has deployed it yet. Sonot everyone is running around willy-nilly tasing people just for fun.

Oh and did you know in 43 states regular citizens can now buy Tasers? Sounds like a new cause for you to take up.

I didn't think I was "agitated". It seems like a discussion of taser use offends you on some level. I brought it up because over the last three weeks there seems to be more news stories in the media and the subject presents itself as an interesting discussion. While I am sure that your DH and his department exercises excellent judgement and goes by the rules at all times, that doesn't mean everyone does. That is not an indictment against tasers but perhaps there needs to be additional scrutiny in questionable uses.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Nah, I'm not offended. I just get a little worked up because I do think it's a good tool, and if it keeps DH safer then I am all for it. Most departments have tightened their Taser guidelines. However, I think Taser use gets sensationalized because it "looks" so bad. I like to pull out the tape of DH being Tased whenever I get mad at him.

 

[horseshowmom]

Why would Amnesty International be reporting on this?

Now, my question, how many police officers lives have been saved since the advent and implementation of the Taser? Have you ever seen an out of control 15 year old boy? We don't know all the circumstances surrounding the use of the taser in either of these situations. I think that the Taser is one of the best things to happen to the police force in years and I think you will find that most police officers agree.

My BIL is a police officer and they were all zapped with the Taser when they first started training with it to know how they feel. What worries me is that groups like Amnesty International want to tie the hands of our police force. We are not there, we aren't the ones that need to make the split second decision between life and death.

My niece's DH is also a police officer. They are put in extremely dangerous circumstances on a regular basis - particularly due to the proliferation of drugs.

Very recently he and another officer tried to apprehend a suspect who was really doped up (meth, I think). The guy bit both of them actually breaking the skin on the other officer. The suspect had AIDS by the way. The other officer also wound up being thrown over a bridge railing which resulted in a broken arm (and some ribs, I think). When under the influence of some drugs, these people become extremely violent and much harder to take into custody than they normally would be.

After several incidents of this type, his department decided to add the tasers. All of the officers had it used on them before being allowed to carry one.

Knowing what police officers have to deal with (and knowing that there is no way that I would want my DH or myself to have to deal with situations like that), I support their use.

 

[kcouture]

Amnesty International reported that there have been in excess of 170 deaths related to taser use by the police in the United States. Not long ago a 6 year old was tased in Florida. Last week I heard on Fox News that a 15 year old was tased in a Kansas school because he refused to go into an in school suspension room. I was under the impression that police were arming themselves with tasers to avoid using lethal force and would only use a taser in potentially life and death situations. More recently it seems that they are being used when other types of restraints are possible. To me, a taser should come out just before that 9 mm does. According to the Army Times, Tasers will no longer be used in training because of the potential for cardiac arrythmias and seizures so my question is; are tasers being over used or abused?

Yes there are circumstances in which people die. Many of those people, as I'm sure you have read were also under the influence of harmful substances or had underlying health issues. Consider that every day police officers are confronted with a choice of using deadly force - less lethal force (hands physical force) , can we really know how many people have been saved because they had the option of using the TASER instead of their gun. Or did not get injured themselves because they did not have to roll around in a physical fight. I know that many people think it is my job to wrestle someone to the ground - believe it or not IT IS NOT. I am more than willing to do so if the situtation calls for it but, according to police policy in the majority of departments using a TASER is LESS FORCE then a punch, kick or baton strike. Why? because in 99% of the time the effect is not life threatening and does not leave bruising, broken bones or have the effect of endangering others.

Let me tell you about my partner and friend. He confronted a mentally disturbed suspect who was under the influence of drugs. He tried to talk him into submission the suspect then started to attack several people in the restaurant parking lot. Police officer tried to wrestle the suspect attempted to take his gun and they proceded to fight. Several of the patrons in the adjacent bar started to egg the fight on. No one helped. Police officer fired the TASER and only one of the two prongs hit rendering it useless. They continued to fight and were in the median when a passerby attempted to help as they were fighting they rolled into traffic and all three were struck and killed by a motorist.

If the TASER had struck this unarmed man the fight would have been over. Why was he reluctant to use it right away? I don't know. Maybe because recent media was talking about how the police over use it and should not deploy on the unarmed. In the future I know that I would not hesitate to shoot it into someone where the consequences are me fighting fist to fist. Remember every fight a police officer gets into is an armed fight. It takes very little for the bad guy to get his hands on our gun.

 

[EthansMom]

My brother is a law enforcement officer in a depressed area. He deals regularly with people who are so hopped up on illegal drugs or alcohol that they are uncontrollable. DB is trained in the use of Taser and swears by it.

My understanding is that the majority of instances where Taser has been used have been with suspects who were heavily under the influence of drugs and/or while suspects were fighting with law enforcement. I have yet to hear of a confirmed instance where Taser alone killed a person.

Additionally, Taser is a tool and is at no fault if an officer chooses to use it incorrectly. Taser is no more responsible if it is used to subdue a child than the gun manufacturer would be resposible if an officer used a gun to shoot a child. Any misuse of the tool is the fault of the user and/or the training received.

Honestly, I don't understand why people are so up-in-arms against Taser. Would you, perhaps, prefer that we just let folks who present a danger to themselves and/or others stay out on the streets where they can continue to be a menace?

 

[DawnCt1]

Honestly, I don't understand why people are so up-in-arms against Taser. Would you, perhaps, prefer that we just let folks who present a danger to themselves and/or others stay out on the streets where they can continue to be a menace?

Now that's a silly question. Are you implying that if law enforcement didn't have Tasers those "folks who present a danger to themselves and others" would remain on the street and that the police would have no recourse except to let them? I don't think people are up in arms against Tasers so much as the injudicious use of tasers; and there seems to be quite a few documented cases of its misuse and resultant deaths. For instance, I read about an unarmed teen who refused to come down from a tree and he was tased. The fall from the tree resulted in his paralysis and a multi million dollar settlement. Obviously there was a failure on the part of the officer to consider the consequences of tasing someone out of a tree.

 

[EthansMom]

Obviously there was a failure on the part of the officer to consider the consequences of tasing someone out of a tree.

I agree. It was the fault of the officer, not the Taser.

I just don't understand why people are anti-Taser. IMO, when used properly, Tasers are an invaluable tool to help officers to apprehend violent suspects with little-to-no injury to the suspect or the officer.

 

[PeterPanette]

I'm curious whether law enforcement personnel are as thoroughly trained in the use of the taser as they are in the use of a firearm? You know, where they run them through every (or almost every) conceivable scenario they may be presented with, and then they have to make a split second decision whether to shoot/don't shoot (tase/don't tase).

While I agree wholeheartedly that the taser is an invaluable tool to police, I am very concerned at the escalation of events in which it is used as nothing more than a cattle prod.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Uh huh. And are you sure that you could before he harmed himself? Ooops, too late, he already had. The following is from the Associated Press:



Sorry, but using a taser on this kid in the given situation seems reasonable to me...

I don't think a taser would be faster than just grabbing him. We are talking a six year old here and even if he had a machete I think most adults could take it away.

 

[eclectics]

I don't think people are up in arms against Tasers so much as the injudicious use of tasers;

ITA. That says it for me in a nutshell.