RIGHTS GROUP RENEWS CALL FOR BAN ON USE OF STUN GUNS
More than 150 people in the United States died in the past five years after being shot by electrical stun weapons wielded by law enforcement officers, Amnesty International reported today.

The human rights organization renewed its call -- first made in November 2004 -- for a moratorium on police use of stun guns pending "a rigorous, independent and impartial inquiry into their use and effects."

[So, are they saying they want cops to go back to shooting their guns?]

I believe the proper response may be gleaned from one of the Marines in "Aliens," who, after being ordered not to use firearms near the nuclear reactor they were patrolling, responded:

"What the [expletive deleted] we s'posed to use? Harsh language?"

So to mirror the above, does this mean AI wants to take away non-lethal options for police. I would also be curious to know the stats of how many "alleged" deaths caused by tasers are actually caused by crack/meth intoxication or chronic use or some other pre-existing medical problems.

When I was a deputy in Harris County many moons ago, in the early 80's, the 1st generation taser was the stuff. I saw numerous extremely violent mental patients subdued with the taser, in situations that would have otherwise resulted in physical or deadly force being used to disarm the suspects.

Back then, only supervisors and mental health officers had the taser. If I was a cop on the street now, I'd want a taser as well. It's a major non-lethal alternative for a profession that puts their lives on the line daily.

It is my understanding that all officers have to be shocked with the taser in order to be qualified for it's use. Is this pretty much a uniform policy statewide?

quote:

---

Originally posted by R. W. Dickson:

quote:

---

At a public forum with TASER International Chief Executive Officer Rick Smith on March 9, Amnesty International's Executive Director Bill Schultz clarified Amnesty International's position, stating, "What Amnesty
International is saying is not that your product causes death. And if there have been any Amnesty International representatives who have said that, they are not reflecting Amnesty International's position ...

---

---

I've always liked all the stuff Batman could use. And, Spiderman. Those guys don't need Tasers.

...AI continues to make it a hot issue.

Even some of the more middle-of-the-road and left-leaning groups have declined the opportunity wave their respective taser-related-death banners based on AI's "empirical data", primarily because AI has no empirical data to support their claims.

Consider AI's quote: "... More than 150 people in the United States died in the past five years after being shot by electrical stun weapons..." From the standpoint of empirical data, one could as easily state that more than 150 people were stricken dead after using abusive language toward police officers, or while wearing BVD underwear, or while sweating, or any other number of variables and commonalities that existed in these scenarios.

In the vast majority of these cases, the medical examiner/pathology/coroner reports ruled that the death was a direct result of cocaine intoxication exacerbated by physical exertion, excited delirium, blood and heart diseases, etc. AI continues to omit these findings from their "data". A very few ME's noted that the use of the taser may have contributed to the dearly departed's departure. The others, recognizing that there is no medical evidence to suggest that tasers cause death, noted the use of the device, but did not associate it with the death.

Capt. Greg Meyer (LAPD ret) has been recognized for his work in the area of use-of-force and less-lethal devices. In a recent article for PoliceOne, he offered:

The public and the press (but not so much the medical examiners) used to blame neck restraints, then so-called positional asphyxia and �hog-tying,� then pepper-spray, and now it�s TASER�s turn in the barrel since so many more of us are using the devices these days. It will be some time yet before that particular controversy dies down and the world begins to see that it isn�t the police restraint tactics, but rather, as usual, �It�s the drugs, stupid.�

Go back to shooting them in the knee. Shoot me in the knee the first time and if I ever get unruly with an officer again, see if I don't request to be tased the next time. One leaves me a little cotton mouthed and a bit of a headache. The other leaves me with a limp. Taser, please.

I don't know if it's uniform policy there, but a very good friend of mine who is with the the El Paso PD told me that he had to get Tased before he got his Taser. The small group of officers who were set to receive their Tasers that day got together and took turns getting stunned by the head Taser officer before they were issued their own Tasers. My friend said it was one of the craziest things he'd ever seen.
They all came out of the experience alive and well.

Never been to Taser school, but when OC spray was the new thing, did that training.

Like getting tased, must be sprayed before could carry. It lets the officer know what the effects of the OC is like, both the physical and mental - not something you can imagine, its bad. Have a friend that had experienced about every chemical irritant in the military and he claims the OC is the worst by far. Need to know, both what the bad guy is experiencing if you spray him (to take measures to wash it off, etc. after he complies with arrest), what your fellow officers may experience if you overspray, and what it can do to you if taken away by the bad guy.

Everyone knows what it is like to be hit, because most everyone by adulthood has been hit with something - so obviously don't need to be hit with a baton to carry it. And no one would expect you to have to be shot to qualify to carry your gun.