I wish we could all put this to rest, already. TASERs work. The Thomas A. Swift Electronic Rifle (named by the inventor, who was a fan of the children’s books) sends electricity through the body and incapacitates the recipient. In doing so, it saves lives — cops’ lives and suspects’ lives. Period.
However as a Canadian officer correctly points out, the alternative is often the use of a firearm — deadly force to be sure. Taser’s own website (admittedly a for-profit company) indicates numbers that are so drastically in favor of TASER deployment, that argument is difficult.
If you don’t trust the company that makes them, how about the departments that use them. In almost all major police departments, the TASER is considered “intermediate” force. That means it can be used when someone is fighting, charging, threatening to injure or kill, or displaying a non-deadly weapon at the police. With the TASER, that individual is immediately and effectively incapacitated. I was “TASERED” in the police academy. It hurt. But one minute later I was fine. The same could not be said of a steel baton to the knee (guaranteed lifetime injury), a bite by a police dog (arrgh), or a gunshot (duh!).
Watch the video here, and ask yourself the single, key, and only question about TASERS: Would I rather get hit with this, or one of the alternatives. The dog in the background of this video is ready to take care of business. I think the suspect himself explains the benefits of the TASER better than I ever could. That should settle the argument.
Sometimes police work is ugly. That is the suspects’ fault, not the cops’. Remember my favorite quote:
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
Sleep well.
Dec 12, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Mrs. Korman,
I could not agree more. As with any profession, it is the bad apples who ruin it for the majority. I think one topic we have to look at is the screening process for who gets hired in the first place. Maybe we can increase our odds that way. But in the end, some bad apples are going to get through. I hope your faith in our men and women in uniform is renewed soon…
PC
Dec 14, 2007 at 4:22 pm
One thing that the ‘taser’ bashers should take into account is this: It is a tool on my ‘tool belt’; nothing more, nothing less. If that ‘tool’ is taken away, then a different ‘tool’ WILL be used.
The M26/X26 Taser has been deployed on literally THOUSANDS of LEO’s during training sessions with zero deaths. NOT A SINGLE ONE.
What most of the highly published deaths have resulted from is most likely ‘excited delirium’. Most of these deaths have involved folks who have been under the influence of drugs esp. stimulants such as cocaine and/or methamphetamine. When you get the added stress of being in a fight with law enforcement and then get tased as well, bad things can and will happen.
What is not very well known is that when the taser was being developed, one of the tests was applying the taser current directly to heart tissue. The result; no change or damage to the heart function. The taser operates on a different electrical frequency then the heart does.
Does the taser get over-used sometimes? Yup. Each agency has its own ‘use of force’ policy that dictates when you can use various levels of force. On my agency (a very large dept in So Cal), the suspect has to be either directly assualting you or someone else, or a ‘high risk’ suspect before you can deploy a taser on him/her. For us, the taser is at exactly the same level of force as an impact weapon or K9 deployment. For other agencies, the taser is at a much lower level on the use of force chart, being the same level of force as OC spray.
BTW, good blog so far, PC…
Dec 14, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Polarbear,
I agree on all counts. I always find it interesting that when officer “A” screws up, we feel the need to take that tool away from “B” and “C” as well. Thank you for the kind words!
PC
Dec 15, 2007 at 5:41 am
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
Dec 15, 2007 at 8:56 am
Idetorce,
I appreciate that; what in particular do you find incorrect?
Jan 9, 2008 at 11:22 am
How to avoid a taser– behave in the presence of law enforcement–
Mar 31, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Someone killed a policeman today and
A part of America died.
A piece of our country he swore to protect
Will be buried with him at his side.
The suspect who shot him will stand up in court,
With counsel demanding his rights
While a young widowed mother must work for her kids
And spend many long lonely nights,
The beat that he walked was a battlefield too,
Just as if he had gone off to war.
Though the flag of our nation won’t fly at half mast,
To his name they will add a gold star.
Yep, somebody killed a policeman today
In your town or mine.
While we slept in comfort behind locked doors,
A cop put his life on the line.
Now his ghost walks a beat on the dark city street
And he stands at each rookie’s side.
He answered the call, of himself gave his all
And a part of America died.
Unknown~
To the many good Police Officers..both men and women..who put their lives on the line every time they go to work..They need to be armed with anything that will help them to combat against those that choose to bring harm to others..
I am glad they have tasers..I know of two personal examples where it not only saved the police officers life but the life of which he was trying to protect..
Jul 18, 2008 at 8:01 am
First off…thanks Dee…that poem moved me.
The amount of ignorance in this world still amazes me. I work as a sworn peace officer for a community college district in California where short-sighted administrators are the ones calling the shots. The officers at our department have been trained according to POST standards and sometimes receive more training than our municipal counterparts. Our administrators decided, only after a long union battle, to provide us with .40 cal sidearms. Do we still need other force options like Tasers, shotguns, rifles, pepperball guns, etc? Of course we do. Why don’t we have them? Their answers: “Too aggressive” or “not right now”. When is a good time? After people are killed or injured?
Campus life is similar to that of other small affluent towns, where people want to believe there is a magical bubble protecting them. Unfortunately, the bubble does not exist in real life; only in their minds.
Would I rather not be needed as a police officer? You bet! I would rather there not be violence, corruption and evil in this world, but the sad reality is it does exist and in staggering proportions.
So, before the taxpayers and students decide to send me into harm’s way…I would appreciate the courtesy of having an advantage over our would be assailants.
Ponder this scenario: a suicidal 18 year old male is armed with a knife. He is approaching a crowded public area. Officers arrive and have no quick, effective means to disable the subject WITHOUT shooting or getting close to him. The subject lunges at officers, whom draw their service weapons and fire. The subject is killed instantly. Officers approach and see the knife was made of rubber.
His family is outraged and files lawsuits against the city for negligence and wrongful death. The city settles out of court for millions of dollars and must pay thousands for Workers’ Compensation Psychiatric claims for the officers involved.
If the responding officers had all the tools necessary (a taser or beanbag rounds) to quickly and safely disable the man, the outcome would have been totally different…and much more positive.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”