Thread: Taser Controversy

Originally Posted by WireBeard

Based on the video, the findings seem fair, if not even a bit lenient. If the policy is for tasers to be used against resisting subjects, then the man in the airport does not seem to fit that category, as I cannot see how walking away from the police is "resisting".. The term is "non-compliant" and a police officer addresses that differntly. Having dealt with many non-compliant individuals and many more resisting individuals while a patrol officer in Baltimore, the escalation of a situation is equally in the hands of the officer and the subject. These RCMP officers escalated to the use of force immediately.

The issue of 'usage creep' was being thrown around earlier this year and that appears to be an accurate assessment.

Originally Posted by WireBeard

On a side note, the airport staff called and said the man was banbing on windows and throw in furniture and computers. That must of occurred off camera or else the airport staff/rent-a-cops were exaggerating to get a faster response, in which case they set up both the RCMP officers and the victim for confrontation by presenting flase information. As a result, a man died. Where is the review of the airport staff's actions?

That did occur on camera, but a while earlier, and the airport security responded immediately to the situation by providing instructions in as many languages as possible, somewhere in the neighbourhood of twenty if memory serves me. They were very quick to implement policy changes.

X

I don't remember that part being on the video, but it has been awhile...regardless, you don't use force in response to what was going on...you use it in response to the current situation. From what I remember in the video, the man was highly agitated, but was in a seating area near the baggage claim. When the police arrived, he appeared upset...

It is nice to see that changes are in the works...better late than never I guess.

This new report reveals that Taser officials aren't quite right:

Some tested Tasers fire stronger current than company says: CBC/Radio-Canada probe

http://www.cbc.ca/clips/mov/zalac-tasers081204.mov

I think the issue here is that police officers should use the Taser as a weapon with potentially lethal force - much the same was with a gun (which could kill you, but won't necessarily). The days of breaking the Taser out in lieu of just wresting the suspect down is over I believe...at least in Canada. The risk of critical media attention / probes / lawsuits are just too high, especially knowing in advance that even proper use of the weapon can be lethal (i.e. you don't have to zap the suspect 4 times before he could die).

Mark

The officers involved will not be charged in Mr. Dziekanski's death. They will be called to appear at an inquiry into the use of Tasers in Canada, however.

Mounties involved in airport Taser death to appear at inquiry: RCMP

X

The newest

Tasers potentially lethal, RCMP head tells MPs

I also heard on the radio today that an airport worker who spoke Russian and understood some Polish offered twice to translate within the hour before Mr Dziekanski's death, but was told to go about his business and subsequently released from work a four months later.

X

There is a reason tasers are called "less lethal" weapons and I sincerely hope (and believe) that all officers carrying them are aware of it. I support their use.

But this reminded me of a case some time ago where a woman police officer reached for her taser and instead pulled out her handgun and shot a suspect dead. That suspect had already been subdued, but was playing up in the police car if i recall correctly. Rather disgustingly, the police force actually wanted to sue the manufacturer of tasers for not warning them of the risk of getting the two types of weapon mixed up. The fact was that the suppliers DID give training and literature on this very risk, and the tasers are brightly coloured to distinguish them from conventional handguns.

I just tried searching for that case but the first thing I find is this:
BART cop Johannes Mehserle may rely on the “taser confusion� defense in Oscar Grant killing
Not only does it seem to have happened again, but they've even come up with a name for the problem and its legal defense: "Taser confusion." Just how often is this happening that the defense earns a name?

EDIT> Here is the original case, that of Marcy Noriega: http://www.maderatribune.com/news/newsview.asp?c=56821

EDIT2> Oh great. Bearing in mind the "taser confusion" mentioned above, how good an idea is the Taser XREP, a self-contained Taser in a shotgun shell that can be fired from a conventional 12-gauge shotgun???
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/owwwww!/v...ude-276481.php

Originally Posted by Rajagra

EDIT2> Oh great. Bearing in mind the "taser confusion" mentioned above, how good an idea is the Taser XREP, a self-contained Taser in a shotgun shell that can be fired from a conventional 12-gauge shotgun???
Owwwww!: Video of XREP Wireless Taser Shotgun Shocking Some Dude

Hmmm... Did I load the red cartridges or the blue ones.
Oh nevermind...


At a short distance, these are probably just as lethal as slugs, seeing as the muzzle velocity has to be in the same order of magnitude in order to actually hit the target at a distance.
So first you get a lethal impact, and then the taser finishes off whatever life is left in you.

The Tazer is a LESS Leathal tool that officers are able to use ,the same holds true for bean bag rounds. The idea of LESS leathal is to have an alternative before using physical force(baton or night stick) or putting a 40 cal 180 grain chunck of lead into the persons chest.

If you get tasered you were probably doing something dumb to begin with. Another thing I find funny on a police use of force matrix a police officer can actually use an ASP *metal baton* before a taser and render a bone crushing blow to a joint area. Which would you rather have?

Tasers Save lifes, civilian and police. Tasers save police officers from getting injured. Unfortunate things happen with anything its life. I hope they never take tasers away but only perfect them even more.