A Minnesota woman recently sued and won a case against her local police for using a Taser on her in February 2008. The police awarded her $200,000 in damages for the incident that the woman says gave bruises on her wrists and arms and caused her to go on anti-anxiety medication. Although the police admit no wrongdoing in the case, such a large reward for even a slightly questionable Tasering, draws attention to the use of Tasers by law enforcement, and rekindles the debate about whether Tasers are “non-lethal” and if they should be used at all.

Taser Deaths

It is true that over 150 people have died after being Tased by law enforcement since widespread use started in 2001. And as the use of Tasers becomes more prevalent throughout the US, those numbers have risen more rapidly in the past few years. However, not a single death has actually been attributed to the Taser stun itself. In most cases there were other factors involved like drug use, preexisting injuries, etc. In fact, Taser International has never been found liable for the death of any person involved in a Taser-related incident. (Source)

Notwithstanding the clinical studies that show Taser has no effect to the body other than the initial 50,000-volt shock, victims’ advocates and civil rights groups protest that if the weapon has the potential to kill, it should be treated as a lethal device.

Tasers Provide Options

But there is a factor that these groups do not take into account: the use of a Taser as a non-lethal alternative to a firearm. Before the widespread use of Tasers, there were few alternatives to subduing a suspect between physical holds and a gunshot. Tasers offer police an alternative to using a firearm. Officer Jan-Leah Post of the Mountain View, CA, Police Department in front of a commission tasked with assessing the risk of Taser use in the department, recounted an incident where she used a Taser to subdue a large man. “This incident very possibly would have ended differently if I didn’t have a Taser,” she said. “Tasers, when used with strict regulations, allow me to go home at night to see my family and allowed [the suspect] to go see his family, once he got out of jail.” (Source)

Faced with the choice between shooting a potentially lethal firearm and deploying a non-lethal Taser, I would go with the Taser, but that’s just me.

Misuse

But the prevalence of Tasers has led to concerns over other problems. Because it is a non-lethal alternative to a firearm, some advocacy groups argue that a Taser’s very non-lethal nature has led law enforcement to be too quick to use it. It’s hard to forget the “Don’t Tase Me Bro” video where it appears that an obnoxious protester—already being subdued by six officers—is subsequently shocked with a Taser. There is a fear that instead of trying to talk to suspects, or use physical holds, police might be too eager to whip out their Tasers and subdue a suspect, saving time and aggravation.

Taser Training

But the answer is not a complete ban of Tasers by law enforcement. The answer is training and clear guidelines. For instance, in most departments across the US, Taser training programs require that the officer being trained to use a Taser must receive a Taser shock so that he or she will know the pain of being hit by a Taser and be less likely to use it as a quick and easy option. Also, creating clear guidelines for Taser use not only gives officers the rules and regulations of properly using a Taser, but it provides accountability for that officer in the event that they misuse it.

All in all, it is important to remember that although Tasers have been involved in some fatalities, the risk of being killed by a Taser is still far less than that of being killed by a firearm, and that margin gives police a real option for subduing suspects that will keep both the suspect and the officer alive.

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