...Face it: in many cases, Tasers are as dangerous as conventional firearms, and often as deadly. Their use grows more widespread by the day, and more casual. It is well past time these dangerous tools are brought under some manner of uniform legal control. No one deserves to die for being mentally disturbed... but that is precisely what is happening.
In a case out of San Diego County, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals criticized an officer who, without warning, shot an emotionally troubled man with a Taser when he was unarmed, yards away, and neither fleeing nor advancing on the officer.
...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Don't Tase Me, Bro
Fallenmonk brings us some excellent news about a Ninth Circuit Court ruling limiting the use of Tasers in circumstances where there is little threat and the targeted individual may be mentally ill. Here is the crux of the matter; please see Fallenmonk's excerpt from the Sacramento Bee article for more details:
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I can think of three instances in 10 years when a Taser might have been useful. I say might, because all three involved people on PCP, and I'm not sure it would have worked as advertised. Those guys certainly didn't respond to pain, because in one case I accidentally dislocated the suspect's elbow, and he was use the flapping arm as a club.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that worked was eight officers pinning them through sheer weight.
If someone won't go down after you "stab" them in the back of the thigh with the end of a nightstick, I don't see the benefit, and I do see the possibility of delivering a jolt to another officer.
OT: after accepting my URL for several days, Google has again insisted that it contains "illegal characters"
I also don't see them being effective on people wearing winter clothing.
I realize that I have prejudice against the concept because it is too similar to the cattle prods that were used in the South for too many years.
They are in use in the UK, but only to firearm trained officers. THat does not flll me with too much confidence.
ReplyDeleteI just stopped by to wish you a very happy and healthy new year!
ReplyDelete