TASER In The Media

We've written about TASER® guns before. We're surprised they cause so much media fueled controversy. More US and Canadian police departments are using them to good effect. It's another tool for police officers who are called upon to defuse out-of-control situations. Yes, some officers in the heat of a stressful situation will use the TASER inappropriately. A certain percentage of officers miss-use their firearms too but that causes needless loss of life.

A recent article in the Winston-Salem Journal on-line brought this home. In part it says,

"As the Winston-Salem City Council decides whether police officers should have Taser stun guns, it should consider the experience that the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office has had with them. Deputies have been using the electroshock weapons for about two years now, often when they're outnumbered in fights, whether in the jail or the schools, said Sheriff Bill Schatzman. The weapons protect the officers and the public, he said. It's better than using a baton or pepper spray, he said, because "it's surgical in deployment."

The article sites a recent case at the Mount Tabor High School when Deputy Tracy Steen used an electric shock weapon. He was trying to break up a fight in the cafeteria between two students where one refused to calm down, according to the sheriff's office. Tables were overturned, one landing on an innocent bystander.

After the incident was over, sentiment was overwhelming on the side of the police officer. That's weapons jargon for saying that the stun guns, if used properly, don't hit innocent bystanders. That apparently was the case just over a week ago at Mount Tabor High School when Deputy Tracy Steen used a stun gun. He was trying to break up a fight in the cafeteria between two students when one of them refused to calm down, according to the sheriff's office.

Many of the e-mails in response to Journal stories about the fight have supported the deputy. One e-mailer said that when she heard about the incident at her daughter's school, "my first reaction was concern about the use of Tasers in schools. But then my daughter came home from school and told me what she saw.... Tables were overturned, one landed on top of an innocent bystander.... This incident could have escalated into a tragedy...."

We don't condone the indiscriminate use of the TASER®. It's a tool. It can be used or miss-used. Users must be educated to the proper use of the device.

A couple additional comments: Notice how the media confuses stun guns and TASER® products! Even in the article quoted above, there is a mention of the device as stun gun. There is no such thing as a taser stun gun. TASER International disapproves of that appellation. A stun gun is a hand held device with two attached electrodes. The device must be held to the individual while the user presses the button. A TASER device projects two probes with two thin electrical wires attached that fly through the air to land on the perpetrator. The electrical charge is sent through the wires.

Also, TASER is not spelled TAZER. TAZER get almost as many hits on Google As TASER!

Carlisle, PA - Taser a Success

Here's one that almost got by us. And this is in our own back yard! The Carlisle PA Sentinal July 22 article quotes the Carlisle Police Department who said that after several years of use, the Taser gun can be termed a success.

Staff writer Heather Stauffer quotes Lt. Mike Dzezinski who said, "By the end of 2007, Carlisle recorded more than 140 Taser deployments, ranging from times when officers obtained compliance merely by displaying the laser sight and warning people to incidents in which they actually fired the probes." He continues,

“We’ve had deployments on everything from fleeing felons to public drunk arrestees who wanted to fight,” Dzezinski said. “The biggest benefit of the Taser is it gives us a gap between us and the bad guy.”

This comes on the heels of a Pennsylvania State Police announcement that it considered troopers first six months of Taser use a success. Before equipping 3,000 troopers with Tasers at the beginning of this year, state police Commissioner Jeffrey Miller said, state police conducted a two-year study. The results they are seeing reinforce the belief that “the Taser provides an excellent option to the use of deadly force,” Miller said.

That Tasers deliver 50,000 volts has been widely reported, Dzezinski said, but many people don’t realize the amperage of the weapon is what really matters.

“The amperage is very, very low in the Taser,” Dzezinski said, placing it at 0.0036 amps, “actually lower than the socket of a Christmas tree bulb.”

The majority of Carlisle officers have taken voluntary Taser exposures to understand what people experience when they fire the probes, Dzezinski said.

Tasers Rate High In Safety

A study sited in a recent newspaper examines the use of Taser stun guns in Calgary, Canada.

Sherri Zickefoose of the Calgary Herald writes that the new study finds batons are batons are causing the greatest rate of injury when used by police during arrests.

The two-year Calgary study, the first use-of-force examination of its kind in Canada, also found pepper spray was the safest tool employed by police to subdue suspects who were resisting arrest.

The Canadian Police Research Centre report examines 562 cases in which Calgary police used Tasers, pepper spray, batons, unarmed techniques and choke holds -- against people resisting arrest.

The 14-page study found Tasers "scored high" in safety for both suspects and officers in Calgary. Though they were used in nearly half of all cases involving suspects resisting arrest, one per cent ended up hospitalized and 87 per cent sustained either minor injuries or no injuries, according to the report.

Batons, on the other hand, used in roughly five per cent of arrests that required force, caused the greatest rate of higher-level injury. More than 39 per cent of subjects were injured. More than three per cent were hospitalized and nearly 26 per cent required outpatient treatment.

"The commonly held belief" that Tasers carry "a significant risk of injury or death . . . is not supported by the data," according to the report, researched by Dr. Christine Hall and Calgary use-of-force expert Staff Sgt. Chris Butler. The stun guns are "less injurious than either the baton or empty-hand physical control."

U.S. agencies are also participating in the larger study, Butler said, because American and Canadian police encounters are surprisingly similar. More Canadian fatality inquiries are highlighting the need for consistent use of force tracking, he said.

Up Close Review: M18L Advanced Taser

The Taser M18L Advanced Taser is a popular consumer model produced by Taser International. This model sports a laser sight to help with aim. (You can buy this model without the laser sight in the Advanced Taser M18.) The M18L package includes four cartridges, a battery pack (4 x 1.5 volt AA), an operating manual, a practice target poster and Citizen Training CD. It comes housed in a hard black poly case with integrated handle. It is made in the US. There is a 30 day money back guarantee, 90 day product warranty, and a lifetime replacement warranty if it is left activated next to an assailant.

First, let’s clear some misconceptions. A stun gun is a “contact” device meaning the contacts must be applied directly to the perpetrator to be effective. This model can function as a contact stun gun with or without a cartridge. But that is only a backup feature. A Taser is a device that when activated propels two small probes attached to insulated electrical wires. These attach to an attacker’s clothing or skin. The device sends electrical pulses through the wires that disrupt the motor and sensory systems. This incapacitates the subject allowing time to flee.

The Taser has gained wide law enforcement acceptance throughout the world. Injuries are much less than with firearms. Effects are temporary. The device is not without its detractors but is relatively safe when used in a responsible manner. It is virtually impossible for even an out-of-control perpetrator to over-ride the effects.

The Taser M18, unlike most stun guns, actually looks like gun. The high impact black polycarbonate gun is set off with a mid gun yellow accent. The safety switch has a lock and armed position. The dimensions with cartridge are 8.30” long, 6” high and 1.75” wide. It weighs 19.2 ounces without the cartridge. It has a battery LED indicator. There is a molded mechanical sight it addition to the laser sight. The M18L has a range of fifteen feet.

Depressing and releasing the trigger will result in a five-second discharge unless the safety switch is moved to the down (SAFE) position. Holding the trigger switch for more than 5 seconds will result in a continuous discharge until the trigger switch is released, or until the batteries are depleted. Normally, aim the laser of the device at one of the large muscle groups (center of mass) such as the torso or thigh areas.

The Taser M18L Advanced Taser retails for $599.00 (Stun Gun Supply may be offering a discount). A model with two cartridges and without the laser site sells for $399.00. The latest model is the Taser C2 which comes in eight colors as well as black. This sleek model has a smaller profile than the M18 and appeals to women with smaller hands. Pricing starts at $299.00 (Stun Guns Supply may be offering a discount). The Taser X-26C is also available direct to consumers but the high price limits acceptability. Tasers are not legal in all states and municipalities so check this before ordering one.