The Importance of Tasers

Detractors of Tasers--including Amnesty International--point to instances where police officers have apparently misused them on suspects who posed no physical threat. According to Amnesty International, 334 people died after Taser shocks between 2001 and 2008, though coroners' reports indicated the shocks caused or contributed to only about 50 of those deaths. Despite the controversy, American law officers defend their continued use of the weapons. In the 2009 issue of "Police One" magazine, retired Capt. Greg Meyer says: "In my 33 years in law enforcement, looking at all the alternatives we’ve used, [Tasers] are far and away the best tool we’ve got."

Effects

• Unlike ordinary stun guns, which are designed to pacify subjects with painful electric shocks, Tasers involve neuromuscular incapacitation. They hijack the central nervous system and create involuntary, temporarily debilitating muscle spasms. Rick Smith, co-founder of Taser International--the world's largest manufacturer of the weapon--says this is a more reliable deterrent than pain modification because subjects with a high tolerance for pain may not be stopped by ordinary electric shocks.

Accountability Features

• As a self-defense weapon available to private citizens as well as law enforcement, Tasers have accountability features that other "less-lethal" weapons, such as mace and pepper spray, do not. Every Taser device is registered to the owner and contains a dataport that records the time and date of each trigger pull. Also, when fired, Tasers eject confetti-like identification tags that scatter over the scene and can be traced back to the device.

Statistics

• Amnesty International said in 2008 that most studies on Taser safety were funded by the industry that makes them and were too limited in scope. In 2009, independent researchers at Wake Forest University published the results of a study on Taser safety. They selected six police departments and followed up on medical reviews every time officers used a Taser on someone over the course of 36 months. According to the study, officers used conducted electrical devices on 1,201 people, and 99 percent--1,198 of them--experienced "mild or no injuries" from the devices. Two people died, but coroners did not find Taser devices to be factors in their deaths.

Dangers

• Taser probes can cause permanent injury if they penetrate the eyes, head, throat, genitals or chest. Subjects shot with Tasers may injure themselves while falling and may experience seizures. Taser International identifies certain individuals as being at a higher risk of death from Taser shocks, including children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with low body mass. According to Capt. Meyer, most arrest-related deaths that occur each year "seem to involve excited delirium," though he said this is true whether or not a Taser is involved.

Expert Insight

• Capt. Meyer acknowledges the risks of Tasers but says, "arrest-related deaths occur whether or not a Taser is used. That won’t change." He points out the news media and the public have objected to other less-lethal weapons, such as neck-restraint holds and pepper spray, and suggests law enforcement needs to do a better job of educating the public about how and why officers use Tasers.