The taser comes to the area

[Lloyd Danforth]

Given that tasers can kill people, perhaps we should get a law passed that considers them Deadly Force and requires the same kind of investigation that is required when a cop fires his gun.

[mvpel]

How many of the tiny handful of people who died after being tasered were whacked out on hard drugs at the time of the zap?

A study of the WV State Police uses of pepper spray indicated that among about 850 uses, it was partly ineffective to completely ineffective about a third of the time.  The taser, on the other hand, if both electrodes make contact, make it absolutely impossible for the subject to move.

If they'd had a Taser to bring Rodney King under control after his drunken car chase rampage, we wouldn't have any idea who he is, because two skinny cops could have brought his enormous behind under control - one to run the Taser and the other to apply the cuffs.

The Taser is a highly effective way to avoid seriously injuring or killing someone.

Incidents of abuse of the Taser should be harshly punished, such as the occasional story of a Taser being used on a handcuffed prisoner, but to demonize the tool makes folks sound like the gun grabbers.

[Lloyd Danforth]

So, a handful is OK with you, huh?
I don't know how many times I've heard news reports where cops empty their guns into people threatening them with knives. Once, in NYC, they shot a naked, unarmed man because he was acting crazy.
If a guy were coming after you or me with a knife it would be OK to shoot them, but, not a cop. They should be able to take them out with their sticks.  A great number of these events could be handled with a weighted net.
Tasers just beg to be abused.
Cops should be willing to face some danger.  I wouldn't do anything to make their job easier or safer.

[tracysaboe]

Given that tasers can kill people, perhaps we should get a law passed that considers them Deadly Force and requires the same kind of investigation that is required when a cop fires his gun.

Definitely.

Tracy

[tracysaboe]

How many of the tiny handful of people who died after being tasered were whacked out on hard drugs at the time of the zap?

A study of the WV State Police uses of pepper spray indicated that among about 850 uses, it was partly ineffective to completely ineffective about a third of the time.  The taser, on the other hand, if both electrodes make contact, make it absolutely impossible for the subject to move.

If they'd had a Taser to bring Rodney King under control after his drunken car chase rampage, we wouldn't have any idea who he is, because two skinny cops could have brought his enormous behind under control - one to run the Taser and the other to apply the cuffs.

The Taser is a highly effective way to avoid seriously injuring or killing someone.

Incidents of abuse of the Taser should be harshly punished, such as the occasional story of a Taser being used on a handcuffed prisoner, but to demonize the tool makes folks sound like the gun grabbers.

Except it's not so occational anymore.

Even the conservative Christian Ruthaford Foudantion headed by John Whitehead is opposed to cops having them.  http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/whitehead1.html

I disagree with him when he says that individuals sholdn't have them, but clearly cops shouldn't.

They can't be trusted with guns either, for that matter.

Tracy

[Kat Kanning]

The problem I see with them is that the police seem to get the idea they're harmless, and start using them to subdue little old ladies and children, when no force at all is usually required.

[GT]

How many of the tiny handful of people who died after being tasered were whacked out on hard drugs at the time of the zap?

A study of the WV State Police uses of pepper spray indicated that among about 850 uses, it was partly ineffective to completely ineffective about a third of the time.? The taser, on the other hand, if both electrodes make contact, make it absolutely impossible for the subject to move.

If they'd had a Taser to bring Rodney King under control after his drunken car chase rampage, we wouldn't have any idea who he is, because two skinny cops could have brought his enormous behind under control - one to run the Taser and the other to apply the cuffs.

The Taser is a highly effective way to avoid seriously injuring or killing someone.

Incidents of abuse of the Taser should be harshly punished, such as the occasional story of a Taser being used on a handcuffed prisoner, but to demonize the tool makes folks sound like the gun grabbers.

The point is every time they talk about tasers they say they are non-lethal. You are more apt to use a tool in a situation if it not going to kill the person. I'm not trying to ban or grab anything. Tasers are funded by grants in a lot of cases. Taxpayer money paying for thier tools. If the "civilian" model is 1,000 you can bet the "law enforcement" model is a whole lot more.

And if the really are all that non-lethal why can't the average guy on the street carry one of the law enforcment only models?

[mvpel]

So, a handful is OK with you, huh?

Did I say it was OK with me?  I didn't think so.  We suffer millions of deaths and serious injuries every year in this nation from automobiles, but the benefits outweigh that body count.

I don't know how many times I've heard news reports where cops empty their guns into people threatening them with knives. Once, in NYC, they shot a naked, unarmed man because he was acting crazy.
If a guy were coming after you or me with a knife it would be OK to shoot them, but, not a cop. They should be able to take them out with their sticks.  A great number of these events could be handled with a weighted net.
Tasers just beg to be abused.
Cops should be willing to face some danger.  I wouldn't do anything to make their job easier or safer.

Cops are expensive to hire and train, and Monadnock beat-downs of people resisting arrest, instead of Taserings, lead to more tax-consuming lawsuits, right?

Why should a cop be forced to shoot someone, or break their ribs, if they have another tool at their disposal that can subdue the attacker with a miniscule risk of serious injury or death to either the police officer or the attacker?  Sure, you can drill a knife-weilding attacker, since it's an imminent deadly threat, but why do it if you don't have to?

Can a cop carry a weighted net on their hip, I wonder?

Whether cops can be trusted with guns, or trusted at all, is irrelevant to this discussion.  The simple fact in this nation is that we have a professional full time Peel-style police force, a few members of which are thugs and brutes, but most of which are not, and we're not going back to the pre-Peel days any time soon.

[Kat Kanning]

Well heck, now I'm convinced that's it's just dandy for the cops to tasar someone who peed on the lawn.  I do feel safer now.

[Pat K]

Not to add to the argurment but if a person is coming at you with a kinife and is within taser range , you better shoot them
and shoot till they drop. Because otherwise they will kill you.

[Kat Kanning]

Fine.  What should you do when I guy is coming out you, willie in hand, peeing on the lawn??

[Kat Kanning]

Wouldn't that hurt?

[tracysaboe]

Fine.  What should you do when I guy is coming out you, willie in hand, peeing on the lawn??

Pepper spray the one eyed willie 

OWE!

Yes, that would be quite painful Kat.

[Pat K]

Fine.? What should you do when I guy is coming out you, willie in hand, peeing on the lawn??

I would laugh alot but thats me. I don't think a violent response is need in that case.
maybe you could spray him with cold water and then call everyones attention to the shrinkage and embarress him to death.

[Dave Ridley]

OK if they can't taser someone then they can baton them or shoot them or go hand to hand right?   Why are those options superior to taser other than cost effectiveness and more years of data to draw on regarding safety?    (i assume it's possible there will be some study in the future linking tasering with seizures).