Tasers Galore!

To start off what otherwise might be a drab and depressing column about Tasers with a bit of humor, here is a case, from Hamilton, Ontario, of Tasers accidentally setting a perp on fire. With a mind to use it as an improvised weapon, the suspect hid a can of hairspray in his belt, which ignited and set the poor victim of physics aflame briefly. The officer, who extinguished the flames, has been completely cleared of any wrongdoing.

In a twisted web of impartial recollections, contradictory statements, and colorful characters, a Palo Alto man without address is questioning whether police were justified in deploying Tasers against him. I'm not sure how it's reasonable to assume a two liter bottle is a dry ice bomb and thus justify deploying a Taser, but that's what makes this case so interesting.

In a tragic case of would haves and could haves, Robert Ingraham of Thibodaux, Louisiana died after officers deployed a Taser on him. Sadly, this article is lacking in detail, but statements like "he should have gone to court" or "he should have not hit his wife" seem rather inconsequential when one remembers that a man died. The only real questions are "how did a 27 year old man die from a Taser shot?" and "how could this have been prevented?"

In a rare show of positive PRwerk for Taser International, the New York Times reports a study into a case where Taser put someone back into a normal cardio rhythm after 40 minutes in a cold lake in Connecticut. Please don't try this at home, or even in a hospital for that matter.

Expert Testimony Powers, Activate!

I wish to preface what I am about to say by clarifying my position on Tasers and also preface that with this disclaimer, that the other contributers to this blog may not necessairly share my views.

I think the Tazer is a good and useful technology. I think it is a wonderful substitute for a gun or pepper spray for self defense, depending on your preference. If you feel threatened but don't want to kill anyone or are intimidated by a gun, then a less-lethal taser can give you a comprible amount of self defense in its ability to incapacitate. The Taser also has advantages over pepper spray because it is relatively contained and the effect is limited to the individual hit with the wires. With pepper spray you release a cloud of fine particles that can shift with the wind, cover your clothes, and should never be discharged indoors. I have accidentally pepper sprayed myself and being just as incapacitated as the person you are attempting to flee from is a ticket to disaster town. A taser is a weapon but is not a firearm and that legal distinction makes it far more practical as a person's self defense device since you can use them in more states and carry them across more state boundaries without fear of breaking the law. They are still subject to certain restrictions though.

My problem is not with the Taser devices. My problem is with the cops and thugs that use them as a weapon for torture.

Ohio is one of the few U.S. states where a judge may overrule the county coronor as to the cause of death on a death certificate. When the Summit county medical examiner ruled that three suspects had been murdered by police and that Tasers were partly responsible for the heart failure, Taser International sent is lawyers to Ohio to get a judge to change the record. yesterday they were successful.

I am not the least bit suprised that Taser International would use every means at their disposal to protect the reputation of their flagship product. Given the nature of how the devices tend to be used, I think they would appear to be better corporate citizens if they denounced misuse of their product by pointing out these are the actions of bad people and that their device does not have discretion as to who it electrocutes.

I see two odd clashes in the public statements of Taser International. They loudly proclaim their support for law enforcement. Cases like the one above lead to the assumption that this support of law enforcement goes beyond providing a useful tool to suport a necessary public institution, and actually extends to blind support of the individuals that wear the badge. Admititadly that is a bit of a strech. But it is hard to see this case as anything other than an interference with justice.

The second clash of policy with reality I see within Taser International is what I percieve as a sympathy for the arguments of the anti-gun lobby. It is commendable that Taser International takes every step possible to insure the safety of each of their devices. The instruction manuals are concise and effective, the models for civilian use are locked with a security code so only the person who purchased them can activate the device, they even sell a camera that attaches to the device that starts recording as soon as the safety is switched to the fire position so that there is video evidence that it was necessary to fire. It is admirable that Taser Interantional has chosen to go the extra mile in providing for the safe and proper operation of their products. This intersects with reality because the company and its devices cannot control when they are used. just like a firearms company cannot control when their guns will be used or who will get their hands on them. Once an object is sold it is beyond the control of the manufacturer. So the problem here is that while Taser International is not responsible for misuse of their devices by wicked cops or juvinile thugs, they inject themselves into these instances, insisting that their inanimate device that is beyond their control is incapable of being misused. My main point here is that the Tazer is a good and useful less-lethal alternative for self defense and law enforcement but Taser International needs a more mature and consistant public relations policy.

Pavlov Knew How to Educate Children

Granted, they never taze reasonable people. However, the argument Taser International makes is that these things save lives by incapacitating a violent criminal that the cops would have to kill otherwise. This argument is highly questionable in light of how tazers are actually used by law enforcement. They use it as a crutch whenever incapacitating someone would make their job easier, not as a replacement for lethal force. The point we have been trying to make all this time is that using tazers in this way increases the number of deaths that result from regular police work, because taers are more likely to cause death than the methods the peace officer would have had to use to resolve the situation. This is in turn compounded by some officers apparent inability to diffierentiate between a regular citizen and a genuine threat.

Bad Apples

In way similar to, but probably not as reprehensible as the torturers of Abu Ghraib prison, police officers, as we have tried to bring attention to, have been accused of torturing suspects in an effort to coerce compliance.

In one of the most brazen acts of political sabotage I have ever seen, even if it was a Hillary Clinton event, two Bibb County, Georgia, officers threatened attendees of the event to disperse or be tased. So, apparently, the event had almost 150% more people than had signed up for the event, and the crowd outside must have been pretty boisterous. Regardless of my objection to making people register to come to a political event, these two officers were not merely being "discourteous," but were actively engaged in violations of constitutional rights. I mean, we do still have the freedom of assembly, right? The two officers are apparently highly decorated, and in typical good ol' boys fashion, won't even receive a suspension with pay.

A similar incident happened in Vancouver, BC, last night with the Queen's representative in Canada, Governor-General Michelle Jean is being met with anger and protests as she tours the province. As the Governor-General was meeting with local leaders on ways to combat violence, police were outside tasering a protester who got too pushy.

Another alleged bad apple is Corporal Rudy Torres of Frederick County, Maryland. Demonstrating that statistical discrepencies are usually reflective of underlying trends, this particular police force has been disproportionately enthusiastic about using their taser devices, and Corp Torres has under his belt more than 10% of the total use of the department, out of a total of 218 times using 171 tasers in 2007. A more typical rate of use based on these numbers would be more like .6% of all taser uses. One can only hope that the litigation surrounding the death of 20-year old Jarrel Gray sees some justice done.

In an example of messy reality conflicting with a very controlled situation, and the resulting conflicting legality, an Orange County man, described as having a condition that impairs his thinking, is tasered in the course of being subdued (with video badness) by officers, and was later cited for battery on a law enforcement officer with violence. However, if the person can't be held responsible for their own actions, what legal responsibility does this place onto the officer to prevent harm? For instance, why aren't law enforcement officers trained in more mediation and jujitsu?

What is torture? In Toronto, Canada, the founder of Taser International, Thomas Smith, offers some clever spin on the nature of the Taser. “'We were taught electricity is bad,' said Smith. 'Don’t put your finger in the socket. But really, electricity is life.'” Regardless of how true the statement may or may not be, it is ultimately irrelevant. Later, out comes another particularly wonderful example of the straw man logical fallacy.

When one deputant said the UN has expressed concern that taser use is tantamount to torture, Smith objected. “We don’t want to see torturous devices used,” he said. “But if the UN is going to define torture as causing pain, then a baton is torture, stepping on a nail is torture.”

Except the standard for torture is far more robust than Mr. Smith is protraying it. The definition for torture in the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Degrading Treatment or Punishment is as follows, italics added for emphasis.

Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.

Tomorrow's Taser

Behold! The future of Tasers! Just in case you need a stylish leopard-print taser to go with your leopard-print purse or shoes, the developers at Taser International are ready to help.

Also, in the event that wearing your Taser holster has ever kept you from bringing your iPod, or better yet your Creative Labs Zen with you, Taser has you covered with a new holster that features a 1GB mp3 player built-in.

Here is the press release for all of the products the folks down at Taser International have released at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

"These new product (sic) are a result of listening to our customers. Personal protection can be both fashionable and functionable," said Rick Smith, CEO and founder of TASER International. "The TASER C2 leopard print design provides a personal protection option for women who want fashion with a bite."

In a continuing rash of stories about women having Taser parties, the question must be asked, who is encouraging this? This first article is about independent Taser dealer Dana Shafman. (Shieldher, Inc., note the victimized woman in the logo)

"The worst nightmare for me is, while I'm sleeping, someone coming in my home," Shafman tells the group, drawing a few solemn nods from the gathered women. Shafman, 34, of Phoenix, says she knows how they feel. She used to stash knives under her pillow for protection.

This second, more colorful article describes the problem from what can only be called a Texan mindset. The author feels that tasers are the liberal alternative to the more effective personal firearm.

Ladies, make 2008 the year you cease to be a helpless victim. Whether you’re in your car, classroom, store, your own house or in church, you must get packed, stacked and ready to whack because the fools today are bold and multitudinous. Yes you, girlfriend, must help society send a message to these evolutionary holdovers that we will rock them with a club, a kick, a gun (my favorite) or a taser for attempting to do us harm.

How much is Taser International promoting this? Considering how we have seen them behave in the past, witness the story of the Canadian policeman who worked with Taser to promote the use of their products by Canadian police departments, one must begin to wonder how ethical these parties are. Considering how dangerous these devices are in the hands of trained professionals, their promotion among the general public seems morally bankrupt. Marketing them directly to women, though, is almost misogynistic fear-mongering.

As far as the practical implementation of Tasers go, there have been a couple of more Taser-related injures. One in Jacksonville, after a man didn't stop for a stop sign. Cocaine doesn't exactly enhance one's decision-making faculties, though. In what appears to be an otherwise textbook example of the use of Tasers, a suspect in Nevada died after being restrained by an officer with a taser.

Here is a look at excited delirium, allegedly an acute psychotic episode that is seem in those with mental illness and drug abuse, and what it meant in the death of Briant Parks in Columbus, Ohio. Even though the police had him out numbered three to one and were using a technique known as "drive stunning," which must mean a continuous electrical discharge into someone, the officers in question were cleared of any wrong-doing. I'm not sure what kind of regulations there are in how many times a Taser can be used on an individual subject, but I think up to ten times is kind of excessive. The fact that the police don't appear to have given Mr. Parks adequate medical care after the incident further reinforces in my mind the need for legislation requiring police provide medical attention to everyone who is tased.

As of publication, Taser International, Inc.'s stock is up slightly in mixed trading.