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| Merry Christmas |
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| Taser recommendations OK, but... |
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| Taser recommendations OK, but... |
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| If Tasers are safe, why have so many died? |
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Merry Christmas to all, happy 50th birthday to Shane, get well soon Phil...and may Kirsty rest in peace and receive justice some day.
The RCMP has reportedly changed its policy to reduce Taser use to situations where a suspect is "combative" or "actively resistant". This comes after an interim report issued by Paul Kennedy, the chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.
The CPC recommendations have addressed one problem; "usage creep", or police overuse of Tasers, but they continue to ignore the elephant in the room, namely, the dangers of the weapons themselves.
Mr. Kennedy's report contains no analysis of the nearly 300 deaths proximate to Taser use nor any reference to the fact that there are no testing protocols or safety standards fopr these weapons.
In my view, the report should have recommended a moratorium on Taser use pending electrical safety testing of a random number of the weapons and further rigorous independent study of the potential dangers of the electroshock weapons.
Based on my study of the circumstances surrounding Taser-related fatalities, the following common denominators emerge:
-agitated or distressed victims
-multiple shocks, usually including "drive-stun" application(s)
-no evident cause of death
Getting hit with the Taser's 50,000 volts is a bit like getting hit by a bolt of lightening; everyone gets knocked down, some survive the experience, while a few don't, with no apparent medical explanation for the unlucky fatalities.
A lot more work needs to be done, by experts unconnected with TASER International Inc. or its cheerleaders in law enforcement, before these weapons can be considered acceptable.
more>>
The RCMP has reportedly accepted recommendations designed to reduce Taser use to situations where a suspect is "combative" or "actively resistant". The recommendations were contained in an interim report issued by Paul Kennedy, the chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.
These recommendations have addressed one problem; "usage creep", or police overuse of Tasers, but they continue to ignore the elephant in the room, namely, the dangers of the weapons themselves.
Mr. Kennedy's report contains no analysis of the nearly 300 deaths proximate to Taser use nor any reference to the fact that there are no testing protocols or safety standards fopr these weapons.
In my view, the report should have recommended a moratorium on Taser use pending electrical safety testing of a random number of the weapons and further rigorous independent study of the potential dangers of the electroshock weapons.
Based on my study of the circumstances surrounding Taser-related fatalities, the following common denominators emerge:
-agitated or distressed victims
-multiple shocks, usually including "drive-stun" application(s)
-no evident cause of death
Getting hit with the Taser's 50,000 volts is a bit like getting hit by a bolt of lightening; everyone gets knocked down, some survive the experience, while a few don't, with no apparent medical explanation for the unlucky fatalities.
A lot more work needs to be done, by experts unconnected with TASER International Inc. or its cheerleaders in law enforcement, before these weapons can be considered acceptable.
more>>
TASER International, Inc., the Scottsdale, Arizona public company that manufactures the controversial stun-gun of the same name, says that its products have never killed anyone. Aside from the patent falsity of this claim (see, for example, medical examiner Dr. Scott Denton's conclusion that Ronald Hasse of Chicago died of electrocution from Taser application), it defies common sense. Nearly three hundred people have died shortly after being shocked with the Taser's 50,000 volt discharge.
According to poker and Playboy proponent TASER International, these were all coincidental deaths, caused by the ingestion of drugs or alcohol or perhaps attributable to "excited delirium", a weird condition where victims apparently collapse and die at the sight of a blue uniform.
No reputable medical organization recognises the existence of "excited delirium" as a medical condition. If there is such a thing, someone should be able to provide a list of those who have died of "ED" where police were not involved, and another list of those who have died of "ED" where a police Taser was not involved. Unless and until I see these lists, I will continue to maintain a healthy skepticism about TASER International's claims.
