crunchgear.com — To the more than 10,000 law enforcement agencies who use them, Taser-style stun guns probably seem like a godsend a quick jolt of electricity and even the brawniest and most berserk criminal can be brought to the ground. No guns, no deaths and no permanent damage.
Mar 7, 2007 View in Crawl 4
tokyopimpMar 8, 2007
I don't know what a tazer is like but I have two family members who do, who work in law enforcment. And I can tell you, pepper spray is not even close to being as effective, not only that but it's hard as hell to hit a person who is not coperating with the spray, and I know for a fact that a lot of people strung out on drugs still continue to rampage about with it in there eye. First of all it's not torture so stop f**king calling it that, it's a weapon used to subdue an individual who is extremely uncooperative. The pain only last long enough to subdue the person, and they aren't trying to get information from this person. Yes it's an extremely effective tool that makes it safer for cops to deal with criminals, it's 100 percent okay and it will continue to be that way. You sit behind your computer, and you have absolutely zero idea what it's like to deal with the public and criminals on a daily basis.
gnelson90Mar 8, 2007
You just don't get it. Tasers are a *replacement* for other uses of force, not an addition. *Instead* of impact weapons (batons, bean bags fired from shotguns, etc.) or OC spray, tasers are more and more often being used. They are generally used when a suspect actively resists or signals that they are going to.Except for the probes, tasers leave both the officer and the suspect uninjured. Compare that to being sticked, fought hand-to-hand, or even shot with a bean bag round. Which would you choose ("none" is not an option)?Officers get tased during training after making an objective decision instead of getting caught up in the hysteria that some others do. It is usually a voluntary decision during training - i.e. you don't gave to get tased to be certified to use one. I chose to do it because I believe that they are safe and I want to know how a person is going to react to it if I have to use it on them.If you think OC spray is safer, do some reading on positional asphyxia and the other unexplained deaths that go along with that. (starflyer59: I'm not even going to dignify your last sentence with a reply)
stuman77Mar 8, 2007
One result of living in a society with a police force (a force whose purpose is to enforce the laws of the land) is that the police must be able to enforce those laws in some fashion. In the case of an individual being non-compliant, the enforcement must be performed on a physical level, meaning that if you want an effective police force, they're going to have to be able to assault "YOUR" body at some point (unless of course you prefer we stop homicadal rampages with rainbows and happyness). It's not "cruel and unusual punishment". Hell, it's not even "punishment". It's the use of physical force to facilitate compliance.
pyrogenMar 8, 2007
Both items when pointed at a law enforcement officer in about 40 states gives them the authority to kill you. He has a gun. They always bring one gun to the fight. If you spray a cop with pepper spray, a "reasonable man" would believe you can take his gun away. So, a "reasonable man" believes his life is threatened.As far as the taser, since they are unable to defend their gun while being shocked, a "reasonable man" would believe that you are a deadly force threat, and respond in kind.
exilioMar 8, 2007
Bullet versus electricity. I'll take the jolt.When an officer uses a taser, a suspect has left them with very little choice. If people want to focus on the supposed numbers of taser-related deaths, that's fine - but imagine how many lives have been saved due to their usage instead of deadly force. Sadly, there is no data on that.
redwallhpMar 8, 2007
A similar thing was in the latest PC Magazine. Sounds exactly like a corporation -- insisting that it's safe just so they can make money. There may have only been 167 deaths so far, there have been a lot more who have had irregular heartbeats after (most of those 167 deaths were from irregular heartbeat.). I've read about a safer device in development that used electromagnetic pulses instead.Though... A shock is better than a metallic object going several hundred mph...
javaapeMar 8, 2007
Thank you to the police officers who have taken the time to respond. For the record, I used to work search-and-rescue, and also worked as a bouncer in a cowboy bar. Both jobs brought me into contact with many police officers. I also have a bit of a lead-foot, which has also brought me into contact with a number of law-enforcement officers . By far the majority of them are the very best of people, and take the phrase "protect and serve" seriously. I have a tremendous respect for those who choose this career.The point of the article is that tasers are less-than-lethal, but are advertised as harmless. I've done a done a lot (18 years) of martial arts, and I'm still VERY cautious when some cowboy slams a couple too many tequila's and wants to get nasty. If I go hands-on, there's a very real possibility that SOMEONE is going to get hurt, and it may well be me. Even if I'm good enough to immobilize the drunk without hurting him, or getting hurt, there's no guarantee a couple of his friends won't decide to join the party. And things like joint-locks are funny -- if I crank on them hard enough to make an angry drunk pay attention, I may do some real damage to the joint. My only other alternative is strikes, which are almost always damaging. Police face exactly the same problem, only a hundred times worse. Instead of drunks who want to grope a waitress, they're facing folks who are desperate, frightened and quite often high on things a lot stronger than booze. You don't want to get physical with folks like that, it's terribly dangerous. You'd rather not shoot them, and they certainly aren't going to sit down and listen to a bedtime story and agree to come along nicely. So, what should the police do? The taser provides a less-than-lethal option, which is exactly what they need. Officers, I do have one complaint. You know there are a few gung-ho sadists in your ranks who get off on the power, and yet the "blue shield" protects these jerks. Why? They're a tiny minority, and nearly all the anti-authority sentiment and hostility in the general populace is caused by them, and borne by you. You know, the ones who love to yell orders, to kneel on peoples heads, and can't wait to taser folks who are argumentative or merely confused. I've run into a couple of these clowns (and hundreds of wonderful officers!), but even getting their badge numbers and reporting them does nothing. THAT's why it's a big deal that tasers might not be as safe as advertised, because we the people are worried that the small percentage of clown in your department might taser us a few dozen times when we fail to produce our drivers licence as quickly as they'd expected, and we'd rather not be killed for their amusement. They wear the same badge, and operate with the same authority, as all you good officers.
h0stile17Mar 8, 2007
Slap on the wrist? hardly...You'll be lucky if you not shot multiple times for even pointing a tazer at a cop. A government of the people, for the people, and by the people does you no good if you are a dead people. Think about how ridiculous your statement sounds...better yet...go try that and let us know how it turned out.
funkypitsMar 10, 2007
@tokyopimpMaybe they do deal with the scum of the earth, but they walk into every situation like they are dealing with the scum of the earth. I worked at a gas station for 3 years while going to college I left work at 11 pm same as always walked to my car and started the drive for home. I was pulled over for "suspicious behavior" before I could leave the parking lot. A cop who I had just sold coffee to an hour before pulled me out of my car searched me requested to search my car and accused me of breaking into cars. The whole time I am telling him I just sold you a cup of coffee. While the search is going on said officer finds my Insulin syringes (15 year diabetic), glucometer, test strips, and Insulin in my lunch box. It then transfers from me being suspicious to me possessing drug paraphernalia, and I get to sit there for another 45 minutes while he calls backup and a tow truck. The whole time again with me telling him I am a diabetic and you know who I am. When his partner finally arrived I was released because he confirmed it was indeed Insulin and not "drugs".My only wonder was what would of happened if the tow truck arrived before the back up did?