TASER stands for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle. “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle” was written in 1991, and is part of a series of children’s books. (Link goes to a searchable online version.)
A Lee County deputy Tasered an intoxicated 13-year-old girl who was kicking and scratching two Lee Memorial Hospital nurses, officials said.
April Rene Burleson, who is 4-foot-9 and weighs 90 pounds, had a blood alcohol level of 0.175 percent and was under the influence of marijuana and the prescription drug Xanax, according to the Lee County Sheriff�s Office.
Deputy Tasers 13-year-old Fort Myers girl (AP)
I guess my first thought is that if a police officer isn’t capable of handling a drunken, ninety-pound girl without using a stun gun, he really should find some other line of work.
There are many questions about whether these weapons are being used appropriately.
Between November 2004, when the Houston Police Department began issuing Tasers to a large segment of the force, and the end of January 2005, cops in that city used their Tasers 194 times, according to Randall Kallinen, president of the Houston chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union — including 14 times when people were blasted simply for “verbal aggression.” That means, he said, “that, in the first three months of having these new Tasers … HPD thought being told to ‘jump in the lake’ by someone they were talking to was reason enough to taser them.”
The weapons “were sold to the city with the promise that excessive police force against civilians would diminish, particularly shootings,” he said. “Well, in 2004 there were 10 civilians shot by HPD. It’s now June, and we have the Tasers, and while we still have had five civilians shot by HPD to date this year, we also have had several hundred uses of Tasers — which means that deadly force against civilians is remaining the same, but excessive force is increasing wildly.”
Torture by Taser
When police abuse their newest “nonlethal” toy, people die. (Fort Worth Weekly)
And this never happens in America! /sarcasm:
An adviser to a federally funded study concerning the safety of stun guns made by Taser International also is a paid consultant to Taser, the Justice Department acknowledges. The situation is raising questions about potential conflicts of interest in the $500,000 study, which is being done amid reports that dozens of people have died after being shocked with stun guns.
Fairness of Taser study in question (USA Today)
A police officer twice used a Taser stun device on a drug suspect who was restrained to a hospital bed because the man refused to give a urine sample to medical staff, authorities said.
FDLE investigating Orlando cop’s use of Taser in hospital (AP)
According to yesterday’s press release, Illinois will be the first state in the nation to require a firearm license in order to possess a stun gun.
No one really knows what health effects tasers may have, although TASER International Guy sez they’re perfectly safe.
The laboratory cited by Scottsdale-based stun gun manufacturer Taser International in a release calling the weapons “safe and effective” now is saying they may be dangerous and that more study is needed.
Report: Lab backs away from ’safe’ finding on Tasers (Phoenix Business Journal)
Schools restrict use of Tasers (USA Today)
Seattle police restrict Taser use
Policy urges caution in turning stun guns on vulnerable people
Here’s a lucid assessment by a police officer:
Taser technology offers far more benefit than baggage. As police officers, we must do everything within our power to ensure it is available to those who need it. Likewise, we must assume the absolute responsibility of ensuring that those who have it use it only when necessary in a manner that is reasonable based on the facts presented and consistent with building the public trust. Contrary to popular belief, police officers enjoy tremendous public trust and confidence, generally getting the benefit of the doubt.
In the Taser arena we have done things that have raised questions and are suffering some collective accountability. We can’t change what has occurred in the past, only what we will do in the future.
Taser Today: Controversy, Credibility & Control Considerations (Maj. Steven Ijames, Springfield, Missouri Police Dept.)
Since I’m collecting:
Wikipedia entry: electroshock gun
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