Police Officer Taser Use?

4mikids

it's funny, because I am doing a research paper on this topic. In my research, I have found that a person in a situation with an offender has a better chance with a gun than a taser. Reason being, it you shoot a person with a gun, they can be shot in an area where they're hurt, but not killed. With a taser, more people have died from the taser and would have probably survived and been punished had they been shot with a gun. I understand being in a situation with only a split second to think, but still, wouldn't it be better to make the person pay by law for what they have done instead of them not paying at all because they're dead? I don't want to offend anyone, so I apologize if I step on any toes....

Judge Dredd

I've been hit with batons, sprayed with oleoresin capsicum, and hit with a taser.

I'll take the the taser thank you.

You have know idea what its like to be in a situation where you have fractions of a second in low light/no light situations where you have to decide (1) right hand, gun or (2) left hand, OC, ASP, Taser, radio, flashlight, etc. Wait, was that a gun or a toy or a wallet? Was that a gunshot or a vehicle backfire?

I know what your thinking, you guys get trained for that. Let me explain something, in a situation like that with all the training in the world, you still have fractions of a second to make a 2 second decision.

Go cry somewhere else. Oh, have a nice day.

txpolice_85

what you have to consider is the force contiuum which is what our use of force is all about many people believe tasers are the last thing before leathel force however you have fewer serious and life threatening injuries from tasers than any other option. these are our options soft empty hands (pressure points and joint manipulation) the you have chemical weapons (pepper spray) after that comes hard empty hands(punches, kicks, etc) then impact weapons (nightsticks, asp batons, pr-24s) and lastly is deady force which of course is a firearm or knife. tasers fall into the soft empy hands category because even though they are very painful (trust me we know we have to be tasered before we can even carry it) the chance of injury in comparison is very low if used correctly. many people think we should use pepper spray more however that can cause people with asthma allergies or even a bad heart condition to suffer a severe reaction or even death the taser eliminates a high percentage of those risks. well i hope i helped

Fleur de Lis

They have caused a few deaths. They will take down a Perp though. Any officer who carries one has to be tasered him/herself so they know what it is like.

The Nag

I think that if a Cop feels threatened enough to pull out their tazer, the perp is lucky the officer didn't use his gun. I think that the Cops need to do what they need to do to get home to their families at night, and that if you don't want to get tazed, sit your *** at home and not break any laws!!!!!!!

Large Cop

I would use whatever it takes short of deadly force to get a suspect under compliance during an arrest. Last resort is of course deadly force.

Please see http://www.taser.com/law/product_info/index.htm

Jo Anne M

I think it takes away the personal contact, if they are bleeding, spitting etc. it could be bad news

Jim T

Tasers were put in place to cut down on police shootings. It is an effective way to stand back and control an aggressive, out of control person. The last answer about more being killed with the taser than with a gun sounds kind of off balance. I would like to see the data on that. Police officers are taught to shoot center mass, which means they aim for the torso/abdomen of the offender, sure to hit a vital organ. A taser hits no organs, how can it kill more?

speedysundevil

if an officer is using a taser, the person better thank god they didn't use a gun. If you are confronted by an officer you MUST comply. If you do not comply the officer has many tactics to use. However, the officer's only concern is going home safe to his/her loved ones at the end of the day. If a person resists an officer, they have surrendered all rights to choice of restraint methods. An officer has only a split second to decide what level of force they will use. Bottom line if a suspect complies the first time, tasers or other forms of force will not be necessary. Also mace is not always effective, the taser is more reliable for compliance short of a gun. Again, if a person resists, they surrender all rights to choice of methods. I am all for the taser, whatever it takes so the officers can go home at night.

d b

They are Sadist and love inflicting bodily harm.

nitroeater1

Personally, if I had a choice between beating someone with a baton or just standing back a few yards and zapping his butt, I'd zap em.. Safer for me and legal for me, if he croaks, ahh, he's just a bad guy! Where are HIS civil rights???

razzyrascal

As a criminal justice student I think an officer needs to do whatever is NECESSARY to protect themselves in a dangerous situation.

If the suspect would follow the officers orders then there would be no need for the officer to use his taser or any other PROTECTIVE tools.

mikeysco

Why are we using them more?

Because there are more of them in use. The Taser energy device has become very popular in the last few years due to improvements that have been made in the device. More of them on the street = more reports of them being used.

Yes, we do have other choices. And as a few have already said, there are times and places where the other choices are not suitable. I would not use OC in a hospital setting, although I have had to deal with some very violent people there. I would not use a baton in places where there wasn't sufficient room to use one effectively (additionally, a baton can disable a person for the rest of their life). In both examples above, however, I would use a Taser without hesitation.

I have not read anything on the subject lately, but last I knew, "Taser-related deaths" were more often attributed to drug overdoses combined with the Taser than directly because of the Taser.

I'm curious to know where you obtained your "fact" concerning, "Tasers are only supposed to be used when it is not bad enough for deadly force but it is a situation that needs something stronger than pepper spray, and batons." If that's your opinion, that's fine...but you're presenting it as though it's some sort of known standard and you're incorrect.

butrcupps

Because the crazies out there are armed, drugged and dangerous. Tazer them all...

saulg21

The pepper spray can make you choke and suffocate you. The use of a baton is risky because you can hit John/Jane Doe on the head or a vital place and still kill them. With a taser,you're still at a safe distance and you are still able to shock the other person into submission with hurting them.

fr_chuck

actually no, batons are a much higher level of force than tasers, a baton unless used as a pry or a control tool, is a deadly weapon.

Pepper spray can not be used in doors, on windy days, and to be honest after you spray them, they smell really bad and no one wants them in thier police car. But you can't use mace in a library, or in a public building, And never up wind, or if a person does not have thier face toward you.
Also some natonalities have a much higher ability to resist pepper spray, I have seen people sprayed and just laught at you.

Alan S

I'm not saying that this doesn't have a legitimate use, but the police are generally power hungry control freaks. In the past they would shoot the suspect for no reason or 5 officers would club him 100 times after he is down on the ground. They can't do that now because there is a good chance someone will videotape it and they will be in a lot of trouble. It is probably a lot harder to question using the taser, and from what I've seen on TV it works very quickly.

Princess

I agree with troll? It is sick the way they get power hungry, I know a couple and only a couple of good honest cops who will use no physicall force at first but only and only as a last resort on anyone, if they are armed and threating then go for it but if not back off the trigger

J H

Because the assclowns deserve it...OC spray requires decontamination and the baton normally causes broken bones, cuts (requiring stitches) and could be lethal..The Taser is a beautiful thing....8 seconds and a little piss in your pants and it's over!! The best part about it, is the GREAT transformation of the perps attitude!!!

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