Tasers: The “less-Lethal” Fatal Option

Sebastian Raczkowski, OP Contributor

Modern policing requires police officers to safely control those
posing a threat to themselves or to the public. The taser gun is cur-
rently being used by police organizations as a less-lethal-force
option weapon.

The taser gun sends 50,000 volts of electricity through the body
(through up to two inches of clothing) to completely override the
central nervous system and directly control the skeletal muscles.
This allows the weapon to physically debilitate a target regardless of
pain tolerance or mental focus.

An interesting adjustment to the description of the taser gun
from a non-lethal to a less-lethal force-option weapon in recent
years raises the question of whether it should be reviewed as a
weapon of choice in a police officer’s arsnal.

Medical evidence suggests that tasers are dangerous and poten-
tially fatal. When an individual is tasered, the electrical shock causes
instant plaque buildup in the arteries, which can lead to a heart
attack from the blockage of blood flow to the heart. This instant
plaque buildup can also cause less oxygen to travel to the brain,
possibly resulting in a stroke.

Immediate short-term side effects include: loss of conscious-
ness, seizures, headaches, memory disturbances, severe pain,
convulsions, muscle stiffness, impotence, scarring, loss
of bladder control, and post-traumatic stress
disorder.

The biggest problem is that any-

thing that instantaneously

increases a person’s heart rate in

a short period of time can lead

to a heart attack. This means

that if a suspect is running from

police, smoking tobacco, drink- :
ing alcohol, using drugs, or has
pre-existing heart conditions,
and is then tasered afterwards,
it may cause a heart attack.
Also, anyone who is in a state
of delirium (such as a mentally
ill patient who has not taken
their medication) would be at ! J
risk.

This has frightening impli-
cations considering that it is
human nature, when a situa-
tion is serious enough, and
has escalated to the point
where the taser gun has to be
deployed by police, that both
the suspect and officer(s) are

typically experiencing an increased heart rate caused by adrenaline
buildup.

Human-rights watchdog Amnesty International responded to a
CBS news story in the US, where 44 recent deaths have been linked
to the taser, stating the weapon is a “tool of torture.” Amnesty is
calling for a worldwide suspension of the taser by police organiza-
tions.

The issue for the average Canadian taxpayer is whether they
view their tax dollars being spent on the purchase and training of
taser guns as a worthwhile investment in their protection, or
whether the possible, very real, risks are too great without further,
in-depth, rigorous testing,

Concerned by a growing number of deaths involving tasers,
Police Complaints Commissioner Dirk Ryneveld of the VPD has
ordered an “external investigation” into their use.

    

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