The Use of the TASER in the Police Force

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The Use of the TASER in the Police Force

The use of conducted energy weapons in the police force has become increasingly popular since they were introduced only a short while ago. The TASER is claimed to be the safest and most productive type of less lethal force in use today, with a very quick recovery rate and no-long term side effects. The TASER has quickly taken over the harsh use of pepper spray, the brutal force of the baton and in some cases the firearm. However, the TASER has faced massive amounts of bad press and negative views among members of the public. Electro-muscular disruption has become a very controversial issue among society, some describing it as extremely painful and a form of torture. The true power of the TASER has been witnessed over its short history, causing physical problems, psychological problems and even death. This is becoming more concerning with the TASER becoming the first resort rather than the last resort. With the TASER being carried by an ever-growing population of police officers, alternate forms of less lethal may need to be looked at. This essay will look into the history of the TASER and analyze the pros and cons with the use of the TASER in the police force. This essay will look into a controversial case, where a man died in the Vancouver International Airport from a direct result of multiple TASER shocks by the police. I will also discuss excited delirium and how this mysterious syndrome has created a mass of discussion and disagreements.

The TASER

The word TASER is an acronym for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle and can deliver 50,000 volts to a human target (Seals, 2007). The TASER was invented by John H. Cover and patented...

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... Facts about stun guns and their use in Canada. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/03/18/f-taser-faq.html

CTV News. (2009, December). RCMP watchdog slams officers in Dziekanski case. Retrieved from http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CanadaAM/20091208/bc_dziekanski_report_091208/

Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (2007). Report on conducted energy weapons and excited delirium syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ccaps-spcca/cew-ai/cew-ai-eds-sda-report-rapport-eng.htm

Seals, E. (2007). Police use of tasers: The truth is “shocking”. Golden Gate University Law Review, 38(1), 38-109

Sullivan, L. (2007, February 27). Taser implicated in excited delirium syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7622314

TASER International. (n.d.). TASER x26. Retrieved from http://www.taser.com/products/law/Pages/TASERX26.aspx

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