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The use of a taser
The use of a taser
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The use of force, particularly with correlation to officer morale and/or inadequate education/training, has become particularly problematic. Measures should be taken to reduce the injury to suspects, particularly physical injury resulting from poor officer tactics or malicious intentions not related to upholding the law. These are problems, which, if properly handled and rectified, will result in improved officer morale, improved relationships with the public as well as ensure a continued upstanding reputation for the oldest police force in the nation.
Use of Electronic Control Devices (ECD’s) such as the widely used taser X26 at the discretion of police officers can be a very useful tool in order to temporarily disable and obtain custody of a non-compliant suspect. When used appropriately it can even reduce the risk of a suspect physically harming the officer, himself or others through temporary physical incapacitation. However these devices need not be used unnecessarily, and officers who do employ their use liberally and without just cause should not go without appropriate disciplinary measures proportionate to the magnitude of the situation. I would like to shed light on a few examples of ECD use where officer discretion have come under scrutiny.
The October 2013 use of a taser on an 8 year old South Dakota girl who was threatening to harm herself has recently raised many eyebrows. Questions have been raised as to whether the age of the suspect should play any part in the decision to fire an ECD due to the small size of a child and the powerful electrical force of these weapons. Taking into consideration the obvious metal fragility of this child, one must consider the risk of considerable emotional trauma to the child ...
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...Web. 28 Feb. 2015.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/02/16/homicide-bridgewater-state-hospital-raises-profound-questions-about-care-for-mentally-ill/TqgMJdNZ8SPjLcFQ6hRkTN/story.html
JT122333. (2009, Aug 13). Mom in minivan tasered twice in salina traffic stop; camera captures deputy’s rough roadside arrest. Web. 28 Feb. 2015.
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-313749
Associated Press. (2009, 12 15). Report: $75g for woman tasered by cop. New York Post. Web. 28 Feb. 2015.
http://nypost.com/2009/12/15/report-75g-for-woman-tasered-by-cop/
Hult, J. (2013, 10 09). taser use on 8-year-old justified, police in s.d. say. USA Today. Web. 28 Feb. 2015.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/09/taser-of-8-year-old-girl/2951083/
Pollock, J. M. (2012). Crime and justice in America: An introduction to criminal justice (2nd ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
All agencies that equip their officers with Tasers properly train their personnel as well as have it in their use of force continuum. Mr. Bryan was stopped for a seatbelt violation and although he was being vulgar and acting irate, he was not directing it towards Officer McPherson. Even though Bryan exited his vehicle, Officer McPherson could have gave him commands to just stay at the vehicle and do not approach him unless directed to. I have been on traffic stops when the driver abruptly exited the vehicle without being directed to do so. My thought on this is even though they exited their vehicle, I do not want them to get back into their vehicle because they may have a weapon in the vehicle that they cannot now reach or drive off, and I can keep a better eye on their actions out of the vehicle. I believe that Officer McPherson could have handled this situation a lot better with more verbal judo and professionalism. Even though it is taught that a reactionary gap of 21 feet is recommended when dealing with an unknown suspect, Officer McPherson could tell that Bryan had nothing in his hands and did not pose a threat. I am not a fan of Taser guns for the simple fact that there have been too many lawsuits and injuries that stem from the usage of them. My department’s view on them is that they are not necessary and as long as the trooper is properly trained in
Seals, E. (2007). Police use of tasers: The truth is “shocking”. Golden Gate University Law Review, 38(1), 38-109
This essay will focus on two main points that will support the argument that more Tasers should not be given to more officers. First off, there has not been enough research completed to deem Tasers as a safe alternative weapon that officers can use to gain compliance of violent individuals that they may deal with on a day-to-day basis. Before more Tasers are given to officers, there needs to be more research done outlining the possible risks that CEWs pose to the human body, and any short or long term affects that may arise due to the use of CEWs on individuals. Secondly, the issuing of Tasers to more officers is not a good idea because just like anything else, Tasers can lead to an overreliance on the part of police officers to resort to the use of Tasers on individuals who do not comply with them. This along with the absence of clear and strict guidelines that stipulate when officers are to use their Tasers on non-compliant individuals will lead to abuse. Many police officers may decide to bypass the use of verbal commands, empty-handed strikes, and other tools at their disposal such as the ASP baton, when dealing with a violent individual...
Smith, M. R., Petrocelli, M., & Scheer, C. (2007). Excessive force, civil liability, and the taser in
In conclusion, Tasers are an extremely effective tool for officers in dangerous situation as long as they are trained properly. For example, 12 hour training courses involving tasers have been implemented in order to decrease the number of accidents due to the tasers' misuses. Next, with mental health on the rise, tasers are another tool on the belt for officers before they have to draw their lethal force weapons. Also, citizens are jumping too quickly to the negative stigma about tasers causing death. The deaths are resulting from other causes such as: health conditions, misuse of the taser, or lack of training. Ultimately, there needs to be more positive light on tasers and how they can be a huge asset not only to police officers, but for public safety as well.
Amnesty International (2007) Amnesty International. (2007). USA: Amnesty International's concerns about Taser use: Statement to the US Justice Department inquiry into deaths in custody. doi:AMR 51/151/2007
A father purchased a toy gun as a birthday gift for his young son. His son went outside to play and and encountered a police officer who shot him seven times. This incident occurred in Sonoma County in October 2013. A similar incident occurred in November 2014 when Cleveland police killed a 12-year-old boy carrying a toy gun. Use of excessive force by police is common in impoverished "black" or "brown" communities.
Police brutality has become a widespread and persistent problem in the United States. Police brutality occurs when a law enforcement officers use excessive or unlawful force while on or off duty. "Established: A Pattern of Abuse" is an article in The Humanist, written by Barbara Dority. She states, "Thousands of individual complaints are reported each year and local authorities pay out millions of dollars to vicitms in damages and lawsuits" (5). Dority also describes some of the types of abuse that officers have done. "[They] have beaten and shot unresisting suspects; they have misused batons, chemicals sprays, and electro-shock weapons; [and] they have injured or killed people by placing them in dangerous restraint holds" (5). There have been many cases throughout the country where police officers have been far too brutal and someone has been injured or killed. There have been many hundreds of cases like this and many people are wondering when it will end or even if it will end. Most citizens of the United States agree that it is wrong and needs to be reduced if not eliminated. So it all comes down to one question: what can be done about it? Unfortunately, prosecution has not been sufficiently effective in stopping the brutality. Police forces throughout the U.S. should be made more accountable for their actions. The greatest problem that has developed from police brutality is that the guilty officers are not punished, which leads to another incident of abuse. Authorities should give more effective punishment to officers who abuse citizens. Such punishment would help prevent abuse from happening again and again.
In most if not all the cases the victim of the excessive force is charged with resisting arrest and or assaulting a police officer, When in fact they are the ones who have been assaulted and victimized themselves. They are now fighting two uphill battles that are very difficult to win in any situation. A lot of the time the victim is from a poor or low income area and may have already been perceived to be a criminal by the police. The police have a great deal of power and they sometimes manipulate situation to make it look like or to hide what may have happen in an arrest situation. My father would tell me stories about the police and the things some officer would do to get away with abusing their power. The police need to be monitored and public needs to be more educated about what Law enforcements job is and how to best help them do it.
Everyday law enforcement personal have the possibility to face dangerous events in their daily duties. In performing such duties a police officer could come by a seemingly ordinary task, and in a blink of an eye the event can turn threatening and possible deadly. When or if this happens to an officer they won’t have
Stetser, Merle (2001). The Use of Force in Police Control of Violence: Incidents Resulting in Assaults on Officers. New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing L.L.C.
The use of force has been around since policing began, although the rules for its use have changed overtime. In a 1964 survey, the majority of police reported they were to use “good judgement” when deciding whether or not to shoot (Walker 1993, 26). Back then, police also used force for any fleeing felon, which basically meant whenever. Now that rules have changed, the American Law Institute’s Model Penal Code, established in 1962, states that police are to only use force when they feel their life or someone else’s life is in danger (Walker 1993, 27). Later on, the Omaha Police Department policy added to the American Law Institute’s Model Penal Code, by saying police cannot
There have been many complaints with Tasers arguing that the use of Tasers is being abused by law enforcement, resulting in cases of excessive force and wrongful death. The media has now gotten ahold of the controversy revolving around Tasers and is continuing to fuel the fire on both ends of the spectrum. There have been documented incidents where a Taser has been used by law enforcement wrongfully. For an example, there are records of a Police officer who Taser-shocked a 6 year old boy for holding a piece of broken glass from a picture frame in the child’s principles office at school. Weeks after that incident occurred, another officer Taser-shocked a 12-year-old girl who was running away from the officer, who had responded to a complaint of underage drinking and smoking. The
Schmalleger, F. (2009), Prentice Hall, Publication. Criminal Justice Today: An introductory Text for the 21st century
White, M. D., & Ready, J. (2009). Examining fatal and nonfatal incidents involving the TASER. Criminology & Public Policy, 8(4), 865-891. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9133.2009.00600.x