Ok, I know the Cops have tough jobs. And I know security workers at events have to keep public order. Tase me if I'm wrong, but are these things getting used way too often?
For instance, in our podunk little town, there was an idiot misbehaving outside a local bar. A Sheriff Deputy was called, things appeared to escalate, and the Deputy pulled his Taser and fired on the guy. The Taser failed to do anything, it didn't have an electrical charge at all. About that time, the head of the Sheriff Department arrived. They talked the guy down and simply drove him home. Now, all of this is a violation of protocol in every way. But you can get away with that in a small town like ours, and everything worked out. The point is, the guy never needed to get Tased at all.
-- Here's the rundown on Tasers from "The Straight Dope":
How dangerous are Tasers?
May 8, 2009
Dear Cecil:
How lethal are Tasers? I know there's talk about police being Taser-happy and torturing people with these devices, but has anyone been Tasered to death?
— Dugie C.,Calgary
Cecil replies:
News a little slow getting up to Calgary, Dugie? Lots of people have died after being Tasered — which is not to say they were necessarily Tasered to death. According to a widely publicized Amnesty International study last year, 334 people in the U.S. plus 25 more in Canada died between 2001 and 2008 after being zapped with a Taser by cops. The Taser's defenders say it beats shooting people and reduces the risk of stray bullets injuring bystanders. Wrong argument, says AI. The Taser isn't a replacement for guns but rather for billy clubs and such — for a lot of cops it's become the default method of subduing the unruly. OK, getting whupped upside the head in the old days wasn't a pleasant experience, but at least it didn’t involve 50,000 volts.
More here at THIS LINK, with emphasis on "Sudden In-custody Death Syndrome"
***And now this:
According to information released Saturday by the Florida Department of Corrections: During “Take Our Children to Work Day” events at three prison facilities, 43 children were hit with stun guns while others were exposed to tear gas.
“Three prison guards have been fired, two have resigned and 16 more employees — from corrections officers to a warden — will be disciplined due to the incidents that unfolded April 23, said DOC Secretary Walt McNeil,” reported The Miami Herald. “An investigation is ongoing.
LINK to above
