Tazers

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=466b53c2-0842-49ac-8c8c-74ba438ff277

Here ya go.

should have complied and dropped the knife.

"The suspect in this matter was armed with a knife, and clearly refusing to comply with directions from the officers to disarm," Const. Jacqueline Chaput told a news conference called to elaborate on Tuesday's incident - the Winnipeg Police Service's first Taser-related fatality.

"That poses a threat to the officers. That poses a threat to other members of the public, and officers made the decision to employ the electronic control device to ensure public safety as well as their own safety."

If the subject was wielding and knife (a lethal weapon), and the officers felt that they or the public was in danger of death or serious bodily harm, then the officers were justified in using lethal force (ie, their guns). I applaude the officers who attempted to use a less lethal weapon to subdue a subject who was a threat. Unfortunetly the subject died. The greving mother said the officers might as well have pulled out a gun and shot her boy. From the sound of the article, this would have been justified.

I'm not convinced of the Taser's value or safety myself, but it sounds to me like the police officers acted reasonably.

It's a sad day for all involved, the subject who might have been involved in a car theft and refused to follow the orders of the officers, the family of that subject, and the officers and their families.

David

I wasn't really speaking to this particular case, more that Tazers seem to be more dangerous than originally thought.

I previously worked around cops as they would provide security around the bus terminal where I worked..  I was always amazed at the leeway they would give uptight/hostile/chemically altered individuals.    The last thing they want is an altercation where something has to be drawn  be it a gun, taser, pepperspray (most don't like that because it gets on clothes and car).       But since the individual won't comply, then things move to the next level.   Protect themselves(police officers), protect me and other innocent law abiding individuals.  

Sorry for the people that don't comply.

I agree,  and I worry about the number of deaths resulting from the use of tazers.

to the people who said that it was because of pre existing conditions or drugs in their system.  Does that really matter, those people are now dead as a result of being tazered.

I agree with the use. The alternative, if done right, results in certain death...

At least this gives them a less lethal method of getting the job done. 

I don't read the papers anymore cause they only mention the people that die. 

They don't mention the fact that my fellow officer is alive and well cause a taser was deployed to stop a suspect from doing what he intended to do.

But, hey, its the deaths that make the news....Take them away!!!!

Sometimes the media deserves a slap. 

Nuf Said!

Fixed that for you....

Unfortunately, for those of us who are equipped by our departments with Tazers, we do not have the luxury of stopping and asking a violent/combative/armed subject if they have a pre-exisiting mdeical condition or if they are on any illegal drugs before we make the decision to deploy/not deploy the Tazer. Every officer must make the best informed decision they can based on the information and their observations in the situation. Most of the times the situations are de-escalated without any problems, but as you can see sometimes things do go wrong.  

Unfortunately for those of you who are equipped by your departments with Tazers, you are all going to be tarred by the same brush as are drug users and violent criminals etc.

I have no doubt that many people in your position do make educated and informed decisions and do make correct choices.  My concern is the number of people who don't,  I recently listened to a very interesting radio/documentary (not sure what you would call it) on tazers,  the reporter was tazered as part of it.  He reported on the tazer related deaths and it worries me. 

Tazering a 16 year old with a broken back and a broken foot 19 times  does not to my mind seem like an informed decision based on the information and observations of the situation!  Yes something went wrong there!