All over the nation, and especially here in Texas, police departments love their new toy -- the taser gun. The taser delivers a 50,000 volt shock that is supposed to disable a person without harming them.
But it hasn't worked out that way. This supposedly non-lethal weapon has turned out to be pretty lethal. Since 2001, at least 336 people have died in the United States after being tasered, and hundreds more have been killed world-wide.
But police departments nationwide still parrot the view that the taser is "non-lethal". That's because they have issued the tasers to their officers and don't want to admit legal liability for any deaths that occur. And deaths will occur where ever tasers are used -- it's just a matter of time.
When issued, tasers were only supposed to be used in life-threatening situations to avoid using a firearm. But many times today, the taser is misused. It is used sometimes just to avoid a scuffle, or because a suspect is bad-mouthing officers. A few rogue officers have even used it to torture people they don't like.
Fortunately, there is a sheriff that sees the truth about the danger and misuse of the taser. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson is bucking the trend. He has refused to issue tasers to his deputies or authorize their use. This is a courageous decision by the sheriff, since the other departments in the area have tasers, and sheriffs in other heavily populated Texas counties use the taser.
Sheriffs in Bexar, Harris, Dallas and Travis counties has issued tasers to their deputies. The Border Patrol also uses tasers, and the Texas Department of Public Safety will soon have them at their disposal.
Sheriff Anderson has decided the risks are too great for the possible rewards of taser use. He said, "My concern has always been that someday there would be an officer that might cause the death of someone with one of the Tasers. If you have a less-than-lethal option in your hand and you end up causing the death of someone, I felt it would put the deputy in a tough spot."
Sheriff Anderson talked with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner before making his final decision. Anderson said, "He voiced those very same concerns. He thought if the Taser was used on a perfectly healthy individual, that it was probably safe. He said he feared someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs or had some physical impairment in some way...that there could be further damage done, up to causing the death of a person. It gave me great pause."
Sheriff Anderson is a Republican, and as most readers of this blog know, I don't think too highly of Republicans. In spite of that, I have always thought Sheriff Anderson has done an excellent job running the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department. His recent decision to not use tasers just reinforces that belief.
The role of policing agencies is to "protect and serve" the public -- not to cause unnecessary deaths.
Mr. McLaughlin, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. I have been a police officer for the last 14 years. There have been two situations in my career where I would have been justified in shooting the suspects. One tried to disarm me (take my gun) and the other had a knife. If it was not for my Taser, I would have had to shoot both of them. But I made the decision to use the Taser because of the bystanders immediate to the scene. Used properly and with proper initial training (and refresher update training) the Taser is a tool, just like the rest of my police equipment. It is not a toy, as you refer to it. In the scheme of use of force, used properly the use of a Taser is below that of what is justified in a deadly force situation.
ReplyDeleteI understand that there have been deaths involved with the Taser, and I am sure that some of those may even be from improper or illegal usage on the part of a small percentage of those officers. However, please do not lump all of us in one group. A vast majority of us work our long shifts, do it well, work with honor, serve with pride and still go home and try to raise a family. Please do not demean my line of work, having 1) never driven a police car and gone call to call working out scenarios in your head if there is a person armed with a weapon who might try to kill you. 2) never had to make split second decisions on rapidly evolving situations where your life or that of another may become immediately in danger, or 3) kiss your children when you came home because you very well thought it was your day to go.
I don't want to get into a blog crossing of swords with you. I just wanted you to have the qualified opinion of a person who works every day, neck deep in the field you are talking about, who considers the Taser a viable tool to defend himself and others with. You may not believe it, but there are officers in your area who believe in their chosen profession just as I do.