Should police officers be allowed to use tasers?

Question

Currently as it stands, most police departments have a policy that states that police officers can taser a citizen for just doing nothing wrong but disobeying an order. Critics are mad because more than 200 citizens have died after being tasered by the police. Many citizens want a taser policy that says tasers can only be used in deadly situations.

Answer 1

All agencies that I know of, if their officers carry tasers, the officers are required to go thru training and to be tased them selves before they can even carry them. I think there is more to being tased for just disobeying a lawful order, there has to be some type of resisting or other use of force by the defendant before the officers I know will use a tasar.

Answer 2

The 200 dying is over the last ten(ish) years, and is worldwide. Add in that many of these people were high/drunk/not in good health, and it's not much more than die in custody for other reasons (positional aspyxia for pepper spray, etc.) I'm not saying it's not an issue, just that the numbers tend to make it look worse than it is.

The policy placing tasers just after verbal commands is being looked at very carefully by most agencies. However...if you don't want to be tased, do what the Officer says.

Should they be allowed to use tasers? Sure. I personally think that they should be used when/in place of a baton. When hands-on force can not/would not control the subject, and deadly force is not yet a legal option. Most Officers LIKE less-than-lethal options whenever possible. They would much rather taser someone than shoot them. If you take the taser away, that's one less tool they have that (usually) won't kill you.

As to the -usually-...I'd rather take my chances with a taser than a Glock, anyday.....

I, however, disagree with the whole "you need to be shot with it" theory. It's ridiculous. You don't require that an Officer get shot with a Glock, nor defend himself against a real knife in Defensive Tactics training to "see what it feels like", and yet they are allowed to carry the Glock, and are certified in Defensive Tactics.

Answer 3

There is nothing wrong with taser use except its roll in the chain of escalating force in some departments. Its effectiveness in subduing a suspect it not debateable - it works! Perhaps if it were placed higher in the chain of force it would recieve better. Afterall, tasers rarely cause severe damage/kill, whereas bullets always hurt and can definately kill.

I, personally, would put tasers a step after pepper spray and manual holds in the suspect is deemed a threat. If an officer cannot subdue a suspect with mace and training and another officer is either not able to help restrain or not present and said suspect (in the eyes of the officer) is presenting a threat, a taser can be used.

Answer 4

Tasers should be used in places where force, but not deadly force, is needed. A Taser would be a hell of a lot better than getting beat to the ground with a nightstick. Tasers, I would feel, in the same category as pepper spray, flash bangs, tear gas, and other non-lethal weapons.

In a life or death situation, where deadly force can be used, the officer should always go for the gun and eliminate the threat. That is why our officers are armed and trained to use firearms.

Answer 5

Even simple domestic calls have gotten police officers killed. Between a gun or taser, a taser is the safest choice. Someone seemingly harmless lunges at a police officer, police officer shoots that person, that person happens to live. Live to try to sue the officer and the department. Hell, use the taser unless it's a deadly situation, otherwise use the gun.


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/18/national/18TASER.html?ex=1247803200&en=2c9c37c0dfaef9a6&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/201683_tasercop30.html

Criminals have given officers and people no choice when it comes to protection.

Answer 6

In most departments the officer is trained in using a tazer and has been tazed himself. I don't know of any officer that is looking for a lawsuit and now a days that is a regular occurrence. Most officers will use there best judgment before using a tazer. My husband has been an officer for 16 years and although I feel he should have used his mace in many situations he chooses not to. He does make sure he comes home to us safely every night. Some dirt bag criminal is not worth his life. He has three beautiful children to home to. I doubt very much that any innocent person has died from being tazed. If it was someone that was not obeying the law and the officer felt in danger then at least the officer lived.

Answer 7

The use of tasers came about because people complained
about police shootings and wanted a less lethal way to deal
with troublsome people. Now that the police use them, people
complain about them using them. Most deaths occur because
of existing health problems or drug related interactions. Alot
more people would be dead if the police were not allowed to
use them. Seems everybody wants the police to do something
about crime, but won't let the police do what they have to do
to control the criminals. If it comes down to the criminal or the
officer going home at the end of the day, I say bye bye bad guy.

Answer 8

I do not think they should be able to use them whenever they want, if they are apprehending a suspect that will not cooperate then yes, but too many people have died, in a town not 40 miles from my home, last night a man was tazed after a neighbor called the police over loud music, according to reporters the guy was having a few drinks and enjoying music in his home on his property, and he was killed because an officer tazed him, and the officer was the only one at the residence with the victim, the reporters say that after the officer tazed the man he called for back up and when the second officer arrived they noticed then he was not breathing.

Answer 9

Almost all of the people who have died after being tazed are people who were extremely high on drugs, and it has always been questionable whether it was the drugs or the tazer that killed them. My husband's a police officer, and I can tell you...they don't use those things frivolously. Maybe the policy states that officers can use it for simply disobeying an order, but I have NEVER heard of any cop I know using it that way. When my husband was in training to use his tazer, he was tazed himself. They also have to go to classes on a regular basis to make sure they know how to use them properly.

Answer 10

They should be allowed to carry and use tasers. However, they should go through training that includes them being shot with a taser in order to see how painful it is. Since it is non lethal and harmless, they should have no problem with it