Do you find the Taser to be a proper form of non lethal protection for Officers.?

Question

As a matter of fact I have been tased with the X26 and the M26 vouuntarily. I am a Corrections Offcer and Love the Taser.

As far as the pre existing condition goes. I am 5'6 300 lbs, have high blood pressure, and heart disease runs in my family.

Answer 1

Yes. Works great, but has some kinks to be worked out.

EDIT-I never thought I'd disagree with another Police Officer on these boards but Blood D., Tasers and O.C. aren't making us "Lazy". Any tool used by one Officer that can gain the same compliance that would've have taken 3-5 Officers and some injuries to do is a welcome and useful piece of equipment!

Answer 2

I think right now, the taser is one of the best alternatives we have considering the limited ones we use to have. When it comes to police protection, I think both the officer and the suspect should appreciate it's benefits - to the officer, it's better than killing them; to the suspect, it's better than getting killed.

When it comes to pre-existing conditions... well, it's not like the person being tastered is wearing a big "don't taser me - I have a heart condition but I'm going to act like a psycho anyway." If the suspect knows he/she has a pre-existing condition, then they knew the risk but still decided to act like an idiot - oh well!. If the suspect doesn't know he/she has a pre-existing condition, then I guess they'll find out. My point is that in most cases, the person being tasered had a choice.

I do think police officers should be able to determine the difference between tasering someone because it makes it easier on the officer to apprehend someone v. tasering someone because it's the only reasonable way to apprehend them, short of shooting them. But that's often a difficult determination to make - that line can't always be easily drawn.

Answer 3

I for one am not a fan of the taser. It does save injury to officers and suspects, but it also breeds a lot of false confidence and laziness. Anything that allows officers to think that conditioning and training can take a back seat to technology is for me, counter-productive. PT standards in LE are pitifully low or non-existant in some cases. And I blame chemical sprays and the taser for this in part.

I've seen the taser be ineffective, can't say the same for the rear naked choke.....err I mean lateral head restraint.

Answer 4

Most officers would agree the taser is one of the best tools available to them. The next closest options are pepper spray and the baton.

Pepper spray requires a minimum of 20 minutes of decontamination, and the baton almost always results in a trip to the hospital. The taser can be applied in seconds, with no lasting effects.

Contrary to what Robert F says in the comment below, you can not kill a pit bull with a taser, or anything else for that matter. It causes muscular disruption only, and has no lasting effects.

By the way, Robert... the heart is an organ, not a muscle.

Answer 5

Absolutely

Watch a few episodes of "COPS" and see how well it works. Huge, defiant guys drop and cry until the officers can contain them. They usually show no signs of injury, except a couple of small punctures from the barbs. These men would otherwise have been beaten or shot.

There are situations where I can see it being bad (like if someone has a preexisting condition like a heart problem) but overall it is a fantastic tool. Better than beanbags or pepper spray on the non-lethal side.

Any kind of harm that comes from lethal or non-lethal methods just goes to show that if you fail to comply with a law enforcement officer, bad things are going to happen. Tazers just happen to be the most likely to subdue someone in non-compliance without longterm injury or death.

Answer 6

yes..I have been a cop 17 years...we started carrying TASERS last March..our fights dropped off 75 % within 2 months..it took that long for the thugs we tased to get out and tell their bros what was waiting for them if they resisted....unlike pepper spray the effects stop as soon as the current is turned off...and they dont break bones like impact weapons

Answer 7

Well we could go back to shooting them no just kidding. Really though no matter what you give a person they are going to use it a lot or where the situation might not call for it, nothing is going to be perfect.

Answer 8

Yup

Answer 9

MOST DEFINITELY.

BEST LAW ENFORCEMENT TOOL SINCE THE BEAN BAG SHOT GUN AND RUBBER BULLETS.

BEST TOOL INSIDE OF THE PRISON SYSTEM FOR COMPLIANCE.
AS THE BRITISH WOULD SAY "NIGHT STICKS ARE SUCH A BLOODY MESS."

Answer 10

Have you ever been tasered ? if not try it . better yet set in the electric chair and try that. the only differance is the amount of time spent being electocuted. 50,000 to 200,000 volts.
I killed a pit bull that was attacking with one it only took about two minutes
What is the heart but a muscle
A little shot is one thing try leaving it on for awhile it burns skin

The main thing is it can be abbused , when the one in control is excited things can get overly done.