New RCMP policy says Tasers potentially lethal, restricts use

New RCMP policy recognizes that Taser stun guns can cause death - especially in "acutely agitated" suspects - and restricts their use to defuse threats


http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/null-39493122.html

Announcement...tasers are lethal.

Whoppee.

What's there next pronouncement...the sky is blue?

I believe the next announcement will be that the taZer makers are suing the RCMP for false accusations

Hmmm...I wonder if they will. Good possibility.

they did in the states when a medical examiner stated in his autopsy report that the taZer contributed to the death. They sued and won.

I think its funny cause RCMP as always kinda played it down like these things aren't deadly, but I remember one of the news companies speaking the maker of these devices and the point blank said "these devices can and will kill people"

They try to suppress any link to death with their company. I reckon they'll try to do something, but not sure just what they can do if a police force restricts their use. Not too much, but they'll try.

This change in policy will only affect JTF , GOM, and DeanK, as they are the only 3 posters who are always "acutely agitated!

is there a link to this story that works?

the news blurb that i read said that they can now only use tasers when they have no other option but a firearm.

that may sound fine and dandy to some of you but let me tell you the reality of it.
If an officer is in such a deep sh*t situation that their only other option is a firearm (in other words, they fear death or greivous bodily harm for themselves or another), they sure as hell are going to be pulling that firearm, not a taser, as it should be for that level of threat.

Tasers may contribute to the deaths of some people in certain physical states, they may not. I certainly agree that there should be more comprehensive studies done by more independant organizations to prove once and for all what the effects on the body are.

however, with these restrictions on their use, they are absolutely pointless. There is no reason to pull a taser at this level of threat because the cop should be pulling their sidearm.

A more reasonable approach would be to make this fall under the Combative level of threat, on par with the metal extendable batons. Then at least the officer can keep some distance and drop somebody instead of getting in close to use the baton.

I personally have zero problem with the police using a taser when the situation warrants it. We should remember the tazer replaces other police tools like pepper spray and batons. In many cases people have died through their own making: don't resist and there is a very good likelihood you won't find yourself in a position where you might get hurt.

Just to bad not to many follow your advice Grumpy.

I wonder if they'll issue a warning that use of a baton may result in pain or injury?

Have them throw snowballs! There's plenty of that ammo in supply.

It's was only a matter of time before the Horsemen came out of their glue-infested brains and recognized the dangers of using the tasers on people that are agitated.

Un-freakin-believeable!!

As well as understanding that batons can cause injury, they now have come to believe that the earth isn't flat also. Wahoo for the Mounties.

Keep your eye open for a retraction of the article.

Apparently the person interviewed at the RCMP was SEVERELY mis-quoted and information taken out of context to make the story more exciting.

Are they going to retract Elliot's statement on TV also?

One thing I wonder about is, was it not when they unveiled this device the device to stop any one 1 shot . Seems a few have had several or at least two shots given .

I think that they can adjust the charge and also, they can re-apply the juice several times, which apparently they like to do.

It is not hard to see how when your heart is racing this would do it no good , but it is one of the few option they have . You cannot get close enough to a berserk person with a knife to stop him .
One device I saw used in The Ukraine that worked not bad was the old fashioned lasso , dropped the person from the dead run .

I would think that pepper spray and a baton would easily take care of a person armed with a knife.

Not if you are in the wind or unable to get inside the distance of 10 feet , batons they do have again you have to get pretty close .

Well. If he's a distance away, he really is no immediate threat then.

This just in- All Wpg police will be issued a lassoo- Pavola- you are so funny! I can just picture this event!
Maybe in Calgary?? lol

The police use the taser as an alternative to pulling their guns, in the belief that it is not a life threatening danger to the person who is about to be tasered. The problen with the 20 dead tasered people, as I see it, was the next level to confront them a gun?
What we are questioning is the judgement of the police, and we know that they would rarely pull their guns.
That death in Vancouver that we saw via video, sure looked like the RCMP over-reacted, but who is to judge?

Ya. Really. Who are we to believe our lying eyes.

There are a couple of collateral issues with tasers.

* when to use them: protocols need to exist to guide the police. Should the tazer appear only after pepper spray and batons are considered?
* how often to use them: should someone be continuously zapped in an effort to subdue someone?

I agree that the RCMP hugely over-reacted in the Vancouver airport issue. Some people will say I have no right to this opinion until I walk in their shoes. To that I say pfffttt. The man simply did not pose a thread to anyone. There were so many options available to the police before they even had to come into contact with him.

That said if the police were able to effectively deploy a tazer on Dumas would Dumas be alive today? Don't get me wrong, Dumas alone was the author of his fate.

I believe tasers have a very welcome place in today's policing. Police officers need to use better judgment in some cases. Don't forget that often a gun was used before tasers came along. I think a taser is so much safer in so many ways. Nobody has been killed yet by a taser ricochet...