sure we misused them in the past, but every officer should have them

yup you guessed it taZers.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/police_groups_defend_tasers-40274142.html

Canada's main police associations have launched a vigorous defence of Tasers and declared that every officer in the country should be authorized to carry one.
But they also admit that officers have used Tasers too often, stunned peaceful suspects, and not been transparent enough in reporting how they've used the weapon.

not been transparent enough?>??!?!?!?!? excuse me? You damn straight you have not been transparent enough when you outright lie until video proof comes out.

A better line
He added the weapon may have been used to force peaceful suspects to comply -- and that such use by officers was "not correct."

Yeah not correct.. and yet you are just NOW coming to this conclusion?


But the best.. the absolute best... "do your own homework"
"However, they repeatedly refused to say which studies they had consulted before developing their Taser policy.
"Do your own homework," Fantino shot back when asked to cite a single study. "There's 150 studies worldwide.""

ummm...isn't this the correction I mentioned in the other thread?

The one that said he was misquoted? )

according to the article this was a news release from yesterday

Deank wrote:according to the article this was a news release from yesterday

yeah, i watched it on tv...but it's because of the misquote and misstatement made a couple weeks ago where the RCMP declared Tazers as lethal weapons.

According to a journalist that was at the news conference, didn't catch his name, there was amazement throughout the room when this was announced....silence.. than a lot of snickering. He said most couldn't believe they said it with a straight face, in view of the Dziekanski Inquiry. Fantino was probably put-off by the obvious rejection of his pronouncement by the audience and was showing his unprofessionalism.

JTF wrote:According to a journalist that was at the news conference, didn't catch his name, there was amazement throughout the room when this was announced....silence.. than a lot of snickering. He said most couldn't believe they said it with a straight face, in view of the Dziekanski Inquiry. Fantino was probably put-off by the obvious rejection of his pronouncement by the audience and was showing his unprofessionalism.

Dziekanski...that's the one in Vancouver right?

The one where 4 or 5 officers shot a guy back to back?

The one where a few select officers ABUSED the weapon and the poor guy they were shooting?

I don't have a firm opinion about the Tazers yet...but that event was isolated...and had little to do with the weapon and more to do with some officers who lost their head and abused the guy...it could've been billy clubs...or guns.

In this news conference the police readily admit to misusing the weapons and not reporting properly about the use of them.

But they also admit that officers have used Tasers too often, stunned peaceful suspects, and not been transparent enough in reporting how they've used the weapon.

Abuse...misuse..whatever. The cops use tasers inappropriately, although their usage has been kinda' restricted.

Now they want all cops to have them.

I reckon the inappropriate use will skyrocket, dispite what the hell the cops say. Their actions speak much louder than their words afterall.

I do agree that every officer should have them... but with the stipulation that if he/she uses them outside of a very short and easy set of rules that the officer immediately loses their job with no grounds for reinstatement.

And NO POLICE OFFICERS or former officers on the panel that evaluates if using the weapon was warranted or not.

Deank wrote:And NO POLICE OFFICERS or former officers on the panel that evaluates if using the weapon was warranted or not.

I'll disagree with this part.
What the average person determines is acceptable in the "line of duty" is a far cry from what is ACTUALLY acceptable.

Pulling from my own industry...we have architects/engineers who tell us to build a building a "certain way", yet they don't take into account the way things REALLY work, and quite often (more than we'd like), we have to explain to them that their expectations do not meet what works in the "real" world.

Are you now going to set up an entire new bureaucracy to deal with taser complaints, or would it not fall under LERA and its black-hole of wasteyourfuckentime?

Besides, it would usually be two against one...as our cops are always ALWAYS in pairs.

It really boils down to the fact that tasers should be a last resort in controlling an out of control person , with the next step being drawing your weapon and using deadly force, or using a lassoo as was suggested on another thread!
I think that was the intent all along. The taser is certainly an effective way of subduing a person , and used resposibly would be right.
It is the over use that is being questioned.
The RCMP filed a false report on Dzienski's situation, and had to change their report to more accurately reflect what really happened.
It is obvious that police lie in their reports, in too many cases when there is no corroborating video!
A very sad fact of life, and the reason many police will arrest you if you are taking pictures of the police bashing some young, or old drunk!

JTF wrote:Are you now going to set up an entire new bureaucracy to deal with taser complaints, or would it not fall under LERA and its black-hole of wasteyourfuckentime?

Besides, it would usually be two against one...as our cops are always ALWAYS in pairs.

It would be three people to deal with all taZer usage across the country. NO police officers current or past would be involved in the decision, not until they can prove the blue line does not exist.

There would not be a chance for any testimony except a statement from perp and a statement from person taZered. Video tape or photographic or other electronic evidence would be allowed.

Decisions would be made within 5 minutes of evidence review.

Officers have nothing to fear if they follow the rules.

They have tasers with cameras, and all tasers record when they are used, and under what strength.
On another thread about tasers I think there was a link to a quote from the RCMP, who mentioned there were 150 studies on taser use.

I'll disagree with this part.
What the average person determines is acceptable in the "line of duty" is a far cry from what is ACTUALLY acceptable.

tazers need some major independant studies done to say once and for all exactly what effects they have on people. something easily accessible that will put to rest peoples fears and mis-information about the product.

and then every officer should be equipped with one, with thourough training.

I have not time to look them up but they have had them done , these devices have a use but with some caution . I do believe they are used to quickly and when not really all avenues have been looked at to subdue the threat.

In the polish gentlemens thing in Vancouver when you look at the newer video that has surfaced , 4 guys could not take him down . Then we really need to not worry about them being bigger when they apply. It is simple size and weight , after all he only had a stapler.

Boy that should get some worried , me agree with the majority . UH

AdamX wrote:tazers need some major independant studies done to say once and for all exactly what effects they have on people. something easily accessible that will put to rest peoples fears and mis-information about the product.

and then every officer should be equipped with one, with thourough training.

Agreed.

And Fantino is an ass.

In the 1st post ,on this thread the link takes you to a story that mentions some Doctors from Cook's county hospital in 2006 tasered 11 pigs for 40 seconds , multiple times. Why 40 seconds , when the tasering of people I believe lasts only 5 seconds? 2 died and the others all had heart damage.
These police officers that were tasered in this study, sure were courageous!

Good one rosen. Good one.

there are studies out but i beleive (i could be wrong) that they are largely funded or sponsored by Taser inc in an either direct or indirect way, and that should be a very obvious concern. its why i say that independant studies need to be done that look at how they are actually supposed to be used on people.

i will look into it i think, as i'm actually kind of curious now to see what is available to the average person.

I believe that Tazer International put the kibosh on, or brought legal action against, anyone that even wispered anything bad about their product in the past. Hence, not too many studies around.

But now is a different time...and now it has been accepted that tasers can indeed kill...people have died after they were used on them...that is undeniably a fact.

Perhaps the police were lied to by Tazer Int. as to whether or not they are lethal. That alone changes things imho, as if the cops now recognize they are a lethal weapon, they will use them appropriately.