Use of Tazers by the Police

[bassnmedic]

Maybe it's just me, but it seems to me that if a suspect is acting in a manner that the LEO needs to use a Taser, then so be it. The suspect shouldn't been a bad boy or girl, medical hx can come second in that case.

Take care,

Todd

[AnthonyM83]

Having been Tased (voluntarily, I might add, no matter what Itku2ER might say about me), I can say from experience it does not result in impairment or control of muscles after the shock is delivered, nor have I ever heard of this from anyone who teaches/uses Tasers. The student was being a drama queen.

'zilla

Unless you're fat and on drugs?

Is there anyway to tell if obese drugged out people wold have died anyway or was the taser that led to (even if didn't directly cause) death?

I'd like to say certain classes of people should have taser use avoided, but then that hesitation might end up harming the officer. Though if it is a case of needing immediate force use, maybe a higher level should be used anyway?

Not sure on this one.

[NREMT-Basic]

Not surprisingly, but my question about tazer and icd devices or pacemakers got twisted into the notion that the officer needs to determine whether or not a person needing to be brought into compliance should find out whether the offender has any condition which would be worsened by tazing. I simply asked what the ramifications might be in an icd or pacemaker patient. Having been tazed myself as part of private security training and having a father who was a LEO for 36 years and who had his life saved by use of a tazer several times in his career, I am all for them. I think the video of the student being tazed has nothing to do with my question and though I cannot find information to verify this, I believe that there were disciplinary actions taken against the officer(s) who tazed the student.. The only unfortunate part of the advent and use of the tazer as a less lethal option is that they may perhaps be used too frequently when other means might be affective.

[nbsp]

Heh, sorry 'bout the thread hijack.

But anyways, it says near the bottom of the article posted by whit72:

Claim: The Taser could disrupt a patient's implanted pacemaker.

Status: False — Pacemakers must comply with the Active Implantable Medical Device Requirement, which specifies that pacemakers must be individually tested to withstand very high shocks from external defibrillators. The Taser delivers 0.36–1.7 joules per pulse; whereas the pacemaker must be able to withstand 360 joules per pulse, a considerably higher load.

When asked about the possibility of a Taser affecting a pacemaker, Mark Kroll, PhD, the most prolific inventor of cardiac pacemakers in the world today, says, "If you were to plot the waveform of the Taser against that of a cardiac pacemaker, you wouldn't even see it. The [pacemaker's] waveform is much longer. Therefore, the theoretical possibility of the Taser affecting the heart is about the same as the chance of you getting a cell phone call on your AM radio."

[KSEMT122]

According to Taser International and my Cardiology Teacher, Tasers DO NOT affect people with Pacemakers or any other cardiac device. The deaths that result after someone has been tased has almost ALWAYS been proven to be from something OTHER than the Taser, such as someone under the influence of drugs being improperly restrained after being tased. This is just what I have read and been taught. I have never carried a taser or gone through a training program on them, so it is all hear say. Then onto a personal note, If someone with a Pacemaker decides to get frisky with an LEO, he is man enough to take the charge and whatever may happen to him as a result.

[itku2er]

Having been Tased (voluntarily, I might add, no matter what Itku2ER might say about me), I can say from experience it does not result in impairment or control of muscles after the shock is delivered, nor have I ever heard of this from anyone who teaches/uses Tasers. The student was being a drama queen.

'zilla

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

HA HA HA :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

[In2bate]

We have changed our protocol on Tazers. We now have the police remove the tazer and transport the patient. To many cases where the individual is under the influence.

[Dustdevil]

I'd like to say certain classes of people should have taser use avoided...

I have to say that certain classes of people should have the Taser used on them daily, just for good measure.

[BushyFromOz]

"preventative maintenance"

[JPINFV]

Is there anyway to tell if obese drugged out people wold have died anyway or was the taser that led to (even if didn't directly cause) death?

I'd like to say certain classes of people should have taser use avoided, but then that hesitation might end up harming the officer. Though if it is a case of needing immediate force use, maybe a higher level should be used anyway?

Not sure on this one.

People died in the back of squad cars before tasers came around anyways. To be honest, this kid is lucky that he didn't pull this stunt (I believe I saw that his lawsuit is falling apart) before tasers came around where he would have earned a nightstick or a can of mace. I think the biggest fault in the police for this action was using a smaller amount of force multiple times instead of a larger amount of forc once.

I am concerned about what you consider "certain classes of people?" Who determins those classes? Preexisting medical conditions? Even if the PD can't see it? Country of origin? The amount of melatonin in their skin? Their stereotyped religion (because not everyone who looks a certain way believes the same religion)? I think that the major issue that police should face is "what level of force should I apply when a person is not complying with a legal order," not "will I be the unlucky bastard to kill someone."

If tasers are heavily restricted in the police force then you end up with a situation like the one earlier this year in a nearby city (Huntington Beach, for the record since you're up in LA). The police were called out to handle an 18 y/o female with unstable pscyh problems and a knife. While waiting for a taser to be brought to the scene (they don't carry one in every unit), she apparently made a lunge at the police forcing the police to shoot her. She ended up dying causing a minor uproar from the family. There needs to be a middle ground between no force, minor force (physical holds, etc) and lethal force. The police should not be afraid that selecting the appropraite level of force will result in a lawsuit.