Do you know anyone who has been tasered?

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I just watched a documentary about so called "weapons of non-lethal force" used by police, principally beanbag guns, energy weapons and most of all tasers, called The Invisible War.

It made the allegation that tasers are being widely used by American police as "compliance devices", that is, not only in violent situations where they are necessary. There was some shocking footage of police using tasers or beanbag guns against restrained and compliant people, however they only amounted to 5 or so different situations and have obviously been used by the film-maker for their shock value. There are clearly abuses of such weapons by vigilante cops, but I want to know how common you think that is.

I want to know what you've seen.

Do you know anyone who has been tasered? Have your interactions with local police usually been handled well (ie. not bully boy tactics like threatening you with tasers in a non-violent situation)?

Fortunately for me, the cops where I come from are generally pretty fair and oriented towards community policing rather than combative tactics. You also see a lot fewer cops around in Oz than in the US.

What say you?

[TDMVPDPOY]

my friend has one...dont know where he got it from

but dude fuckn scared the shit out of me when he pulled it out, it looks exactly like the one use in batman return movie....

[Tres_Till_it_MHz]

Back in the day we tasered a friend through the front seat of a bronco. Was the damnedest thing I ever saw. Besides a slight yelp "OHHH SHIT" he was fine after that. It was one of the old school wishbone tasers.

[ObiwanGinobili]

There was a guy here in SA who was tazered whgile he was handcuffed awhile back... can;t remeber exactly when but i think it was over on the East side near the AT&T center.

I personally am aquainted (as in I worked with her daughter) with a woman who was tazered by the police after they pulled her over - she was drivign herself to the ER because she thought she was having a stroke (and she was, a mild one, it affected her left eye and her speech alot tho). She had a suspended license but was home alone and instead of calling 911 she figured she would drive herself the 10 blocks. Well her cars tage are out of date and she rolled thru a stop sign so a cop tries to pull her over. She keeps driving to the hospitol but finally stops after 6 more blocks. She stops because she can;t see at the moment- she still has not actually heard the cop (uhm, PSA: dont; drive when you are having a stroke.. duh) At this pointthe coop is PISSED and comes running up to her car door yelling and caling for back up etc and She is having a stroke! and she can;t reeally understand what he is saying , and she is trying to talk but her words are all retarded "shwa ned teooo gheeet thoo deeee shaspitooool" ..... at this point eh is waving the tazer. So she figures she should get out of the car. She lean over to her right and fiddles woith her seatbelt (essentially turning her back to him) and he tazes her in the back.
Seriously.
the taze knocks her out, he checks her licsene and it;s suspended, back up gets there, THEN they call an ambulence because now she is awake but not reactive.
Finally gets to the ER 40 mins after she left the house.
the whole stiory was bad from both sides, it was an unfortunate situation that really didn;t need to happen.

[MannyIsGod]

I don't think its very common. People don't stay quiet about shit like that.

[tsb2000]

No, but I live about 5 miles from the Tazer HQ in Scottsdale.

[LuvBones]

My ex boyfriend was tasered four times by Austin police for protesting outside a public library. He said he is taking it to court but I haven't heard anything else since. pretty crazy.

[xXx]

There was a guy here in SA who was tazered whgile he was handcuffed awhile back... can;t remeber exactly when but i think it was over on the East side near the AT&T center.

I personally am aquainted (as in I worked with her daughter) with a woman who was tazered by the police after they pulled her over - she was drivign herself to the ER because she thought she was having a stroke (and she was, a mild one, it affected her left eye and her speech alot tho). She had a suspended license but was home alone and instead of calling 911 she figured she would drive herself the 10 blocks. Well her cars tage are out of date and she rolled thru a stop sign so a cop tries to pull her over. She keeps driving to the hospitol but finally stops after 6 more blocks. She stops because she can;t see at the moment- she still has not actually heard the cop (uhm, PSA: dont; drive when you are having a stroke.. duh) At this pointthe coop is PISSED and comes running up to her car door yelling and caling for back up etc and She is having a stroke! and she can;t reeally understand what he is saying , and she is trying to talk but her words are all retarded "shwa ned teooo gheeet thoo deeee shaspitooool" ..... at this point eh is waving the tazer. So she figures she should get out of the car. She lean over to her right and fiddles woith her seatbelt (essentially turning her back to him) and he tazes her in the back.
Seriously.
the taze knocks her out, he checks her licsene and it;s suspended, back up gets there, THEN they call an ambulence because now she is awake but not reactive.
Finally gets to the ER 40 mins after she left the house.
the whole stiory was bad from both sides, it was an unfortunate situation that really didn;t need to happen.


shocking.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

There was a guy here in SA who was tazered whgile he was handcuffed awhile back... can;t remeber exactly when but i think it was over on the East side near the AT&T center.

I personally am aquainted (as in I worked with her daughter) with a woman who was tazered by the police after they pulled her over - she was drivign herself to the ER because she thought she was having a stroke (and she was, a mild one, it affected her left eye and her speech alot tho). She had a suspended license but was home alone and instead of calling 911 she figured she would drive herself the 10 blocks. Well her cars tage are out of date and she rolled thru a stop sign so a cop tries to pull her over. She keeps driving to the hospitol but finally stops after 6 more blocks. She stops because she can;t see at the moment- she still has not actually heard the cop (uhm, PSA: dont; drive when you are having a stroke.. duh) At this pointthe coop is PISSED and comes running up to her car door yelling and caling for back up etc and She is having a stroke! and she can;t reeally understand what he is saying , and she is trying to talk but her words are all retarded "shwa ned teooo gheeet thoo deeee shaspitooool" ..... at this point eh is waving the tazer. So she figures she should get out of the car. She lean over to her right and fiddles woith her seatbelt (essentially turning her back to him) and he tazes her in the back.
Seriously.
the taze knocks her out, he checks her licsene and it;s suspended, back up gets there, THEN they call an ambulence because now she is awake but not reactive.
Finally gets to the ER 40 mins after she left the house.
the whole stiory was bad from both sides, it was an unfortunate situation that really didn;t need to happen.

That's similar to what happened to a guy in the documentary. His wife had called 911 because he was having an epilptic fit (not the writhing kind) and was yelling on the street - she wanted an ambulance I guess but they sent cops, who tasered him, took him to the station, tasered him some more (on camera!) and then he died of heart failure.

Also, they stated in the doco that "police are increasingly using tasers to during traffic stops" which has seemingly been confirmed by your story.

She's pretty stupid for driving under those conditions though. I mean I lose my sight when I get a migraine and the last thing I'd think of doing is driving!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

My ex boyfriend was tasered four times by Austin police for protesting outside a public library. He said he is taking it to court but I haven't heard anything else since. pretty crazy.

The doco also showed footage of peaceful protesters being mown down and tasered by riot cops.

Okay, if you have a violent riot on your hands the gloves come off, but people are becoming increasingly scared to protest anything, even peacefully, for fear of this sort of thing. That is not democracy, and it certainly ain't free speech!

[BeerIsGood!]

I've been tasered as a test for Federal Law Enforcement Agents when I was a Federal Investigator. Are you just talking about TASERs or stun guns as well? I've carried a stun gun as a backup non-lethal piece for about 6 years now, and I prefer that to a TASER. The TASER is expensive with rounds going for about 30 to 40 bucks apiece. Not only that, but they are inefficient IMO with a one chance hit that's time consuming to reload. If you miss with that shot the device takes too long to reload before your target will no doubtedly be on top of you. Also, if the person you hit is wearing thick clothing the metal prongs might not connect well which will basically just serve to piss off your target. I much prefer my stun gun in a hand to hand combat situation for a quick takedown off of one or two quick evasive counter manuevers. It's worked well for me for several years.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I've been tasered as a test for Federal Law Enforcement Agents when I was a Federal Investigator. Are you just talking about TASERs or stun guns as well? I've carried a stun gun as a backup non-lethal piece for about 6 years now, and I prefer that to a TASER. The TASER is expensive with rounds going for about 30 to 40 bucks apiece. Not only that, but they are inefficient IMO with a one chance hit that's time consuming to reload. If you miss with that shot the device takes too long to reload before your target will no doubtedly be on top of you. Also, if the person you hit is wearing thick clothing the metal prongs might not connect well which will basically just serve to piss off your target. I much prefer my stun gun in a hand to hand combat situation for a quick takedown off of one or two quick evasive counter manuevers. It's worked well for me for several years.

Sorry, tasers and stun guns.

I can see that they have a place in law enforcement, but not as a first option, and that's more what I was wanting to find out - are they being used commonly in situations which would be resolved peacefully if there were no such "non-lethal options"? That's what was alleged by the doco, but I'm interested to hear the reality, which was partly confirmed by obiwanginobili.

[sabar]

I'd rather be tasered than clubbed or shot.

Peaceful taser incidents are rare, not to mention a media storm. I don't even see cops around here with non-lethal weapons, must be cheap.

[BeerIsGood!]

Sorry, tasers and stun guns.

I can see that they have a place in law enforcement, but not as a first option, and that's more what I was wanting to find out - are they being used commonly in situations which would be resolved peacefully if there were no such "non-lethal options"? That's what was alleged by the doco, but I'm interested to hear the reality, which was partly confirmed by obiwanginobili.

I was never issued a TASER and none of my fellow field Agents were issued them so I don't have any confirmed first hand knowledge of abuse. That said, I'm almost positive that there are officers out there that abuse them. I do know that there is a push to get stronger and more defined regulations issued regarding the use of "electroshock" non-lethal weapons by law enforcement throughout the USA.

If they can get sound regulations in place, especially against use of force on subdued subjects, there is definitely a positive use to these weapons. I've had to use mine (stun gun) three times in confrontation, and all three times it was quick and effective. It limits the risk and injury to yourself and the assailant if used correctly, but one thing I feel strongly about is use against people who are either non-violent or already subdued.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I was never issued a TASER and none of my fellow field Agents were issued them so I don't have any confirmed first hand knowledge of abuse. That said, I'm almost positive that there are officers out there that abuse them. I do know that there is a push to get stronger and more defined regulations issued regarding the use of "electroshock" non-lethal weapons by law enforcement throughout the USA.

If they can get sound regulations in place, especially against use of force on subdued subjects, there is definitely a positive use to these weapons. I've had to use mine (stun gun) three times in confrontation, and all three times it was quick and effective. It limits the risk and injury to yourself and the assailant if used correctly, but one thing I feel strongly about is use against people who are either non-violent or already subdued.

Excellent post. Stronger regulations for use of "non-lethal weapon" by officers sounds like the best way to address the problem. But you also need supervisorial and management staff to successfully implement the new regulations within the existing cultures of each and every police department in the country, and that is another challenge.

Tough job being a cop, especially in the US - I couldn't do it. You are constantly treading a line between helping the community and self-preservation, so it is inevitable that occasionally lines will be overstepped.

It is also interesting to me just how different police "culture" is from country to country and even city to city within countries. In Canberra, we never had a crack or PCP epidemic, and guns are far less prevalent, so naturally the police here behave differently to those in the US.

[ObiwanGinobili]

Even tho I have 1st hand knowledge of an abusive taser incident, I do have to agree with sabar and beerisgood - they are definatly rare. They are a BIG public relations issue whenever there is a tasing gone wrong. Ans you are right , this is a democracy (well, actually we are a Republic.. but you KWIM) and people here get pretty well incensed whenever they feel thier civil rights are being trampled. They dont; stand for that. Tasing in of itself is a better option thne gunfire, IMO. And if I were a cop worn down by the constant stress of working too much OT with too littel equipment in a crack-infested area.... I can see how that can spill into how they treat the public. Tasers, beatings, etc. Noone's perfect. I'd be nice if they could rotate these guys out.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Even tho I have 1st hand knowledge of an abusive taser incident, I do have to agree with sabar and beerisgood - they are definatly rare. They are a BIG public relations issue whenever there is a tasing gone wrong. Ans you are right , this is a democracy (well, actually we are a Republic.. but you KWIM) and people here get pretty well incensed whenever they feel thier civil rights are being trampled. They dont; stand for that. Tasing in of itself is a better option thne gunfire, IMO. And if I were a cop worn down by the constant stress of working too much OT with too littel equipment in a crack-infested area.... I can see how that can spill into how they treat the public. Tasers, beatings, etc. Noone's perfect. I'd be nice if they could rotate these guys out.

Fair enough, and interesting that you feel that way given your story. I suggest you watch this documentary. It is a bit inflammatory, and I watched it with a skeptical eye (thus the thread), but some of the footage was pretty shocking.

I should mention that the manufacturers claim that their products haven't caused any deaths - there are 167 Coroner's reports that say otherwise and site tasers or stun guns as at least a contributing factor to death, and 27 that cited it as the main cause. These are not always non-lethal weapons, although they are far less likely to kill you than a bullet.

Anyway, glad to hear that abb

[tlongII]

I've been tasered.


So I bought one for myself.

[Sportcamper]

We don’t have police abuse in Los Angeles...

[MrChug]

Yes, I have been tasered...my friends and I went thru a Jacka$$ Steve-O/Johnny Knoxville phase and my uncle was issued one and didn't carry it often. Guess who got their hands on it! "Hmmm...50 thousand volts sounds like fun!"

The suck part of it is that every muscle in your body is agonizingly sore the next few days because it works on your muscular system and locks up your body and you're stiff like a corpse for those seconds really intensely until the prongs come out basically.

It was fun. :dizzy

[Notorious H.O.P.]

My cousin is the guy who was killed in the taser related incident that recently made the news here in San Antonio. According to my other cousins, he was already handcuffed and on the ground and they tasered him three additional times. He went into cardiac arrest and died.

[cornbread]

The doco also showed footage of peaceful protesters being mown down and tasered by riot cops.

Okay, if you have a violent riot on your hands the gloves come off, but people are becoming increasingly scared to protest anything, even peacefully, for fear of this sort of thing. That is not democracy, and it certainly ain't free speech!
Yeah, but they probably had fair warning that force would soon commence but instead kept chanting "hey hey, ho ho, those (insert evil enemy of the week) here have got to go!". Tear gas would probably work better than tazing though. If they're purposely blocking the road with their protest when I'm trying to get to work (which happened to me on more than one occasion when I lived in Austin) and won't move after a warning, then I say tear gas the shit out them.

[fatsack]

i was tasered as part of my training.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

My cousin is the guy who was killed in the taser related incident that recently made the news here in San Antonio. According to my other cousins, he was already handcuffed and on the ground and they tasered him three additional times. He went into cardiac arrest and died.

There were a couple of incidents like that in the doco, and it is the tasering of prone, handcuffed suspects that must be brought under close scrutiny. That sort of behaviour is indefensible.

Sorry for your loss.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yeah, but they probably had fair warning that force would soon commence but instead kept chanting "hey hey, ho ho, those (insert evil enemy of the week) here have got to go!". Tear gas would probably work better than tazing though. If they're purposely blocking the road with their protest when I'm trying to get to work (which happened to me on more than one occasion when I lived in Austin) and won't move after a warning, then I say tear gas the shit out them.

Actually, no, that was the shocking thing. In a couple of cases they were blocking the road in legal non-violent protest, but in one example they were protesting outside a jail, not on the road, screaming "why are you doing this to us" as they were being mobbed by police. In that case the protesters were definitely non-violent.

[phyzik]

my friends bar has security, one of the security guys loaned these idiots his tazer and they where tazing eachother in the ass all night.... no one was hurt, they where just yelping like idiots when they got jolted.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Okay, so here is a perfect example of the abuse of a taser, which, remember, are meant to be used in threatening situations.

The guy at the Florida University John Kerry rally was causing a disturbance, sure, he was being a jerk, but he was no threat to anyone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE

I found the footage pretty shocking, what about you?

Was there much of a public outcry against that? You can hear John Kerry say "That's alright, I'll answer his question"!

And I think this is an interesting breakdown of what is happening in the background, and makes a valid point about eroding freedoms (although I think the officer with the taser drawn in the first instance is acting reasonably since he doesn't know how violent Andrew might become):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHgIsJ69HgI&NR=1

And here's what the police report says, for some context from the other side of the story:

http://michellemalkin.com/2007/09/19/document-drop-the-andrew-meyer-taser-stunt-police-report/

Finally, if you want a bit of a laugh watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPmJNQQmp_A&NR=1


PS How do I embed youtube videos here? doesn't work. Or do they take up too much bandwidth and thus that feature is disabled at ST?

[Slomo]

No embedding of html or others in here.

Links work just as good and aren't resource hogs.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Coolio.

[exstatic]

Coolio was tasered??
















:lmao

[exstatic]

I think the whole over tasering issue comes down to laziness. Yeah, it's (allegedly) non-lethal, but it shouldn't be a first choice for restraint.

[ashbeeigh]

I don't know anyone who has been tasered, but with people who have some health issues, like strokes, epilepsy, etc. I just see it was completely unsafe. I mean, obviously people can't wear posters that say "I have so and so condition, don't tase me."

In other situations when the health conditions are known, I do see it was a good non-violent end to a criminal situation.

[LuvBones]

Don't tase me bro!

[E20]

My friend has a 1.5 Million volt taser he bought off of Craig's List. He showed it to me, but I don't really believe if it's 1.5 million volts. I remember Cops only having 50,000 volts on there tasers.

[MrChug]

My friend has a 1.5 Million volt taser he bought off of Craig's List. He showed it to me, but I don't really believe if it's 1.5 million volts. I remember Cops only having 50,000 volts on there tasers.

So he bought an electric chair?

[Slydragon]

So he bought an electric chair?

LMAO :lol

[E20]

So he bought an electric chair?
Yeah, that's why I was skepticial if he knew how much volts it had, but he did have one, he showed it to me. :lol

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yeah, that's why I was skepticial if he knew how much volts it had, but he did have one, he showed it to me. :lol

I reckon the label had to be wrong. 1,500,000V is 5 times the voltage of an average lightning strike (300,000V)! No way a hand-held device could generate that sort of voltage.

Here's an interesting page about lightning and people:

http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/essd18jun99_1.htm

[MrChug]

I reckon the label had to be wrong. 1,500,000V is 5 times the voltage of an average lightning strike (300,000V)! No way a hand-held device could generate that sort of voltage.

Here's an interesting page about lightning and people:

http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/essd18jun99_1.htm

"ONE POINT TWENTY ONE JIGGAWATTS!!!!"

http://volveralfuturo.galeon.com/doclinea.jpg