Introduction
Law enforcement officers use various methods to apprehend and control suspects and law breakers: police presence, verbal commands, hand cuffing, takedowns and use of lethal weapons. Tasers use a short spasm of voltage to temporarily incapacitate the victim. The use of tasers by security officers has been brought under much fire with some people arguing that it causes death and others viewing it as the best substitute for the guns. This paper aims to shed more light in to the use of Tasers.
Use of taser is good and safe
Most of the agencies that support the use of tasers argue that there is no any medical evidence proving that tasers will cause any death as it is claimed. Taser supporters argue that tasers are safer to use than guns, chemical sprays, and/or use of batons. Guns in most cases result to injury or even death, sprays will affect everyone in the vicinity, and batons may cause fractures. A taser will only incapacitate the victim for some time.
A tasers can be used at some distance from the victim and this makes it safe for the law enforcement officers. Some doctors argue that the use of tasers is relatively safe claiming that “The chance of dying after being shot by a taser or stun gun is about one in 870” (Juan, 2008, p. 1).They claim it is the wrong use rather than the tool itself that is responsible for deaths. Taser international claims that there is no medical report linking taser application to death.
Use of taser is bad and unsafe
It has been claimed that the use of tasers is not safe and at times it is likely to cause death. A report by Amnesty International (2008) claimed that, “The number of people who died after being tasered in the USA reached 334 between 2001 and August 2008” (p. 1). Some agencies have claimed that the use of tasers in cases where police officers have the victims under control is rising and is unwarranted as these amounts to abuse of the tool. Tasers have been reported to be used on children, pregnant women and old women who may not have been a threat to safety. It has also been argued that the use of tasers amounts to abuse of human rights (Amnesty, 2008).
Taser placement in the “linear use of force continuum”1
The placement of a taser in the “linear use of force continuum” has its advantages and disadvantages. The placement of taser in the “linear use of force continuum” may not be advisable. This is because the linear model is arguably not flexible to all the case scenarios that a law enforcement officer may find himself in. The model may prompt the use of taser even when not warranted. Some situations may demand the use of taser even before the level of use of the taser is reached while other situations may demand use of other methods.
Use of tasers on drug related cases
Most deaths arising from use of tasers are usually found in cases where the victim is a drug addict especially for cocaine abusers as Juan (2011) argued “the use of cocaine boosts the shock value of a taser or stun gun by 50 to 100 per cent” (p. 1). This means that the placement of tasers on the linear model may not be advisable especially when dealing with drug cases. From the evidence linking taser deaths with drugs abusers it is not advisable to place taser on a linear model because its use may result to death if the victim is on drug addict.
Due to the available evidence such as the report by New South Wales (2008) “at least 37 (74%) of the people subjected to a Taser application were known to have been injured during the incident” (p. 1) and the number of claims made against Taser international, it is important that use of tasers be taken with extreme caution. It may be necessary to place tasers at the highest level possible such that it is at the same category as the use of guns and other lethal weapons. The reason being taser use may be likely to cause death just like any other lethal weapon especially when dealing with drug addicts (New South Wales, 2008).
Conclusion
Use of tasers has been faced with both enthusiasm and criticism as well. Agencies that support the use of tasers claim that it is one of the safest available options when used appropriately and with a lot of care. Critics have made claims that taser use has caused a lot of deaths and has been abused while others insist that its use amounts to violation of human rights. Placement of taser in the linear use of force continuum needs to be handled with care since its use may result to deaths especially in drug related cases. However to be on the safer side it is advisable to strictly control its use, extensively train the users and use it when it is absolutely necessary.
References
Amnesty, I. (2008). USA: Safety of Tasers questioned as death toll hits 334-mark. Amnesty International. Web.
Juan, S. (2011). Can stun guns and tasers cause death. The Register. Web.
New South Wales. (2008).The use of Taser weapons by New South Wales Police. New South Wales Police Force. Web.
Footnotes
This is a set of terms are used to refer to a set of procedures that police officers ought to use when engaging a suspect. The procedures are liner and they what a police officer ought to do when a suspect behaves in a given way. Web.