Electric defense weapons are also known as: 'electromuscular disruption technology or conducted energy devices which 'use a high voltage, lower power charge of electricity to induce involuntary muscle contractions that cause temporary incapacitation." (Rose, 2007) a recent study on Tasers conducted by Wake Forest University Medical School toward addressing the concern caused by 293 Taser deaths (Jayadev, 2007) concluded that: "Tasers reduce injuries to both police and the individuals Tasered
Electric defense weapons are also known as: 'electromuscular disruption technology or conducted energy devices which 'use a high voltage, lower power charge of electricity to induce involuntary muscle contractions that cause temporary incapacitation." (Rose, 2007) a recent study on Tasers conducted by Wake Forest University Medical School toward addressing the concern caused by 293 Taser deaths (Jayadev, 2007) concluded that: "Tasers reduce injuries to both police and the individuals Tasered
" (2004) the work entitled: "Riding Lightning: A Strategic Assessment Concerning the Use of Tasers in Law Enforcement" notes the advantages to use of Tasers by law enforcement officers including the factors of: (1) officer safety; (2) suspect and bystander safety; (3) Tasers safer than other non-lethal weapons; and (3) more cost effective than other non-lethal weapons. (Tomaschko, 2005) the following chart shows the 'Force Matrix' used by Okaloosa County Florida in its 'Use of Force' policy and notes that Taser use does not become an option until there is active physical aggression on the part of the subject
Beyond the health risk issue, the controversy surrounding the TASER has focused on when it should be used - where along the force continuum - how it should be used, and whom it should be used against." (White and Ready, 2007) White and Ready note that some departments have given consent for Taser use when officers are responding to "nonphysical resistance
I was in a lot of pain and having a lot of difficulty focusing on anything." (Budnick) The impression about the effect of a Taser burst being completely transitory may not be so accurate too
The Orlando Sentinel in its issue of July 29, 2002 revealed that while police use of chemical sprays, police dogs, physical force and firearms in Orange County dropped by about 21% in the year after Tasers were introduced, the overall number of times force was used by Orange County deputies actually increased by 37%. (Ripple) Similarly, Local 6
" It has also clarified that it uses the term "non-lethal" in a narrow sense "which does not mean the weapon cannot cause death, but that it is not intended to be fatal." (Sturcke and Ryan) The subtle changes in their previously aggressive claims about Tasers, arguably amounts to a tacit admission of their lethal nature
In their essay "Electronic control devices and use of force outcomes: Incidence and severity of use of force, and frequency of injuries to arrestees and police officers," Lin and Jones (2010) came to nuanced conclusions regarding the effectiveness of electronic control devices in reducing injuries, and by examining their study in more detail, it will become clear that the use of electronic control devices reduces officer injuries as well as citizens, as long as display-only cases are included in the analysis. Lin and Jones make their purpose clear at the outset; noting that "electronic control device use among law enforcement agencies has become relatively commonplace" even as "questions concerning the devices' appropriate use, effectiveness, and potential for harm have remained largely unexamined," Lin and Jones set out "to address a deficit in the criminal justice literature by examining patterns of electronic control device (ECD) use and effectiveness as reflected in 1,188 official police use-of-force report records collected over a three-year period" (Lin & Jones, 2010, p
173). This could be especially important in light of the relative hysteria and misinformation concerning the use of ECDs, because "both favorable and unfavorable media images of police practices compete for public attention and serve as the backdrop against which the TASER is being appraised by the public and government officials" (Ready, White, & Fisher, 2008, p