Should tasers be banned for law enforcement?

T

theMAJORITY

MAJORITYrules-sorry
Reading that people are dying, and some are young (but may still have a heart problem)--I have to ask this question.

I know cops have killed people with the clubs they have, but I think the taser is a little bit different. A cop that kills a person with a club is either fighting for his own life, or he is a out of control cop. The cop does have control over how many times he hits the guy on the side of the head. If he kills somebody, he probably ment or had to.

A taser on the other hand, seems like it kills people on more of a random basis, and other than the cop choosing weather or not he should use it is the only control he really has. If it is available to them, and they are told it is safe, they will use it. The cop could be doing a great job apprehending a suspect, following the book to a T (so they can actually put the guy away for a bit if guilty), and is not fighting for his life, but just trying to put a set of hand cuffs on the guy. The cop would not choose to kill the person in that case-----but the taser has.

That is the difference I see betwen a taser and a club. If I am a dick to a cop, I might get hit---but I am more scared of a taser that kills on a somewhat random basis.

My vote---ban them for police work. Something more safe will come around.
 
I have a feeling that the taser was originally meant to be some sort of non-lethal weapon for cops. It seems as if that has now lost its appeal. Before the taser and OC spray a cop had the following options:

1. Physical force with fist and feet and anything else handy short of a piece of two by four.
2. Baton (the ASP expandable baton is crap, the PR24 was good but unfortunately it had a tendency to break fermurs).
3. Pile-on force, get that cop in trouble call out there and pile on the offender.
4. Gun.

There's a huge difference between 3 and 4 of course. You can't pile on someone who has a knife. You have a choice. Run or shoot. Sometimes running isn't warranted (eg if there is a citizen who is going to get stabbed to death by the knife wielder). So, to deal with someone with a knife you had one choice - your gun. Now shooting people armed with knives caused a stir. As you can imagine. So the cry went up for "non-lethal alternatives".

In comes the taser.

See what's happened here? Instead of the taser being v knife, it's now v, person. That is fucking bullshit of the highest order.

No need to remove the taser. There is a need to train cops NOT to pull that bloody taser when someone so much as sticks their fucking tongue out at ya.

Get rid of the confusing and bullshit "use of force continuum" models which most cops haven't got a friggin clue about anyway.

This is the only use of force continuum worth remembering:

1. Someone hits you, you hit them back twice as hard so that you take them down.
2. Someone really big hits you, call for backup and get going with the fists and feet.
3. Someone really big hits you and backup is an hour away, get that OC spray going and make the bastard cry "uncle". (I need to make the point that not everyone is amenable to OC spray so it may be time to go back to 2 or 1 or just bug out.)
4. Someone pulls a knife on you, taser the bastard. If he dies, too fucking bad.
5. Someone pulls a knife on you and you can't taser him, shoot the fucker.
6. Someone pulls a gun on you. Shoot first and make sure the fucker's dead.

Questions?
 
Diuretic said:
This is the only use of force continuum worth remembering:

1. Someone hits you, you hit them back twice as hard so that you take them down.
2. Someone really big hits you, call for backup and get going with the fists and feet.
3. Someone really big hits you and backup is an hour away, get that OC spray going and make the bastard cry "uncle". (I need to make the point that not everyone is amenable to OC spray so it may be time to go back to 2 or 1 or just bug out.)
4. Someone pulls a knife on you, taser the bastard. If he dies, too fucking bad.
5. Someone pulls a knife on you and you can't taser him, shoot the fucker.
6. Someone pulls a gun on you. Shoot first and make sure the fucker's dead.

Questions?
Click to expand...

Good wisdom for anyone, cops or not.
 
Police should not use tasers. It's simply cruel (causes immense pain) and, in certain cases can kill. As electric weapon technology increases, it's important for the public to draw the line and not allow cops to use these types of weapons.
 
Having been tasered (they aren't that bad), they are a reasonable less-than-lethal weapon. Less-than-lethal of course being the preferred term, considering they do kill a few too many people to be considered non-lethal.

However, for every taser that you hear kills someone, how many prevent officers from having to shoot or beat a suspect?
 
gonzojournals said:
Having been tasered (they aren't that bad), they are a reasonable less-than-lethal weapon. Less-than-lethal of course being the preferred term, considering they do kill a few too many people to be considered non-lethal.

However, for every taser that you hear kills someone, how many prevent officers from having to shoot or beat a suspect?
Click to expand...

That's a fair question and that's where my objections are grounded.

I think there's been a bit of "bracket creep" when it comes to tasers. My understanding is that they were originally meant to be just under a firearm in the so-called "use of force continuum" when they were first developed. Now it seems they're almost first cab off the rank when it comes to use of force. The video of the RCMP at Vancouver Airport seems to me to be a total misuse of the laser, it's almost as if they went for the taser first before even going hands on. That's very concerning. If that's a police practice it has to be stopped immediately.
 
ironhead said:
Police should not use tasers. It's simply cruel (causes immense pain) and, in certain cases can kill. As electric weapon technology increases, it's important for the public to draw the line and not allow cops to use these types of weapons.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Guns aren't cruel, because they always die whenever guns are used, or they're supposed to. If they don't die you didn't do your job as a cop.
 
Should tasers be banned for law enforcement?


No. Few things in life have an either/or answer.

LE might well need tasers in prisons to deal with violent inmates, when and if appropriate. Obviously, their use would have to be regualted, so some sicko doesn't decide to torture an inmate.

I don't think LE needs tasers at peace protests, or at speeches on college campuses.
 
I know cops have killed people with the clubs they have, but I think the taser is a little bit different. A cop that kills a person with a club is either fighting for his own life, or he is a out of control cop. The cop does have control over how many times he hits the guy on the side of the head. If he kills somebody, he probably ment or had to.
Click to expand...


I'd probably rather get shot by a taser and suffer a heart attack than be bludgenoed to death. :dunno:
 
Watermark said:
Yeah. Guns aren't cruel, because they always die whenever guns are used, or they're supposed to. If they don't die you didn't do your job as a cop.
Click to expand...

There's no saying, "I didn't mean to" or "I was just having some fun" when you shoot someone with a gun.

I'd probably rather get shot by a taser and suffer a heart attack than be bludgenoed to death.
Click to expand...

Again, to bludgeon someone to death (usually) takes quite a bit. It's not likely to be done by accident and no one would likely hit somebody even once for a practical joke.

These facts limit the use to what is necessary. Tasers are being way overused and there is no check on the police who abuse it. Not that there is ever much check on them for shooting or bludgeoning someone (not with fascists quickly seeking mitigating circumstances), but...
 
You pull out a gun, not a taser, whenever you feel you life is in danger. A lot of things can go wrong with a taser and you can only shoot the barbs out once.
 
Watermark said:
I'd probably rather get shot by a taser and suffer a heart attack than be bludgenoed to death. :dunno:
Click to expand...

Don't think like a victim, think like the person applying force. If you have to get into some biffage with someone, be it fists or baton, you can judge the force you use and the repetition. Look at the Rodney King video. No, I mean really look at it, not the shit that was shown on the news. Koon, the Sgt, was in control of his personnel and they were in control of themselves. They applied force as required and escalated it as required. They weren't ever going to beat King to death. However, in his condition if they'd hit him a couple of times with a taser he may have not been alive to sue the city and then to spend the proceeds on transvestite whores and various forms of controlled substances.
 
Watermark said:
Tasers have a place, RS. If you take away tasers cops will use guns more often.
Click to expand...

I don't think so, the gap between taser and gun is a chasm. If someone comes at me with a knife they'll get the gun, no way would I even think of using a taser.
 
The answer is no!

theMAJORITY said:
Reading that people are dying, and some are young (but may still have a heart problem)--I have to ask this question.

I know cops have killed people with the clubs they have, but I think the taser is a little bit different. A cop that kills a person with a club is either fighting for his own life, or he is a out of control cop. The cop does have control over how many times he hits the guy on the side of the head. If he kills somebody, he probably ment or had to.

A taser on the other hand, seems like it kills people on more of a random basis, and other than the cop choosing weather or not he should use it is the only control he really has. If it is available to them, and they are told it is safe, they will use it. The cop could be doing a great job apprehending a suspect, following the book to a T (so they can actually put the guy away for a bit if guilty), and is not fighting for his life, but just trying to put a set of hand cuffs on the guy. The cop would not choose to kill the person in that case-----but the taser has.

That is the difference I see betwen a taser and a club. If I am a dick to a cop, I might get hit---but I am more scared of a taser that kills on a somewhat random basis.





My vote---ban them for police work. Something more safe will come around.
Click to expand...



I would also like to see a link to the stats you claim...how many have really died vs the amount of times used!
 
Battleborne said:
I would also like to see a link to the stats you claim...how many have really died vs the amount of times used!
Click to expand...

This is one of those occasions when the ol' risk management approach is flawed.

One person being killed by the improper use of a taser is one too many. If a cop has to shoot and kill someone that's a damn shame for everyone involved but it's usually overwhelmingly the case that the cop had a righteous reason for shooting. When a taser is used instead of going the biff that is a piss-poor reason for someone to die.
 
Hummm.........

Diuretic said:
This is one of those occasions when the ol' risk management approach is flawed.

One person being killed by the improper use of a taser is one too many. If a cop has to shoot and kill someone that's a damn shame for everyone involved but it's usually overwhelmingly the case that the cop had a righteous reason for shooting. When a taser is used instead of going the biff that is a piss-poor reason for someone to die.
Click to expand...


In alot of message boards I have read bleeding hearts cry that the officer should have used the taser instead of shooting the violator...ya can't have it both ways!
And even if the taser is used properly there is no guarantee that the person tased will not suffer a deleterious medical effect...!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top