It seems that police are using these weapons a little more liberally than perhaps should be. I have had some run ins with police that I can strong fully say society should not trust those people with weapons. Personally, I think police should have to be shot with a taser before they are given one so that they know what they are doing when they shoot someone.
I disagree. More people need to be Tasered, and people that live a life of crime should be Tasered on a regular basis. Really, the Police only resort to the Taser when someone is resisting arrest, and it is quite a bit more humane than in the old days. Oh, the old days, when a criminal was lucky to be beaten by a nightstick - more probably the criminal would be tarred and feathered, then hog tied behind a horse and taken for a drag.
These days, you go out and rape and kill a bunch of kids - then you get a free MySpace account, just like Clifford Olson. Next will be Bernardo being granted his constitutional rights to have an account on eHarmony. Those losers deserve a regular regimen of Tasering...
Kamloops RCMP said Thursday that officers had no other option but to deploy the conducted energy weapon when Lasser refused to drop his knife.
Hmmm... delusional man wielding knife, and your concern is the police are too willy-nilly with the taser?
Oh, poor baby. He's an old man. He should get special treatment. The police should put themselves in harms way because he's all old and fragile. The police should waste a couple hours trying to negotiate the knife out of his hands, since there are not more serious things to deal with in the real world.
Please! This guy is lucky he didn't get shot. He's alive, and all he can do is whine and complain the police tased him while delusional and holding a weapon.
So, Adrian what would you like the police to use if they can't use a Taser? Their pistols ... that's going to kill more people. How about billy clubs ... lots of head injuries, broken bones and some deaths.
The police need all the support possible to do the job we ask them to perform. If an individual for what ever reason does not accept police instruction to comply then they are forced to use additional pressure to make the person comply. Anything less has the potential to lead to anarchy.
Personally, I think police should have to be shot with a taser before they are given one so that they know what they are doing when they shoot someone.
Most police forces in North America, including the RCMP and all OPC (Ontario Police College) applicants (AFAIK), are shot with a Taser during their training period, alongside with being pepper-sprayed in the face. Most officers know very well what it's like to be jolted with 50,000 volts of electricity. Granted, the officers during their training anticipate the shock, and prepare for it prior to being shocked, but nonetheless, they have a good understanding of what it does to you.
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EvanPitts: Well put.
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It seems that people are using these weapons a little more liberally than perhaps should be. I have had some run ins with people that I can strong fully say society should not trust people with weapons.
Saw a news clip of a very big, calm, fit member of the Toronto Police Service receiving a brief < 5 second burst of a Taser in a demonstration. He wobbled, and fell into the arms of two colleagues who were standing on either side to catch him. Demonstrations set up like this are not representative of how the devices are being used in the field.
Anyhow, it is interesting to read about the repeated and vehement claims that electricity at around 50,000 Volts is not dangerous. It is. According to the police, going sailing or playing golf during a thunderstorm should be a non-issue because between 75 to 80% of lightning strike victims survive; fairly good odds. All kinds of factors dictate how a person responds to an electric shock. The voltage and current involved matter, the location of the entry and exit points, the age and physical condition at the moment the shock occurs are all significant factors, most of which cannot be controlled.
At least nobody gets hurt (except for maybe in the wallet) with what the audiophile snake oil cable salesmen peddle. 50 KV electric shocks are another matter.
Anyhow, it is interesting to read about the repeated and vehement claims that electricity at around 50,000 Volts is not dangerous. It is. According to the police, going sailing or playing golf during a thunderstorm should be a non-issue because between 75 to 80% of lightning strike victims survive; fairly good odds.
It's not the voltage... Lightning is not only in the range of millions of volts, it is also backed up by an absolutely large current. Comparing a Taser to a bolt of lightning is not a comparison at all, it is like saying that being poked in the arm is just like being hit by the bullet train. Besides, it is not the lightning that kills - it is the massive burns and vaporization of flesh that does the task.
Tasers use used primarily against knife wielding nut jobs, and really, they have been warned before hand. The only other methods are to shoot the dude, which would probably kill, or to beat the dude without mercy. Ever notice that Rodney King has been quiet ever since they introduced the Taser?
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