As we reported in our last issue, the Portland Police Bureau shocked the public last June by announcing that it added stun devices called M26 Advanced Tasers to its "less lethal" arsenal. The Bureau apparently made this decision without community input or safety studies by agencies other than Taser manufacturers. The weapons -- shaped like handguns -- fire two barbed darts that deliver pulses of electrical current through attached wires. They can be fired as far as 21 feet away and can be set to fire multiple pulses -- each one 50,000 volts.
The stun devices are currently being purchased by other police departments around the globe, despite Amnesty International and The Lancet (a British medical journal) reports of Taser- related deaths in the past few years (see PPR #27). More recently, two deaths linked to the use of Tasers by police officers occurred in Orange County, Florida and Olympia, Washington.
The Orange County death happened in July when a deputy fired a Taser at a man twelve times for allegedly failing to obey deputies' commands. Law enforcement officials claim the victim may have had drugs in his system, an important theory since the Orange County Sheriff's physician admitted that Tasers could kill drug users (Orlando Sentinel, August 4). In fact, a 2001 study by The Lancet shows that many of the Taser-related deaths occur in victims who have taken drugs. The report also suggests that people with heart conditions could die after being hit by Tasers.
In November, a shoplifting suspect died shortly after Olympia police officers fired a Taser at him. Police officials speculated that the victim could have had a pre-existing medical condition (Olympian, November 8).
These deaths raise many concerns about the use of "less-lethal" devices. For instance, it's unlikely that officers would know if alleged suspects have heart conditions or take drugs. Similarly, ethical issues need to be addressed. Reports by volunteers outside of police departments indicate that the Tasers cause extreme pain. A reporter for the Kingston (Ontario) Whig Standard, allowed officers to fire one pulse at her. She described the experience in an October 11 column: "I felt, and was, totally defenceless [sic], helpless and useless. For about two or three seconds, a surge of brilliant lightening [sic] rocketed around my body and fried my guts, my blood and my bones. I lost all awareness and ability and fell to the floor... I had never felt pain like I felt when 50,000 volts hijacked my body -- and pray I never will again."
The Portland Police Bureau has promised a six-month evaluation of the use of Tasers, which means a report should be coming out in January. Hopefully, it will be presented to City Council in a public forum allowing members of the community to express concerns. The report should also indicate how often the Taser has been used by officers and in what circumstances. (Bureau officials claim that the devices will be used under conditions in which pepper spray is used - to subdue physical resistance.) Since the Taser's debut in June, in which Portland officers shocked a woman allegedly holding a knife, the weapon has been used at least once -- during police arrests of Critical Mass bicycle riders in August (see other article). Copwatch has received anecdotal evidence of numerous other police uses of Tasers in Portland.
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