Criminology | Why All Police Officers Should Carry Tasers |

Why All Police Officers Should Carry Tasers

In this day and age self-protection is always a key concern for many people. The fear of crime and even the people who commit crime, there is always a chance that you could get robbed, caught up in physical altercation, or even happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. People in general approach these situations differently and prepare for these situations in different ways. Smart people normally avoid putting themselves in situations like these by just avoiding “problem areas” thus eliminating as much trouble as they possibly can. However, police officers put their lives on the line daily, putting themselves on the front lines against crime willingly putting themselves in the middle of these “problem areas”. Police officers are certified and carry many different kinds of personal protective equipment, and the military also happens to use a lot of the same equipment as well much of which I have personal experience. Most commonly is firearms, batons, and pepper spray but there is also the Taser. A problem for law enforcement was that police needed an actual method to enforce the law when criminals were hazardous or non-compliant. Officers are always responding to 911 calls and such, it forces them to make quick decisions and use their training and tools issued to them. In most cases, officers strive to resolve incidents quickly with no injuries. Non-lethal weapons make this possible. The taser uses two needle-like probes which are shot by compressed nitrogen into the intended target. When the probes hit the body of the target, they pass an electrical shock through the clothes that of which incapacitates the targets neuromuscular system causing loss of control and coordination of the body. “When the probes make contact with a person, the Taser will produce 50,000 volts of electricity, but only .0021 amps. The high voltage according to them is what is needed for the charge to go through clothes. According to Taser International, Inc. “it is not the volts that are dangerous it is the amps.” (Taser International , 2006) Many police departments have very strict guidelines and policies in place for when a taser should be used. While each police department has their own policies, I feel there is underlying standard that of which is tasers should only be used when it is “sensible” or when it is not considered police brutality. Basically if a suspect doesn’t pose a threat or is already “restrained” police should not use their tasers. It should not be used as a punishment or a means of retaliation. Many police departments have adopted tasers as standard piece of equipment for their officers. In many cases, police officers use the same procedures for using tasers as they do for using deadly force. In essence use of the taser is permitted when an officer is fear of receiving bodily harm or death while attempting to make an arrest, or for the protection of others from bodily harm or death. Tasers are a great way for police officers to protect themselves without using deadly force and because of this fact and their effectiveness they have been adopted by law enforcement officials across the nation.
One of the most controversial issues surrounding law enforcement officials is the use of Tasers. “In the United States, over 11,500 law enforcement agencies are testing or using Tasers and other similar electric devices. A Taser's "non-lethal" nature finds use when a firearm would not be prudent or reasonable but a simple verbal command would not suffice” (Wu, 1). We must all understand that first, it is very ideal to weaken a violent individual than to kill that individual. Second, using tasers should only be permissible when it is necessary for an officer to protect themselves and also reduce the risk of physical injury to the suspect. Third, all police officers carrying tasers should have complete and thorough knowledge of the effects of that taser on the human body. “…many have proposed that taser use by law enforcement be limited to situations in which deadly force would also be justified until there is sufficient research regarding the risks posed to various populations and in various circumstances.” (Sussman, 1355-1356) The question is should police be allowed to use tasers? I feel the answer is yes and here’s why. Much of these reasons are based on my own experiences working as a federal law enforcement official with the United States Coast Guard overseas and on the home front. All police should have effective methods to divert to when criminals are hazardous or uncooperative. Usually police officers carry pepper spray, batons, and a firearm. In many cases the baton is seen as brutal or violent method to get suspect to cooperate simply by beating them. Then there is pepper spray which I have had personally shot in my face with. “The pain caused by pepper spray is intense ... [and causes] an involuntary closing of the eyes, a gagging reflex, and temporary paralysis of the larynx” (Wu, 371). It is very effective but on the flip side if a officer sprays pepper spray the odds that some of the spray gets on the officer is also very likely causing discomfort and possibly impairing the officer for seeing properly if it blows back in his eyes. Also, pepper spray sometimes has no effect on people under the influence of drugs. Third, there are firearms and let’s face it if a gun is involved odds are very high that someone ends up dead and that’s never a good thing. I feel it is the combination of these factors that have led to the use of tasers by law enforcement officials. So I guess the real question is “Regarding the use of Tasers, do the benefits outweigh the risks even though there have been deaths related to these tools?” Tasers prove to have several benefits which include officer and genera public safety, also a decrease in the use of firearms and provides an opportunity for officers to use force that is considered less lethal. There are a lot of crimes committed every day that happen to be amidst the general public. If tasers were not available this would lead to huge risk on civilian safety due to the fact a firearm would have to be used to enforce the law. Which would you rather be accidently shot by a taser or a firearm? In essence a taser provides a nonviolent and more effective resource to law enforcement. Tasers are meant to be alternative method to using lethal force, and are used to decrease the likelihood that someone would be shot and killed by an officer. They are meant to have no permanent effects on a person’s health physically or mentally. This type of weapon is critical to law enforcement because it gives them the ability to effectively subdue a person who is threat to the officer and to the public without killing them. Another important fact that you have to look at is even though it is considered non-lethal there have been many deaths and health problems related to tasers. Mostly it is common sense and it is even hard to find scientific proof that tasers are the root causes of the deaths that follow a shock. A study done by a group of doctors who took pigs and shocked them multiple times and studied the resulting effects on their hearts concluded this, “Standard discharge from a TASER X-26 weapon did not induce VF at any of the five tested locations in our pig model including when barbs were inserted near the cardiac apex.” (Tchou et al, 408). If you take someone of poor health or physical condition or possibly a drunk or drugged suspect the taser may cause cardiac arrest. “Tasers can cause cardiac arrest and death. Just two months earlier, a Georgia man became the 500th person in the country to die after being tased by police.” (Guy, 5) So it’s definitely obvious to say that those with pre-existing heart issues are more likely to die from a taser shock than to be just simply stunned. Though many people are for the use of tasers by police there are also many people against the use. Both sides have very sensible and solid points but when it comes down law enforcement I feel it is absolutely necessary and I am speaking from personal experience. Tasers have proved to be effective tool when it comes to subduing suspects. Even though there may be an occasional death related to the use of the taser, they are saving more lives than they are taking. Police now have another option instead of having to rely on their handguns for protection. To the community I feel it gives the police a positive image with general public. I feel that all police should be extensively trained in the use of tasers to prevent the occasional accidental death by taser. The tasers benefits outweigh the cons and should be part of every police officers equipment.

WORKS CITED
Wu, Sam W. "WHEN CAN I TASE HIM, BRO?": BRYAN V. MCPHERSON AND THE PROPRIETY OF POLICE USE OF TASERS." Golden Gate University Law Review 40.3 (2010): 361-380. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
Guy, Conner. "The Truth About Tasers." Nation 294.22 (2012): 5. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.
Patrick J. Tchou, et al. "Cardiac Effects Of Electrical Stun Guns: Does Position Of Barbs Contact Make A Difference?." Pacing & Clinical Electrophysiology 31.4 (2008): 398-408. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Taser International (2006). Instructor Certification Lesson Plan (Version 13.0 ed., Rev.). Scottsdale, Arizona: Taser International. 17 Feb. 2013
Sussman, Aaron. "Shocking The Conscience: What Police Tasers And Weapon Technology Reveal About Excessive Force Law." UCLA Law Review 59.5 (2012): 1342-1415. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

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