There’s been heightened media coverage of tasering incidents lately. Most recently reports are that police tasered a pregnant woman in Ohio.
Alongside the “death by taser” fiasco in Vancouver, and the speeding ticket incident on a Utah highway, it would appear that it is ever more likely the cops are goind to apply the use of “non-lethal” force (Taser deaths in North America are over the 200 mark now) in favour of more low-tech and traditional approaches such as attempting to do police-work and engage the public. Interesting then, that the U.N. is considering classifying tasers as a torture device.
It used to be really important to people that a strict demarcation existed between “police” and “military” operations. Thanks of course to the TWAT, increasingly we are seeing the lined blurred between domestic and international applications of force. Military operations become “international policing” and domestic applications of military technology are sold and sought after.
So, in that vein, I present to you a Youtube Gallery of “taser’s greatest hits” (the effect of Youtube and personal video equipment in bringing stories like this to light is another story in itself) Enjoy!
I wonder what the balance is between deaths due to tasers and deaths that might have have otherwise occurred due to cops beating people up? Both are bad, but you know someone is going to trot that stat out sooner or later “It’s safer to have a cop taser you than beat you up”.
Comment by Brother Greg — November 30, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
That would be interesting of course, but you could also worry about the number of deaths due to road accidents, etc.
Obviously, there’s no way to ensure that every method use to apprehend suspects is going to be humane or bengin. That said, I’m pretty sure the billy clubs cops used are designed in such a way as to prevent a “lethal” blow. I’m sure that’s a bit of bullshit too.
My concern is the readiness to deploy things like tasers, given the perception that they “don’t really hurt people” and so that sooner or later, the FIRST the cops are going to do with anyone they see as stepping out of line will be to electrocute them. This keeping in mind the bevy of other “toys” the boys and girls and blue can’t wait to get on the street, such as microwave lasers and ED-209.
Comment by Ninja Man: With Ninja Powers! — November 30, 2007 @ 5:29 pm