REVIEW RSS FEED
TASER ADMITS TORTURE WEAPON SHOULDN'T BE AIMED AT CHEST
Star, Canada - Police forces across Canada, including the RCMP, OPP, are immediately changing their Taser use policy after the manufacturer issued a directive that officers should not aim the weapon at a suspect's chest.
Taser International said in a bulletin that it's no longer advisable to aim the conducted energy weapon, which sends out a jolt of electricity, at a target's chest area to avoid impact to the heart.
"We have lowered the recommended point of aim from centre of mass to lower centre of mass for front shots," the company said in a new training bulletin.
Rather than the chest area, which could lead to electricity affecting the heart, the company said police officers should target the back, legs or abdomen.
The new directive comes as the two-year anniversary approaches of the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died Oct. 14, 2007 at Vancouver International Airport. . .
Taser International has strenuously denied at the public inquiry that the weapon was the direct cause of Dziekanski's death. . .
B.C. Civil Liberties executive director David Eby said Sunday the weapon should be banned and that changing the targeted area on where to aim is not enough.
"We are disappointed that police have to wait for the company to issue a directive before making these changes," said Eby. "Admittedly that is a step towards limiting the use, but it's hard to imagine in what situation it makes sense to aim at a suspect's back.". . .
Amnesty International says 330 people died in the United States after being jolted by stun guns between June 2001 and late 2008. In Canada, the human rights watchdog says at least 26 such deaths occurred from 2003 to 2008.
Taser International said in a bulletin that it's no longer advisable to aim the conducted energy weapon, which sends out a jolt of electricity, at a target's chest area to avoid impact to the heart.
"We have lowered the recommended point of aim from centre of mass to lower centre of mass for front shots," the company said in a new training bulletin.
Rather than the chest area, which could lead to electricity affecting the heart, the company said police officers should target the back, legs or abdomen.
The new directive comes as the two-year anniversary approaches of the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died Oct. 14, 2007 at Vancouver International Airport. . .
Taser International has strenuously denied at the public inquiry that the weapon was the direct cause of Dziekanski's death. . .
B.C. Civil Liberties executive director David Eby said Sunday the weapon should be banned and that changing the targeted area on where to aim is not enough.
"We are disappointed that police have to wait for the company to issue a directive before making these changes," said Eby. "Admittedly that is a step towards limiting the use, but it's hard to imagine in what situation it makes sense to aim at a suspect's back.". . .
Amnesty International says 330 people died in the United States after being jolted by stun guns between June 2001 and late 2008. In Canada, the human rights watchdog says at least 26 such deaths occurred from 2003 to 2008.
2 Comments:
Why go for the heart when you can go for the gonads?
Unfortunately, America's police officers spend hours on the target range perfecting their instincts for making a fatal shot every time. They are unlikely to easily unlearn this instinct when it comes to using Tasers.
The problem is with the basic philosophy behind gun usage. The official line is that it costs so much to train an officer that they must never risk allowing an armed person to shoot them. The costs of litigating a bad shooting will still be less than the replacement cost if the officer is killed.
Post a Comment
<< Home