Taser Benifits vs Risks

Disclaimer:

I want to declare that I am a stock owner in Taser. I believe the product saves lives and saves police officers injury. I fully understand that a Taser can be used inappropriately just like any other law enforcement device. My following statements are not only about the device, not about the officers who deployed them. We are all human, even the cops. So misuse of any device is possible in the hands of an untrained or dirty police officer. I have the highest respect for police officers, but also want to point out that in some areas of the US, all you need to be a police officer is a GED, High School diploma , or both (inside joke).

After stating that not all police officers are brainiacs, I would also like to point out that not all civilians are either. Actually, I truly dislike society as a whole. I like individuals, but people as a whole are a bunch of retarded followers who can not think straight and have to be told what they ought to be thinking.


Opinion:

I believe Tasers provide a far greater service to law enforcement then they do a threat to the person on the other end of the Taser. When used properly the Taser prevents contact between the police officer and the perpetrator. Small risk of the officer being hurt and smaller risk of the perp being choked, clubbed over the head, or shot.

The news loves to headline, “Taser Death”, and people sue over these deaths. They ask why did he (I will use he since most deaths are male) die? In the same article they will talk about the drugs in the man’s system. I really want to see a study on how many people die from drugs without being Tased, being in a fight with an officer while on drugs, or being shot by anyone while on drugs.

Personal Responsibility, it is all I want from Americans and anyone else in the world. Why do we expect our police officers to put themselves in danger with a drug crazed idiot? Why is the drug abuser’s life more important then the officers or for the law abiding citizens?

Exhibit A:

"We don't have an answer to why he died," said Bednarz, the attorney for Lee's parents, Bud Lee and Cindy Lundman. "It's still our contention that it was the strikes of the Taser and restraint procedures."

Police allege Lee was under the influence of LSD when he resisted arrest outside a Nashville nightclub in 2005. In addition to using pepper spray and batons to restrain Lee, police officers allegedly used a Taser on the man up to 19 times.

Opinion:

Really, REALLY? You have no answer why your son died. Let me tell you why. He was a drugged up punk. The cops used multiple options to restrain him and all failed. Is it possible that this obviously long fight, over worked his already over drugged heart? Personal responsibility people; it’s not the druggies fault it is the murderous police officers.


Exhibit B:

I can not continue with examples. I am just too pissed off. Just google, "Taser Death”, and read the stories. I have not found one story so far that resulted in a person dying when they were not acting crazy or presenting a danger to police. All were resisting arrest. What pisses me off is that these asshole’s families are getting rich by suing the police saying it’s the cops fault not the dickheads. How is a meth addicted piece of human excrement worth 2 million dollars? HOW? What is a police officers life worth? I would say one police officer is worth more then all the dead drug addicts and criminals that have died after being Tased.


Conclusion:

We are putting too high a price on vermin and too low a price on the law abiding and contributing members of our society. When will we wake up? When will we no longer defend and justify the actions of scum. Drug addiction is not a sickness; it is a weak person’s escape from reality. Let’s not make excuses for it and punish the people who try and stop them from hurting us. We may find one day that there are no longer good men and women willing to do the job.


I like to research my statements and always differentiate between my opinions and those of others. Here are a few of the sites I looked at before getting to pissed off to continue.

Research:

Taser International Research. Take this how ever you wish. I would never trust a company to provide unbiased data. http://www.taser.com/RESEARCH/STATISTICS/Pages/FieldUseandStatistics.aspx


The University of Wisconsin has done a lot of research on Tasers. Specifically John G. Webster, Professor Emeritus, and his students.
http://ecow.engr.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/getbig/bme/762/webster/sun-thesis-01-21-07.pdf - Hongyu Sun at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, 2007