"From Jan. 1, 2010 through Jan. 2 of this year, police shot eight men. Of those, two were diagnosed with mental illness, and had substance abuse problems. Three were under the influence of intoxicants and possibly had mental health issues. One suffered from depression, according to the police study. ... In five of the eight shootings, less-lethal weapons -- often Taser stun guns -- were used, but didn't incapacitate the suspects. "It doesn't always work. They aren't as effective as you would like," Stewart said. As a result, the bureau is moving to a Taser gun with a dart that is just over a half-inch long that will allow officers also to shoot from as far as 25 feet away, compared to the current 21-foot distance. "We hope the increase in this dart length will cause for a better connection, and it will be incapacitating," Training Lieutenant Robert King said. "
March 09, 2011
March 08, 2011
Do Tasers Make Us Safer? (Crime Report Archives)
"A new report says that Tasers decrease the likelihood of injuries to both police and civilian suspects during use of force incidents. A group of researchers at the University of Southern California looked at use-of-force data from 12 large police departments, and determined that the use of what the report refers to as "conducted energy devices (CEDs), such as the Taser," brought injuries to civilians down significantly...."
Wednesday, March 09, 2011 01:01
