4 ms·

Tasers are a really effective way to neutralize someone violent. If a 200 pound man on drugs is charging at you screaming with rage, a taser gives you a good ch

by Taek 9y ago

Tasers are a really effective way to neutralize someone violent. If a 200 pound man on drugs is charging at you screaming with rage, a taser gives you a good chance to survive without getting hurt and without shooting anyone. I'm certain that tasers have saved many more lives than they have cost simply because they have as much stopping power as a gun, and sometimes you really need that much stopping power. We need to treat them as dangerous, because they are dangerous. But they have a place in the law enforcement toolkit and it's a very important one.

QAPereo 9y ago
If you have that level of certainty that you should have no problem providing proof.
andreasgonewild 9y ago
I don't doubt that they are effective, I've seen them being used. What I'm questioning is the states right to treat its citizens like that, no matter how convenient. And they're obviously not as safe as claimed. What it seems to lead to is tasing anyone who doesn't agree with them without missing a beat, is that really the kind of world you want to live in?
sp332 9y ago
200 pounds is the average weight of an adult male in the USA.
- damnfine 9y ago
  That is depressing as hell. I got up that heavy once and life was signifigantly worse.
Spivak 9y ago
Sure, but how about we put Tasers in the category of firearm alternative where the victim has better odds of living. Treat Tasers as lethal force and tell officers that if they wouldn't use their firearm then they shouldn't use a Taser either.
- tomschlick 9y ago
  A taser wont (solely) be used in a lethal force scenario. If someone is threatening an officer with a knife, they counter with their own lethal force. Officers are always +1 on the force level. If you are combative, they use mace/taser, if you have a knife they use a gun, etc. The only exception to this is when an officer has backup on scene and they can coordinate enough to allow one or more to provide lethal cover (guns) while the others try to employ less lethal tactics (taser, mace, beanbag shotgun, etc). This way, if those less lethal items dont work (and they dont 30% of the time) they are not scrambling for their gun while a pissed off suspect is charging with a knife.
  - plopz 9y ago
    Is mace lethal? Putting it at the same force level as tasers seems weird.
    - tomschlick 9y ago
      No, its classified as "less lethal" which is the same as tasers, batons, bean bag rounds, etc. What people don't realize is that before tasers the method of making someone comply (when fighting handcuffs being put on) was batons or actual punches. Yes tasers may cause health issues in 0.001% of uses but batons and punches would cause many more. Also, a lot of officers don't even carry mace anymore as it generally sucks for everyone when its employed. They are going to get it on them via wind or handling the suspect and it impacts their ability to function.
      - megous 9y ago
        > Yes tasers may cause health issues in 0.001% of uses... This is simply not true and weakens your argument quite a bit.
        tomschlick 9y ago
        Do you have any proof? The article listed states 276 related reports of death after taser use since 2000. I'd imagine tasers are used a few hundred times per day across the US, if not more.
ceejayoz 9y ago
I'd agree with all those points if use of tasers was limited to situations where guns would've previously been used, but their "less lethal" nature has meant they're used in a lot of situations where shooting would never have been acceptable.
jandrese 9y ago
Most people don't have a problem with using them in a situation like that, but zapping a tagger in the back is asshole behavior and should not be tolerated. There was no self defense here. The suspect is unlikely to be a danger to the community. It's a disproportionate response that ignores the inherent danger in the technology. I think Police should carry stun guns, but they need to be treated like the potentially deadly weapons that they are.
athenot 9y ago
Or... teach the police how to use their elbows, knees and fists. Then again, many members of the police have a hard time chasing a suspect by foot and are nowhere near in condition for even basic martial arts. Fun story: my massage therapist witnessed someone running away from a morbidely obese policeman and asked him if he needed help. Policeman agreed so he chased him accross a small parking lot. The policeman took his car to meet them a few hundred feet away and was still winded from his earlier attempt at running.
- ceejayoz 9y ago
  That's not a fun story. That's a terrifying story. Cops can deputize a random passerby with no training to intervene in a chase?
- burkaman 9y ago
  That's an and, not an or. Fists are dangerous too if you use them incorrectly. Police should know how to subdue someone with no weapons, a taser, or a gun, and know when each one is appropriate.
- cc439 9y ago
  >Or... teach the police how to use their elbows, knees and fists. Well say goodbye to women serving as patrol officers. Also, elbows, knees, and fists are lethal weapons, just ask Eric Garner.
anigbrowl 9y ago
If a 200 pound man on drugs is charging at you screaming with rage, a taser gives you a good chance to survive without getting hurt and without shooting anyone. So do a lot of other methods.

by Taek 9y ago

QAPereo 9y ago

If you have that level of certainty that you should have no problem providing proof.

andreasgonewild 9y ago

I don't doubt that they are effective, I've seen them being used. What I'm questioning is the states right to treat its citizens like that, no matter how convenient. And they're obviously not as safe as claimed. What it seems to lead to is tasing anyone who doesn't agree with them without missing a beat, is that really the kind of world you want to live in?

sp332 9y ago

200 pounds is the average weight of an adult male in the USA.

damnfine 9y ago
That is depressing as hell. I got up that heavy once and life was signifigantly worse.

Spivak 9y ago

Sure, but how about we put Tasers in the category of firearm alternative where the victim has better odds of living. Treat Tasers as lethal force and tell officers that if they wouldn't use their firearm then they shouldn't use a Taser either.

tomschlick 9y ago
A taser wont (solely) be used in a lethal force scenario. If someone is threatening an officer with a knife, they counter with their own lethal force. Officers are always +1 on the force level. If you are combative, they use mace/taser, if you have a knife they use a gun, etc. The only exception to this is when an officer has backup on scene and they can coordinate enough to allow one or more to provide lethal cover (guns) while the others try to employ less lethal tactics (taser, mace, beanbag shotgun, etc). This way, if those less lethal items dont work (and they dont 30% of the time) they are not scrambling for their gun while a pissed off suspect is charging with a knife.
- plopz 9y ago
  Is mace lethal? Putting it at the same force level as tasers seems weird.
  - tomschlick 9y ago
    No, its classified as "less lethal" which is the same as tasers, batons, bean bag rounds, etc. What people don't realize is that before tasers the method of making someone comply (when fighting handcuffs being put on) was batons or actual punches. Yes tasers may cause health issues in 0.001% of uses but batons and punches would cause many more. Also, a lot of officers don't even carry mace anymore as it generally sucks for everyone when its employed. They are going to get it on them via wind or handling the suspect and it impacts their ability to function.
    - megous 9y ago
      > Yes tasers may cause health issues in 0.001% of uses... This is simply not true and weakens your argument quite a bit.
      - tomschlick 9y ago
        Do you have any proof? The article listed states 276 related reports of death after taser use since 2000. I'd imagine tasers are used a few hundred times per day across the US, if not more.

ceejayoz 9y ago

I'd agree with all those points if use of tasers was limited to situations where guns would've previously been used, but their "less lethal" nature has meant they're used in a lot of situations where shooting would never have been acceptable.

jandrese 9y ago

Most people don't have a problem with using them in a situation like that, but zapping a tagger in the back is asshole behavior and should not be tolerated. There was no self defense here. The suspect is unlikely to be a danger to the community. It's a disproportionate response that ignores the inherent danger in the technology. I think Police should carry stun guns, but they need to be treated like the potentially deadly weapons that they are.

athenot 9y ago

Or... teach the police how to use their elbows, knees and fists. Then again, many members of the police have a hard time chasing a suspect by foot and are nowhere near in condition for even basic martial arts. Fun story: my massage therapist witnessed someone running away from a morbidely obese policeman and asked him if he needed help. Policeman agreed so he chased him accross a small parking lot. The policeman took his car to meet them a few hundred feet away and was still winded from his earlier attempt at running.

ceejayoz 9y ago
That's not a fun story. That's a terrifying story. Cops can deputize a random passerby with no training to intervene in a chase?
burkaman 9y ago
That's an and, not an or. Fists are dangerous too if you use them incorrectly. Police should know how to subdue someone with no weapons, a taser, or a gun, and know when each one is appropriate.
cc439 9y ago
>Or... teach the police how to use their elbows, knees and fists. Well say goodbye to women serving as patrol officers. Also, elbows, knees, and fists are lethal weapons, just ask Eric Garner.

anigbrowl 9y ago

If a 200 pound man on drugs is charging at you screaming with rage, a taser gives you a good chance to survive without getting hurt and without shooting anyone. So do a lot of other methods.