4 ms·

One of the issues with less-than-lethal weapons, is that the threshold for using force is much lower (at least in the mind of the wielder). Arm an authority wit

One of the issues with less-than-lethal weapons, is that the threshold for using force is much lower (at least in the mind of the wielder). Arm an authority with rubber hoses and you'll read stories of said authority whacking everyone as they walk down the street. edit: In either case, it is stories like this that make me see the police as very poorly trained and generally unprofessional. Don't act like this was a product failure of some sort.

ocdtrekkie 5y ago
I don't think tendency to misuse is a justification for only providing guns: I think most people would rather be tased than shot. But yes, I'd agree the training needs to constantly reinforce that a Taser is still a weapon that causes serious injury or death, and should only be employed in a situation the officer believes warrants that risk. Unfortunately a large number of these incidents involve mental health incidents, where officers probably weren't at real risk of physical harm.
- nescioquid 5y ago
  I do agree with you, and I don't mean to suggest otherwise. My only point, really, is that it seems that use of force is too often unwarranted in the first place (which goes to screening, training, and professionalism). Where I live, we seem to have had a long trickle of stories of the police tasing the mentally ill, or discharging their service weapons mistaken for a taser.
throwaway894345 5y ago
On the other hand, incidents like this one drive a backlash against less-than-lethal weapons (and various holds), forcing police to deploy lethal force more often. I don’t know what the answer is besides “we need to stop making policy based on the whims of angry mobs”.
- nescioquid 5y ago
  Absolutely not. My point is the poor training (or mistraining) that leads to unwarranted use of force in the first place. Train and outfit police like paramilitary warriors and every encounter with the public is a question of how much force to apply. That's the problem in my view.

ocdtrekkie 5y ago

I don't think tendency to misuse is a justification for only providing guns: I think most people would rather be tased than shot. But yes, I'd agree the training needs to constantly reinforce that a Taser is still a weapon that causes serious injury or death, and should only be employed in a situation the officer believes warrants that risk. Unfortunately a large number of these incidents involve mental health incidents, where officers probably weren't at real risk of physical harm.

nescioquid 5y ago
I do agree with you, and I don't mean to suggest otherwise. My only point, really, is that it seems that use of force is too often unwarranted in the first place (which goes to screening, training, and professionalism). Where I live, we seem to have had a long trickle of stories of the police tasing the mentally ill, or discharging their service weapons mistaken for a taser.

throwaway894345 5y ago

On the other hand, incidents like this one drive a backlash against less-than-lethal weapons (and various holds), forcing police to deploy lethal force more often. I don’t know what the answer is besides “we need to stop making policy based on the whims of angry mobs”.

nescioquid 5y ago
Absolutely not. My point is the poor training (or mistraining) that leads to unwarranted use of force in the first place. Train and outfit police like paramilitary warriors and every encounter with the public is a question of how much force to apply. That's the problem in my view.