The Changing History of Tasers in Canada

In 2004, the year my brother died, the Victoria Police Department website described tasers and their use as follows:

The Victoria Police Department was the first Canadian Police agency to adopt the TASER. This weapon, uses electronic energy to interrupt the messages the brain sends to the muscles in our bodies. When a target is hit with the two projectiles sent out by the TASER, the muscles lock up and refuse to listen to the brain's commands. This results in safe and effective arrests for police, with an increased likelihood of the subject being arrested with little or no injuries. The TASER is used when police face a dangerous situation that may result in deadly force. The TASER is another option to solve the issue without resorting to deadly force unless necessary. The VPD first brought the TASER into Canada in 1999 after receiving an exemption from the Attorney General of British Columbia to import the weapon from the USA. We performed a six month study on the effectiveness of the weapon and determined it had value as a less than lethal force option.

In January 2005, the following wording was removed: The TASER is used when police face a dangerous situation that may result in deadly force. The TASER is another option to solve the issue without resorting to deadly force unless necessary.

Today, on the Victoria Police Department's website, the taser is described as follows:

The VPD first brought the TASER, which is a Conducted Energy Weapon, into Canada in 1999 after receiving an exemption from the Attorney General of British Columbia to import the weapon from the USA. Our members participated a six month study on the effectiveness of the weapon and determined it had value as a weapon of lower lethality. Conducted Energy Weapons are classified as Intermediate Weapons on the National Use of Force Model. Conducted Energy Weapons use electronic energy to interrupt the messages the brain sends to the muscles in our bodies. When a subject is exposed to the electrical impulses of a Conducted Energy Weapon, the muscles lock up and refuse to listen to the brain's commands for coordinated movement. This affect makes coordinated motor control more difficult, allowing officers to subdue subjects with less intrusive physical techniques.