Taser Use on Children

What kind of police policy and government allows police to taser a child?! One has to wonder what police would have done if they didn't have the Tasers. Would they have shot these kids with service revolvers? I suspect not!

A 15-year-old boy in California was tasered last week after reportedly trying to run away from police.

In September 2006, Amnesty International condemned the repeated use of a Taser gun on a 17-year-old boy by RCMP officers at a house party in Hampton, New Brunswick.

In November 2005, Fort Myers, Florida police used their taser on an autistic 15-year-old when he was already down.

In June 2005, in Lorain, Ohio, police tasered a 12-year-old boy on a school bus for the crime of trying to steal another boy's CD case.

That same week, the Lorain police department said it was forced to use a Taser gun on an "unruly child" - a 16-year-old boy was tasered after an officer chased him from a fight.

In February 2005, a 14-year-old boy tasered at a group home in Chicago went into cardiac arrest. He did recover, physically at least.

In May 2004, a South Tucson, Arizona police sergeant was under investigation for firing his stun gun to subdue a handcuffed 9-year-old girl. The sergeant was one of at least two officers who responded to a call from the Arizona Children's Home, a school for special needs children. "It had to do with a runaway from the institution," the chief said. He declined to provide further details.

In January 2004, Miami police tasered a 12-year-old girl for the "crime" of skipping school, drinking and smoking. Good thing tasers weren't around when I was 12!!

A month earlier, Miami police also tasered a 6-year-old boy!!

An Edmonton police officer shocked a 15-year-old boy during a strip search in a police cell. The youth testified that the officer told him he was being zapped with the Taser because he had lied to police. The officer was found not guilty and charges were stayed against the youth. "By accusing, charging, detaining, strip-searching, convicting and punishing the boy before he was ever brought before the court, the police officer abused the power placed in his hands," the judge said in her 16-page ruling.

In October 2002, 16-year-old Randy Fryingpan was tasered seven times by an Edmonton police officer who used the taser to "roust" him when he - drunk and unconscious - failed to respond to police commands to exit his friend's car.