Sudbury, Ontario police chief says tasers are effective and safer than guns
October 18, 2007
The Canadian Press
The police chief in Sudbury, Ontario is defending the use of Tasers despite two recent Canadian fatalities involving the controversial weapons. Chief Ian Davidson says Tasers, which employ powerful jolts of electricity to subdue suspects, are a very effective policing tool. Davidson says he intends to expand Taser use by his officers, who are often forced to deal with violent criminals who have no respect for police. He says given the choice, he would rather use a Taser than a gun because the consequences of using a firearm are far more severe. Davidson says his force keeps a record every time a Taser is fired by one of his officers. The use of such weapons is being questioned after a man in Vancouver and a man in Montreal died after being Tasered by police.
1 comment:
the cops often use this argument, that the taser is better because it is less lethal than a firearm.
the question to ask,then, is : in how many of the cases in which the taser is used would the cop have resorted to a firearm instead if he hadn't had a taser?
the YVR electrocution is a good case study. i doubt that the cops would have shot off the man's kneecaps or blown his brains out if they hadn't had a taser available.
many non-lethal uses of the taser are the same. the taser is used as punishment.
what has to be understood is that tasers are not only lethal in many cases, but that they are torture devices.
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