Canadian police chiefs starting taser research soon

December 31, 2007

The Canadian Police Research Centre is about to begin a yearlong study of Conducted Energy Devices, aka Tasers, at the request of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. Some 4,400 law enforcement and corrections agencies in North America, including the vast majority of Canadian agencies, use Conducted Energy Devices, estimates CACP, whose president, Steven Chabot, announced the project in November.

CED technology is continuously evolving, and several development in less lethal and directed energy technologies soon will be available to Canada's police services, the association says. The RESTRAINT study (Risk of death in subjects that resist: assessment of the incidence and nature of fatal outcomes) will begin early in 2008, with a final report made available in 2009 after a year of data collection.

"A large body of research already exists on Conducted Energy Devices," Chabot said, "and while CEDs have a solid track record for safety, CED-related incidents that involve injury or death are an obvious concern for law enforcement personnel and the public alike. We have asked the CPRC to update its comprehensive 2005 report to reflect any new findings regarding CEDs and CED-related issues, to proceed with a study of individuals resisting arrest as recommended in that 2005 report, and to look at ways of establishing a more national approach to evaluating evolving CED technology and encouraging CED information-sharing."