Taser International's Letter to the Editor

It's a good thing we've got PR Pete to set us straight. Without the lovely folks at Taser International to tell us the truth, we would be stuck thinking that tasers may kill people.

Here's Pete's letter in response to a September 5 editorial in the Miramichi Leader.

September 11, 2008
Miramichi Leader

Letter to the Editor

The current debate over TASER devices and TASER policies is very important and necessary. In the end, this debate will make all our communities safer, but only if the deliberation is based on facts and not raw emotion or conjecture. TASER technology and TASER devices are, arguably, the most studied police technology and tool in history. To date, more than 120 major studies have evaluated and tested TASER technology and the medical safety of the devices. Approximately 80 per cent of these studies were conducted independently of TASER International including several recent human safety studies funded through US Department of Justice grants. The science and findings of these studies indicates that TASER devices are generally safe and effective producing a high voltage, low amperage pulse that is incapable of causing death in a human. It should also be noted that while there have been in-custody deaths in Canada proximal to a TASER device being deployed during an arrest or restraint procedure, in each case where a coroner's inquest and other inquiry has been completed, the TASER device has NOT been found to be either a cause or contributing factor in the death. In fact, TASER devices are saving lives and reducing injuries to law enforcement officers and suspects alike in every community where they are deployed. The former RCMP commissioner is entitled to his opinion. So is the Miramichi Leader entitled to its opinion. But by ignoring the facts, and the overwhelming body of medical and scientific evidence, you do a disservice to your readers.

Peter Holran
Vice President for Public Relations & Government Affairs TASER International