EDITORIAL: Tinkering with the Taser's trigger

June 4, 2010
Bob Ray Sanders, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The brand name Taser, manufacturer of the world's most popular electronic control device, is very much a part of the English lexicon today -- so much so that it is often used as a verb.

The "stun gun" products bearing that name consist of different models that deploy probes, from as far away as 35 feet, that can be discharged and emit 50,000 volts of electricity, usually disabling an individual in an instant.

The Taser is marketed as a nonlethal weapon that can help defuse disruptive situations and save the lives of both the user and the person who literally is being shocked into compliance.

Taser International, headquartered in Arizona, reports on its website that more than 15,000 public safety agencies in 40 countries rely on its devices "to help protect and serve."

The Fort Worth Police Department has more than 1,300 of the Taser X26 model and has deployed the weapons more than 1,350 times. Most officers insist that lives were saved because, in many cases, police would have had to use their firearms if the Taser were not available.

For four individuals in Fort Worth, and more than 345 elsewhere, the Taser didn't save lives. It reportedly contributed to their deaths.

Last month, the Fort Worth City Council voted to pay $2 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of Michel Patrick Jacobs Jr., a 24-year-old mental patient. Jacobs, who was 5-foot-5 and 140 pounds, died April 18, 2009, after being shocked twice with a Taser by a Fort Worth police officer. His parents had called police because he had become aggressive, a behavior that would occur when he was not taking his medication.

The financial settlement was the largest offer the city has ever made in a death or injury case. A federal judge is expected to approve the agreement in the next 30 to 45 days, according to Jacobs family attorney Brian Eberstein.

Jacobs' death was ruled a homicide by Tarrant County Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani, who found that the initial shock to the body lasted 49 seconds because the officer kept her finger on the trigger. The Taser is designed to have a five-second deployment after a single click of the trigger but continues discharging if the trigger is held down. A second shock to Jacobs lasted five seconds.

I've called for a moratorium on Taser use until there can be a lot more independent study of the device and a lot more training by police officers.

That moratorium is not going to happen, but police are receiving more training about how to use the Taser and how to deal with mentally ill people.

But Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead is pursuing a plan that just might save other lives when Tasers are used. This revelation came in a recent meeting with the Star-Telegram Editorial Board.

Without talking about the Jacobs case specifically -- "because it is not final" -- the chief said he approached Taser International officials last October about modifying the device. During a meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Denver, Halstead said he proposed the Taser X26 be programmed so that the maximum duration of a shock, without releasing and pressing the trigger again, would be 10 seconds.

In other words, even in the case of a highly tense situation in which an officer continues pressing the trigger, the stun device would stop after 10 seconds. The trigger would have to be pulled again to cause an additional shock.

Last week, Halstead said through his chief of staff Lt. Paul Henderson that altering the device with a 10-second maximum shock "could reduce the risk of any potential complications caused by longer applications and reduce the risk of civil liability."

In rejecting his idea last year, Taser officials cited other possible liability issues if the company changed the weapon as suggested and said they would have to discuss the issue with their legal counsel, Halstead told the Editorial Board.

The chief's recommendation sounds not only reasonable and plausible, but prudent. I can't understand why Taser couldn't oblige him.

Halstead isn't giving up, he said. He plans a campaign, first by initiating conversations with chiefs of other major cities in Texas, and by raising the topic at the October meeting of the association of chiefs in Orlando.

With the widespread use of Tasers and the growing number of departments that are purchasing them, one would think any safeguard that could be applied would be taken under consideration by the manufacturer. Maybe it is, but we don't know that.

In my opinion, the stun gun is overused by officers, and often in situations where they would not have used a firearm if the Taser were not at their disposal. In the four fatal cases in Fort Worth, for example, I find it hard to believe that police would have shot these unarmed people, including a woman who was handcuffed.

But I've lost the argument for halting the use of Tasers in Fort Worth, so the next best thing is finding ways to prevent its misuse.

The police chief has offered a plan that might save lives. It's now up to the folks at Taser to make a move.

Taser firm sponsoring police chiefs conference

Taser International has also paid $25,000 to sponsor the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in November 2008 in San Diego.

"Take advantage of this unique opportunity available to only one company to sponsor all of the aisle signs in the exhibit hall. Each aisle sign is 4’ x 10’ and will display the aisle number along with the sponsor’s logo and booth number on the bottom in a 4’ x 4’ area. Over 50 aisle signs with your company’s information will be hung above the exhibit floor making this a tremendous exposure opportunity.
Available Sponsorship: 1 , Sold: 1 Cost: $25,000.00"

August 14, 2008
JOHN COTTER, The Canadian Press

Taser International is a major sponsor of a coming police chiefs conference where new research into electronic stun gun safety will be presented.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police commissioned a review of conducted-energy weapons last fall after Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski died at Vancouver International Airport when he was hit with the device by RCMP. At least five other Canadians have since died after being tasered by police.

Steve Palmer, executive director of the Canadian Police Research Centre, said he will present an overview of the report at the conference this month in Montreal, but said the full review of the weapons commonly known as tasers is not yet complete.

"It's an update," said Mr. Palmer, who declined to give details. A final report is expected by next year after a full and independent peer review.

Called RESTRAINT (Risk of Death in Subjects That Resist), the review compares tasers with other methods police use to subdue difficult people.

It also looks at the characteristics of those who have been zapped, including excited delirium, a condition in which suspects are in a heart-pounding state of agitation. Excited delirium has been repeatedly cited to explain the sudden deaths of people after being tasered.

Taser International is one of the platinum sponsors of the conference that runs Aug. 24-27. The corporation has sponsored similar events in Canada and around the world.

For a minimum $25,000 fee, platinum sponsors can display their name on banners and signs, provide promotional items in delegate kits, be given an advance list of participants and attend conference sessions.

Steve Tuttle, vice-president of Arizona-based Taser International, said the company's presence is important. "You have to be there. It is a major sales event. It is advertising," said Mr. Tuttle, who will be at the conference to answer questions about his company's products.

Mr. Tuttle said that, while the new Canadian research is important, he has DVDs that contain 130 studies that have found the devices to be safe. "You want to be there to be a conduit for information because clearly we have controversial issues in Canada, and the last thing that we want to be is shy. We stand behind our technology."

Hilary Homes of Amnesty International Canada, which has called for a moratorium on stun guns, said having Taser as a sponsor and exhibitor sends a mixed message. "It is very troubling," Ms. Homes said from Ottawa. "What we need now is an objective discussion and accountability, and this doesn't seem to be creating the proper context for what needs to be a very frank and open debate."

Officials with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police were not available for comment.

Taser staff will be on hand to exhibit the company's trademark X26 model used by the RCMP and other Canadian police forces. Taser is not listed as an exhibitor under its own name, but under its Canadian distributor, M.D. Charlton Co. Ltd.

The company will also be promoting new products such as a wireless taser round that is fired from a shotgun and has a range of 20 metres, he said. There will also be information on new products being developed, including a system called Shockwave that fires multiple taser rounds that can incapacitate a number of people in an area up to 100 metres.

A special video camera and audio device that police can wear to show what happens when an officer restrains someone is also in the works. A video of Mr. Dziekanski's death that was shot by a member of the public made headlines around the world, but there was no police video of the encounter.

Feds Probe Stun Gun Deaths

June 14, 2006
CBS News

With over 180 deaths in recent years among suspects subdued with stun guns, the government is taking a closer look into their use.

The review by the Justice Department, which will initially involve 30 such cases, follows the rapid growth in deployment of stun guns as a nonlethal alternative to bullet-firing weapons. The department's research arm, the National Institute of Justice, said there have been 184 such deaths since 1986, the overwhelming majority since 2000. Amnesty International, which has called for a moratorium on stun gun use, says there have been roughly 160 deaths in the past five years.

The study will not look at whether the use of stun guns was appropriate, John Morgan, the institute's assistant director, said Wednesday. Instead, researchers will make medical assessments of the 30 cases, which include deaths that were attributed to a stun gun and some in which authorities could not determine whether a stun gun caused or contributed to a death, he said.

Two deaths occurred in 1986, one in 1990 and the rest since 2000, Morgan added.

In the remaining 154 cases, stun guns were ruled out as a factor in the deaths, but the study could eventually include those deaths as well, he said, saying the review could take up to two years.

“We hope this will help improve less-lethal technology generally,” Morgan said. “If we find a particular operating characteristic is contributing to a problem, we hope that will be way to improve that technology.”

Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., the largest maker of stun guns, said that the devices have saved more than 9,000 lives because police officers have been able to the weapon instead of handguns that fire bullets. Tasers deliver a 50,000-volt jolt through two barbed darts that can penetrate clothing.

“Given that the NIJ conducted a similar study on pepper spray which effectively ended the debate regarding its safety, we are hopeful this study will lead to the same outcome regarding electro-muscular disruption devices,” Taser vice president Steve Tuttle said.

Dalia Hashad, director of Amnesty's USA Program, said the study is a good first step. “We've been asking the federal government for the last six years to take seriously that people are dying after being shot by this weapon,” Hashad said.

A government study last year said more than 7,000 of the nation's 18,000 police agencies used Tasers, up from 1,000 in 2001.

Many of those who died were high on drugs, mentally ill or otherwise agitated, according to an Amnesty International report released in March. Many deaths in the past year occurred after victims were hit by Tasers at least three times and, in some cases, for prolonged periods, the report said.

Some police agencies have tightened their rules on stun-gun use following Taser-related deaths.

One goal of the new study is to get a better understanding of how the body reacts when hit by electricity from the devices.

Researchers will include medical examiners, pathologists, cardiologists and other experts, said Dr. Robert Hunsaker, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners and co-chairman of the group that is designing the study.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police, which has called for careful monitoring of stun gun use, also will be part of the review.

US Justice Department looks into deaths of people subdued by stun guns

June 13, 2006
Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department is reviewing the deaths of up to 180 people who died after law enforcement officers used stun guns or other electro-shock devices to subdue them.
"These deaths raise a question in our mind that should be examined," said Glenn Schmitt, acting director of the department's National Institute of Justice. He said the review will initially focus on 30 deaths, including one from two decades ago.

Most of the deaths occurred within the past four years, corresponding with the mass deployment of stun guns to police departments throughout the country. A number of departments have re-evaluated their use of the weapons because of the fatal incidents.

More than 80 deaths since 1999 were identified in a recent analysis by The Arizona Republic. Amnesty International has identified more than 150 deaths since 2001.

The devices, marketed as alternatives to lethal force, are designed to incapacitate unruly suspects through electric shock.

Taser International, the nation's largest maker of stun guns, has supplied more than 130,000 devices to about 7,000 of the nation's 16,000 police agencies.

The company has maintained that its products are safe and have saved the lives of police officers and suspects.

"As we know, in-custody deaths are part of policing," Taser spokesman Steve Tuttle said when asked about the Justice Department review. "The more we can study and understand the circumstances that lead to in-custody deaths, the more opportunities there are to develop law enforcement tactics and procedures that will help prevent these unfortunate events in the future."

According to Taser, the company is a named defendant in 49 lawsuits alleging either wrongful death or personal injury. An additional 20 lawsuits have been dismissed.

The Justice Department review, which could take up to two years, was proposed last year after law enforcement authorities expressed concern about the increasing numbers of deaths after stun guns were used to incapacitate suspects, Schmitt said.

Schmitt said the review will enlist the help of the National Association of Medical Examiners, the American College of Pathologists, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Teams of medical examiners will begin reviewing individual cases this fall.

Amnesty International called the Justice review a "good first step."

"The fact that the government is doing this is an important acknowledgement that there is a serious problem," said Dalia Hashad, director of Amnesty's USA Program. "People are dying needlessly. It's important that the federal government is taking this responsibility."

Last year, the IACP recommended that law enforcement agencies closely monitor use of the devices after noting safety concerns involving stun guns.

Schmitt said investigators are expected to examine a range of issues in each case, including ages, weight, possible physical impairments, evidence of drug use and other factors that could have contributed to the deaths.

In addition, Schmitt said, investigators will explore a phenomenon known as "excited delirium," in which a shutdown of bodily functions occurs after sensory overload.

Schmitt said the department is not urging any immediate change in the deployment of the devices.

"There is no reason to do anything different for now," he said. "We'll let the research answer the questions."