"Very, Very Prescriptive" vs "Needs to be Clarified"?

Rick Bartolucci, Ontario's Minister of Community Safety, quoted in the Globe and Mail on March 30, 2010 - Ontario to tighten taser rules for police: "We're enhancing Ontario's position with regards to its measured approach by introducing a very, very significant guideline (that's) very very prescriptive," Minister of Community Safety Rick Bartolucci said Tuesday. "There was a lack of consistency with regards to guidelines and training standards, so those are the two recommendations that we zeroed in on to make changes as quickly as possible."

Wayne Frechette, Barrie, Ontario Police Chief, quoted in today's Barrie Examiner - Taser Rules Need to be Clarified: "They sometimes ask us to make diagnoses that take doctors four visits over three weeks to do, that we are expected to do in two seconds ... It's got to be something where death or serious bodily harm may be imminent" ... (adding he suspects there will be clearer information when the directive is sent out to various police departments) ... "A schizophrenic running around with a weapon in hand is no less dangerous than an ordinary person running around with a weapon in hand ... Who are we to diagnose who has what? We're there because of the guy's behaviour. The underlying cause of that behaviour is really beyond our field. It makes little difference to us in the moment. I'm still between a rock and a hard place here, because if your behaviour is such that we are considering using a Taser, it's got to be pretty violent ... The fact that you have a bad ticker, that may factor into your ultimate demise if you do get Tasered, but we're in no position to make those diagnoses."

What's wrong with this picture? And who's keeping track?

What follows are some reactions by police across Canada to the RCMP's taser use restrictions announced on February 12, 2009. Also included are a couple of quite obviously inappropriate and very recent uses of the weapon in both Belleville and Barrie, Ontario. There is no rhyme. There is no reason. Municipal police in Canada are doing whatever the hell they want.

February 16, 2009
Belleville Intelligencer
A man had to be subdued with a Taser when police attempted to break up a fight at a North Front Street bar early Monday. The incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m. Police said they broke up one fight and required a Taser — a stun gun — to subdue a man, who was resisting arrest. A Belleville man, 22 and a Campbellford male, 21, were arrested for public intoxication, causing a disturbance and mischief to property, police said. Both males were released and will appear in court March 26, police said. Names were not released.

February 14, 2009
The Barrie Examiner
Police use Taser to subdue man - Barrie police used a Taser to help arrest a six-foot-two, 350-pound man, yesterday. Officers were called to a Blake Street home about a 24-year-old with a history of mental health issues who was reportedly out of control. Police say the man was defiant when officers arrived and a Taser was used to incapacitate him, until he could be handcuffed.

February 13, 2009
Globe and Mail
Sergeant Scott Warren, chairman of the RCMP's officer safety committee, said the matter is more complicated in real-life situations. "The commissioner, with all due respect, is incorrect to say we wouldn't use them again for actively resistant people," he told CTV News.

February 12, 2009
CTV News
Police commissioner is out of touch, says officer
...But according to Sgt. Scott Warren, the chair of the RCMP's Officer Safety Committee, the so-called new regulations have been drawn up by officials who are out of touch with the realities of street-level policing. In an interview with CTV's Power Play, Warren also said that the regulations don't adequately address the split-second decisions police must make everyday. "Sometimes I think the commissioner is in over his head," said Warren, referring to Elliott, who is the first-ever civilian to head the national police force. Warren said that the previous policy governing Taser use was broad and trusted the judgment of individual police officers.

February 13, 2009
TREVOR PRITCHARD, STANDARD-FREEHOLDER, WITH FILES FROM THE CANADIAN PRESS
Most of the RCMP's new guidelines on the use of Tasers have already been implemented by municipal police forces in Ontario, including Cornwall, says the city's chief of police. Chief Dan Parkinson said much of the RCMP policy announced Thursday - which will prohibit the stun guns from being used to simply subdue suspects - is reflected in an October 2008 report filed by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

February 13, 2009
660 News Calgary
The Calgary Sun reports, city police say the devices are lifesavers and will not alter their approach to them.

February 13, 2009
CTV Calgary
In a written statement Friday, officials said they won't be making any changes to policies after Thursday's announcement by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

February 13, 2009
Metro News Vancouver
Vancouver police will continue to use Tasers until officers review the reasons behind an RCMP announcement on Thursday curbing the use of stun guns ... Const. Jana McGuinness, spokesperson for Vancouver police, said she hasn’t seen a report yet. “I would want to see how it impacts us, and if it does, what are our policies surrounding these things,” she said.

February 13, 2009
Metro News Edmonton
Police services in Edmonton are not going to change policies around Tasers, they say, after the RCMP moved to restrict the use of the stun guns because it can kill in certain cases.

February 14, 2009
Chronicle Herald
"It’s very unlikely there will be any changes to our policy, as it’s virtually the same as ours," said Const. Jeff Carr, spokesman for Halifax Regional Police.

February 14, 2009
Winnipeg Free Press
At present, Winnipeg officers are permitted to use a Taser in situations where force is required, where an individual is resisting arrest and may flee and if the individual is in a state of excited delirium. A suspect need not be combative to elicit a shot from a stun gun.

February 11, 2009
SARAH DEETH, Peterborough Examiner
Use of force by city police officers was down in 2008 from 2007, but the use of the Taser has increased.

Ontario police are still tasering people for being DEFIANT

(The headline above is mine.)

February 14, 2009
The Barrie Examiner

Police use Taser to subdue man

Barrie police used a Taser to help arrest a six-foot-two, 350-pound man, yesterday.

Officers were called to a Blake Street home about a 24-year-old with a history of mental health issues who was reportedly out of control.

Police say the man was defiant when officers arrived and a Taser was used to incapacitate him, until he could be handcuffed.

He was then taken to Royal Victoria Hospital for assessment.

City police plan to review Taser safety

Yesterday, Barrie police announced that their tasers were working properly and that they would not pull them off the shelf. Today, the Barrie Examiner reports that Barrie police plan to review its tasers.

So, which is it???

SHOCKING FINDINGS
Posted By RAYMOND BOWE, Barrie Examiner

Barrie police will review its Tasers after a report found some older models provided by U. S. law enforcement generated an electrical current exceeding manufacturer specifications.

"It would be foolish for us not to look into it," Barrie Police Chief Wayne Frechette said yesterday. "If we're using something that is causing trouble, we'll stop using them until they're working properly."

The CBC found that four of 41 working X-26 units-- all manufactured before 2005 -- generated a current exceeding specifications, in some instances 50 per cent stronger than intended.

Taser International disputes the public broadcaster's findings.

The Barrie police department has 36 Tasers, including 29 X-26 models, but none of which it says were made prior to 2006. The other seven are M-26 units.

Tasers emit a blueish bolt of 50,000 volts, snapping loudly at the end of the device.

Barrie police began using Tasers in 2004. They are carried by tactical officers and patrol sergeants.

Yesterday, Frechette asked Insp. James Farrell, head of operational support, to look into the department's Tasers, to see when they were manufactured and whether there are any issues.

"It's not the sort of thing you want to find out a year later (if there was a problem)," Frechette said. "We will do anything we have to do to make sure they're up to scratch."

Tests are conducted daily to ensure the unit's battery and internal display are functioning correctly. An internal test is done monthly, where all of the information on a unit's memory is downloaded.

Any malfunctioning Tasers are removed from service and sent back to the manufacturer for repair or replacement.

Last year, Barrie police officers responded to more than 50,000 calls, and Tasers were used 31 times, which includes displaying the weapon as a deterrent. Their use has declined each year since their introduction.


December 10, 2008
Barrie Advance

BARRIE COPS WON'T GIVE UP TASERS

The Barrie Police force isn't pulling its tasers off the shelf.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other police forces in British Columbia decided Wednesday to stop using Tasers made before 2006, to have them tested for their voltage.

The 24 Taser Model X-26, which was sold across Canada, is under review because when used, their current measured at double the percentage listed. The Fredericton Police Force is also running tests on 20 of its Tasers.

“Their Tasers are not working properly and none of ours are affected by the decision made in BC,” said Sgt. Robert Allan with the Barrie Police Service. “We are using ones that are up to date.”

Barrie officers use the 29 Model X-26 Tasers. Allan couldn’t say how often a Taser was used this year, but said the numbers have declined each year. In 2007, Barrie officers fired a Taser 20 times – using it twice on four occasions. Officers also pulled a Taser out for intimidation 11 times last year.

The last time a Taser was reported being used was in June, when officers were called to a rooming house on McDonald Street about a man threatening to stab other tenants. When police confronted the 34 year old, he became upset and violent. Officers used the Taser to make a safe arrest.

Allan said officers are trained to recognize when a Taser isn’t working properly, and should report it. Tasers are examined daily, and internal tests are done each month to ensure they are still working.

Barrie, Ontario cops need taser to slow angry man down

This report gives no indication of what constitutes "upset and violent." Nor does it say whether or not the man was armed or "combative."

June 11, 2008
Barrie Advance

A Barrie man was given an electric shock by Taser Tuesday night after Barrie police paid him a visit.

Officers were called to a rooming house on McDonald Street about a man threatening to stab other tenants. When police confronted the 34-year-old man, he became upset and violent. Officers pulled out a Taser and used it on the man, which helped make a safe arrest.

The man was taken to Royal Victoria Hospital under the Mental Health Act. He will be given a psychiatric assessment. No charges were laid.