The Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union wants police to ban the use of Tasers, which the group calls unsafe and misused.
The ACLU says police are using Tasers on unarmed criminals or in situations where deadly force is not authorized.
Steven Brown, executive director of the group’s Rhode Island chapter, said if police used Taser guns instead of handguns, that would be progressive. But, he said, they’re not.
“The people who are getting stunned are not getting stunned as an alternative to deadly force,” Brown said. “The Tasers are largely used simply as a way of dealing with unruly, intoxicated people who would not otherwise be on the receiving end of deadly force.”
At least 15 Rhode Island police departments are considering using Tasers or already have them into their arsenal, including Bristol, Newport, North Providence, Providence, and Woonsocket.
Proponents of stun guns praise the weapon as a safe and humane way to subdue an unruly suspect.
In recent months, media reports claimed that as many as 71 deaths resulted from use of the hand-held device. Recently, however, an Army report concluded that the weapons were safe. Also, Tasers recently were approved to be used by police forces throughout England and Wales.
Taser International, the leading manufacturer of the guns, claims the stun guns have saved more than 4,000 lives since 1999.
Brown said the ACLU sent letters to Rhode Island police departments because Taser guns are becoming the weapons “du jour.”
Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman told The Providence Journal that his department has not deployed the stun guns yet. Select officers are being trained to use them as part of a pilot program.