The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - As a growing number of California law enforcement agencies embrace Taser stun guns to subdue suspects, civil rights advocates are calling for restrictions on the use of Tasers, which temporarily incapacitate people with an electric shock.
Law enforcement officials and stun gun maker Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz., argue that Tasers are a safer and more humane way to subdue suspects or mentally deranged individuals than guns, batons, pepper spray or brute force.
“The Taser is just a cleaner, safer way to do business,” Detective Bill Veteran, Fremont police spokesman, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’ve been in all kinds of wrestling matches, I’ve been pepper-sprayed, I’ve been hit by a baton, I’ve seen people get bit by a police dog.”
But civil rights groups are alarmed that some agencies allow officers liberal use of Tasers rather than limiting their use to situations where a life is in danger.
Over the past five years, more than 70 suspects nationwide have died after being shocked by Tasers, including 10 in August, according the American Civil Liberties Union. Last week, the group urged San Francisco police commissioners to restrict their use to confrontations where “there is an imminent threat to human life.”
“If police want to use a Taser instead of a gun, that’s a welcome development ... because it could potentially save lives,” said Mark Schlosberg , an attorney for the ACLU of Northern California. “But don’t use them in other (nonlife-threatening) circumstances until there’s some independent safety studies certifying that these things are not going to cause more harm than good.”
Critics and medical experts also question the thoroughness of safety research sponsored by Taser International. They want more independent studies to determine whether the stun guns pose a risk to suspects who are agitated mental patients, intoxicated or have pre-existing heart ailments.
Tasers are rapidly gaining popularity among police and sheriff’s departments in California and other states. Nationwide, more than 100,000 officers at 5,500 police agencies have been armed with Tasers.
In the San Francisco Bay area, San Jose, Fremont, Atherton and Vallejo have armed all patrol officers with Tasers, while San Francisco, Palo Alto and Newark agencies are considering the option.
Tasers, which look like guns, use compressed gas to fire a 50,000-volt blast that overwhelms a person’s neuromuscular control, causing the suspect to collapse briefly.
Law enforcement agencies have different policies on when to use Tasers. Some allow use when the only alternative is a firearm, while others allow use on unruly suspects, even when no weapon is brandished.