Departments Point To Drop In Lethal Force, But Critics Worry About Health Effects, Abuse
by Charisse Jones, USA Today
Many law enforcement agencies are crediting the use of Tasers -- guns that use electric current rather than bullets to stop a suspect -- with helping reduce the number of fatal shootings by police.
But some citizens groups and human rights activists have called for a moratorium on the use of Tasers until more is known about whether they contributed to several recent deaths.
According to the manufacturer, Tasers are already being used by 5,200 of an estimated 16,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. The list is growing: The Massachusetts Legislature last week gave final approval to a bill that would allow police in that state to carry Tasers.
Police point to results:
* Seattle police last year didn’t have a single fatal shooting involving an officer. It was the first time in 15 years that was the case. Although the department has expanded officer training, Seattle Police Chief R. Gil Kerlikowske says, “We think a large part of what happened in ’03 was a result of Tasers.”
Seattle began using Tasers in 2001 after a controversial police shooting. Since then, officers have used Tasers about 500 times. By the end of this year, more than 400 of the department’s 600 patrol officers will be equipped with Tasers, which cost $400 to $800 each.
* In Portland, Ore., police fired Tasers 595 times from July 2002 through March 26. Officials found that 25% to 30% of those situations met the criteria for officers to have used deadly force instead.
* Police in Phoenix say the number of officer-involved shootings dropped 54% in 2003 -- from 28 to 13 -- after they began using Tasers. The number of fatal police shootings dropped from 13 to nine.
“We’re still being assaulted with knives, swords, tire irons, but we have a much better way to deal with those,” says Detective Tony Morales, a Phoenix police spokesman. Before last year, “if someone attacked an officer with a bat, he was probably going to be shot.”
National statistics on police shootings were not available.
Even as law enforcement officials praise Tasers as a way to subdue suspects while reducing the risk of injury or death, reports that at least five people have died within the past 10 months after being shot with Tasers are renewing concerns.
“We believe there should be systematic medical tests conducted to ascertain the reason for the deaths, to determine definitively if they’re connected with the Taser,” says William Schulz, executive director of Amnesty International U.S.A.
But Steve Tuttle, spokesman for the manufacturer, Taser International, says that “no one in the history of Taser usage has ever died during an actual application, and to date no medical examiners have ruled Tasers as a cause of death.”
In Gwinnett County, Ga., near Atlanta, two men died after being shocked with Tasers by sheriff’s deputies. The county medical examiner determined that Ray Austin, 25, died Sept. 26 from a heart attack that was not linked to the Taser’s use, sheriff’s spokeswoman Stacey Kelley says.
The death of Frederick Williams, 31, is still under investigation. He died May 27, two days after he was shocked at least twice while being taken into the Gwinnett County Detention Center. The medical examiner is awaiting test results to determine the cause of death.
Others worry that because the weapons leave only a small mark resembling a bee sting, the guns could be abused.
“From anecdotal stories, we believe police are using it in situations where they’re just trying to get compliance from people,” says Dan Handelman of Portland Copwatch, a watchdog group in Portland.
The manufacturer says every Taser is equipped with a microchip that records the dates and times when the weapon is used. The newest version even records the duration of the trigger pull.
And several police departments stress that all Taser use is examined.
In Portland, officers are required to write a report detailing when and why the gun was fired.
The Massachusetts legislation would require officers to record the time and reason a Taser was used, as well as the race and gender of the suspect.
“There’s lots of built-in protections to make sure nobody is abusing this,” says Massachusetts state Rep. Tim Toomey Jr., a supporter of the bill.