[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: A review article – global – of the use of tasers on people presenting mental health emergencies, who appear specially vulnerable. Also discusses problems of conflict of interests in much of the research.]] International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, by Anthony J. O’Brien and Katey Thom Abstract: The proliferation of Tasers among […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS : Why select this element of a 112-page report to summarize it? “Available studies suggest that while fatal complications are biologically plausible, they would be extremely rare,” the report says. – The key is that more quality research is needed to evaluate tasers in Canada. A small number of cases have revealed […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS : Summary of the just-released “Health effects of conducted electric weapons” report. Focus on the conclusion that respiratory and cardiac risks are limited due to a lack of high-quality evidence; still, the study states that “while fatal complications are biologically plausible, they would be extremely rare.” 9000 tasers in use in Canada, […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: A judge has called for Taser stun guns to be issued to gardaí to deal with public order incidents. It is now restricted to trained members of the armed Emergency Response Unit, based in Dublin, and the five Regional Response Units. “If someone gets out of control [the Police] should be able […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: The TruthNotTasers (TNT) blog titles this report “TASER – The Whole Story” – and police psychologist Mike Webster directly attacks numerous serious fault-lines in “taser science” and how police have been misled about tasers. We recommend reading the whole 3100-word text. A few phrases are in bold: these were highlined in our source. […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENT: This article is most interesting for confirming two elements (1) A review of the Taser by the Department of Defense in 2002 said “Development of the Taser appears to be based on serendipitous findings and trial and error, as opposed to well-defined scientific investigation.” The reviewers gave “a limited but favorable endorsement” […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: This is TASER Inc.’s list of scientific research conducted on tasers (known in academia as a “literature review”), a 24-page pdf document with references to 360 different studies. Those identified as “partial or full funded by TASER International” contain an annotation of “[[” (not very visible). 78/360 (21%) are so designated, and […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: a powerful commentary by Canadian police psychologist Michael Webster following the RCMP tasering of an 11-yr-old First-Nations psychiatrically-disturbed buy in British Columbia. (1) The taser has never been adequately tested for its safety; (2) TASER Inc. influenced very strongly RCMP reports on its safety; (3) even TASER Inc. has long recognized how […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: With 9 deaths following the use of the taser in Connecticut since 2006, this article provides a good overview of the contradictions and abuse associated with taser use on one State. Unexplained deaths, Racism, a boy being tasered at school, a man mowing his lawn (“mistaken identity”) and less taser use in […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: An important methodological study presented at the Heart Rhythm Society’s 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions in May 2011. In Sept 2010, UCSF cardiologists analyzed the results of all 119 empirical studies of taser safety in the MEDLINE data base. Of those meeting the criteria for this research, 23% were funded by TASER Inc.: […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: The federal government announced it will be spending nearly $2-million to study various grey-area aspect of the taser. One element: The research will be overseen by the miltary and police oversight body, and its independence remains in doubt. Amnesty International welcomes the initiative but the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association wonders why […]
Potential health risks of taser stun guns must be independently studied, says the latest Canadian Medical Association Journal in a sardonic editorial that blasts the manufacturer for intimidation tactics. Taser International funds much of the research it cites to support taser safety while challenging and sometimes suing those who raise concerns, it says.
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: As information about taser abuse by the Montreal municipal police emerges, the Montreal “Coalition for a moratium of the use of tasers” argues that this reinforces its demands for a moratorium on taser-use by the police. The Coalition is particularly demanding a meeting with the Montreal Public Security Commission, respobible for the […]