[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS : Amnesty reports: For its new report “Arming the polic”, the London Assembly charges that the London police (Met) failed to hold public consultations and justified increased rollout of taser as result of increased violent attacks – but these are going down. Evidence of mis-use of tasers – it should only be […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS : Rio Police shoot hundreds of suspected criminals each year so it is to be welcomed that there are attempts to get them to ‘power down’ to using tasers as a first line of defense. Tasers themselves are controversial but still safer than gunshot wounds. The program in the favela pacification program […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: (No direct mention of taser adoption in this article … ) In Jamaica, police brutality – shooting suspects – is of epidemic proportions. Police say they are acting in self-defense. Would arming the police with “less-lethal arms” be appropriate? The National Security Minister is examing this option . But the minister seems […]
[[SUMMARY /COMMENTS : Note: this article concerns stun-guns, so-called “generic tasers” – examples are given of costs of $20 only for a “taser”. Criminals are increasingly choosing illegally-acquired stun guns as their weapon of choice, a Sky News investigation has revealed. The devices are sold openly on market stalls in the Far East – and […]
[[ Summary / Comments : Amnesty International expresses concern of the high use of Tasers by Sunderland police – 2 incidents a day – the second highest count in the UK (after the London Metropolotan police.) In most cases the taser was displayed without being fired. ]] TASERS have been used by the police in […]
[[ SUMMARY / COMMENTS : Taser use increases in West Midlands police – 800 times in 2010 – an avergare of more than twice a day, of which 140 actually involved discharges. A total of 485 officers in the region are now trained to use them.]] ARMED police officers in the West Midlands drew their […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: Contrary to claims by Taser proponents, the frequency of deployment of lethal force has not declined with the advent of Tasers. Criticism of police use of the weapon has mounted around the country. Arizona has not escaped this controversy. Transparency will also promote positive community relations in light of controversy surrounding Taser […]
[[Summary / Comments : In what we consider a dangerous precedent in Southern Africa, the South African police are considering buying tasers. This article looks into the temptation provided by tasers but also recognizes many of the critiques of this stun-gun and its potential for abuse.]] Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane/Pretoria) by Andrew Faull At a […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: Eugene, Oregon is working seriously to improve relations with the ublic, part of this involving reduced taser usage: “Last year EPD used a taser 20 times — much less than the previous year — and extremely low compared to other cities across the U.S.”]] greenwich.patch.com, by Jessica Debbas EUGENE, Ore. — Eugene’s […]
[[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: “Sambula got one of the Taser and shocked me here. When he shocked me and i felt what it felt like I drew back and he pushed it on me again. It was more than one of them and they crowded me and shocked me all over ” …. Belize City – […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: “New Zealand Police Minister Judith Collins says police officers should have more discretion on using the taser in volatile situations, even if a threat has not presented itself”. i.e. preventative use of tasers in potentially escalating situations. This is to back up the police commissioner’s request for “a taser in every patrol […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: Belize – especially Belize City – has a serious problem of gang warfare with gun killings. The police created the “Gang Suppression Unit” (GSU) arming them, inter allia, with tasers. The GSU, accused of widespread abuse, justifyies the violence of their interventions by repeating “We have a job to do”: their mandate […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: Author, Jack Krohn, owns ” Security Solutions”, an Internet business specializing in self-defense products such as stun guns. In this ezine article he presents the argument for training the police in using tasers for self defense. He repeats the TASER Inc. mantra: “It has been proven time and time again to be […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: An advertisement by a Soouth African arms merchant, sent out by Google Alerts on 4 February 2011 for the sale of a “taser” – though obviously not an authentic X26 or related device (only 1800 volts … ). The most striking phrase in this ad. is how anyone can use it (no […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: In a landmark decision and following cases of clear abuse of the use of the use of force by police officers, the San Franncisco Police Comnmission ha=d decided to ban the use of tasers. Now, “the San Francisco Police Department is reviving efforts to equip officers with less-lethal electric stun guns” . […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: Used 23 times in South Yorkshire in 2010, this represents “a significant increase on previous years, with the stun guns only used on 13 occasions between 2004 and 2009. During that five-year period there were just 24 occasions where the weapon was aimed at potential targets… Initially the weapon was only available […]
[[SUMMARY / COMMENTS: With its threatening appearance, reputation for “shocking”, red laser beam, relatively easy access by Internet sales, the taser is becoming increasingly a “weapon of choice” not just of front-line police but also of people robbing corner-shop stores and other commerces, as well as home break-ins. Note, these users do not receive any […]
[[GlobalShock: We publish this post as an example of how marketers (and more generally supporters) of “non-lethal weapons” present a rosy picture of the taser in a threatening world: “There is violence not only in the workplace and in school but even in the house. Rapes, burglaries, robberies, assaults and murders are always existing in […]
La mort d’un homme ayant reçu deux décharges de Taser relance la polémique autour de cette arme. Ce n’est pas la première fois que le pistolet à impulsions électriques est remis en question. C’est quoi le Taser? Le pistolet à impulsions électriques Taser est une arme de 4e catégorie, comme un revolver ou un pistolet. […]