The rise of the taser as a lethal weapon

It wasn't long ago when I would laugh endlessly as I watched the "Don't Tase Me Bro" video over and over again.  Recently, however, as I continue to read article after article about the innocent victims who have died from the blast of a taser, I believe that this is no longer comedic, but the grave consequences of the ever-growing police state.

The taser, invented in 1969, has only recently been distributed and used by police departments since 1998.  Amnesty International and Electronic Village together have documented over 460 deaths that have occured by tasers between 2001 and 2010.  Statistically, 37% of the 2009-2010 taser-related deaths in America are of African Americans, who only make up 13% of the total population, adding another dimension to the race-based discrepancies in American law enforcement.  When the United Nations questioned the use of the taser as torture, Tom Smith, the Chairman of the Taser Board, stated that the U.N. is "out of touch" with the needs of modern policing and “When it’s over, it’s over.”

The average defibrillator, that is used to jump start a human heart, can range from 700-1,700 volts.  The average taser ranges from  20,000 to 150,000 volts.  Not sure if this is relevant, but the electric chair administers 2,450 volts at about 5 amps for 20 seconds or so – just as a comparison.  While volts are not as deadly as amps, it has been determined that 0.07 amps in an electricity shock is enough to disrupt the human heart and even be fatal.  The taser averages at around 2 amps per shock, certainly making it quite dangerous.

Many sources claim that the taser itself cannot cause death by use on its own.  The possibility being on certain drugs can cause the heart rate to skyrocket, thus killing the victim.  Pre-existing conditions, such as heart conditions, pace makers, old age and obesity, also make the victims more susceptible to death.   Many, however, have also died simply from the shock of being tased, resulting in a heart attack or “excited delirium,” a term not even recognized by top medical authorities.  Sometimes even permanent brain damage may occur from being tased as well.

Most of the media headlines regarding tasers involve a person who is less then likely to cause serious harm to anyone, for example, "Man becomes agitated after waiting for ten hours in airport, police tased him several times." or “Cops Taser Unruly 10 Year Old Boy at Day Care.” Correct me if I am wrong, but common sense tells me that it is completely unnecessary to taser these people that lack any sort of malice.  Often, the cops are quoted somewhere along the lines of, “We gave him/her enough verbal warnings, but he/she wouldn’t stop, so we had to tase them.”  This disregards the mentally handicapped, but even that is besides the point – a trained police office or two could potentially detain a person, especially if unarmed, without the use of a taser.

A common excuse for use of the taser in law enforcement is that the more the taser is used, the less “real” shootings take place.  In a case study done on Houston, Texas between 2002 and 2003, police shootings did not decline at all after the deployment of several thousand tasers to police officers.  Out of the first 900 police taser incidents, 350 of them involved no crime being committed and no charge taking place in the aftermath.  Tasers were often used in situations that do not usually require such violent force, such as traffic stops, disturbance or nuisance complaints or reports of suspicious people.  It is also intriguing to note that many victims are tased more than once -- being incapacitated is not enough -- even twitching warrants another shot.

While the taser is less deadly than a regular gun, this does not mean that it should be abused and used in every possible incident that occurs.  The statistics and stories are enough to prove that giving police officers a taser gun can result in misuse, especially if not properly trained.  It is also interesting to note that tasers are banned from public use in a few states and cities, ironically, even in Philadelphia where the cops use tasers as if they are as harmless as water guns.  Private use of tasers, by means of protecting oneself, would probably be equivalent to private gun ownership, and consequences of blasting someone with a taser would prevent superfluous use.  Thankfully, some police departments are banning their use due to misconduct and public outcry, but following the trend, taser violence will continue to escalate – shocking, indeed.