An official inquiry into the death of a Polish immigrant, Robert Dziekanski (killed after 5 Taser jolts applied by the RCMP [aka The Queen's Cowboys]) has resulted in the restrictions being placed on the use of Tasers in British Columbia.
VANCOUVER–British Columbia's solicitor general has ordered police to restrict Taser use in the wake of an inquiry report that found there is no consistent provincial standard for their deployment.
Toronto Star Article
The order does not apply to the RCMP operating in British Columbia, since the RCMP is a federal police force.
But Sgt. Tim Shields, spokesman for the RCMP in B.C., said any changes to policy had national and far-reaching implications, and the force needed time to review the recommendations.
Retired judge Thomas Braidwood, who was conducting the inquiry made 19 recommendations [pdf]: Full Report
"On balance I'm satisfied our society is better off with their use than without them though significant changes must be made on when and how the weapon is deployed."
Braidwood recommended deploying the weapon only while enforcing a federal criminal law or when the subject is causing bodily harm or will imminently harm.
I think the standard for the Taser should closer to: "if I had no Taser and only my gun, would I feel justified in shooting this person?" This might reduce the number of "stupid Taser incidents" that while still providing the alternative of using a form of force that is less likely to result in death.
2009 08 06 Updatex2
The regs need to change.
What Digby said:
A baseball fan is drunk and apparently belligerent (clearly the first time in history such a thing has happened. )The police are called to remove him. He argues with the cops for a little over 30 seconds and then it happens...
Since tasers were supposed to be a replacement for deadly force, I can only assume that in the past drunken baseball fans were shot dead for arguing with police. There must be quite a body count.
End of 2009 08 06 Updates
2009 08 02 Updates
The Province of Alberta also has recently updated their guidelines on Taser use.
Alberta sets Taser rules
The stun guns can now only be used if an officer believes there's a serious threat of injury to anyone, say Solicitor General officials. Previously, Tasers could be deployed if a suspect actively resisted arrest.
As well, police forces in Alberta will have to test the electric stun guns annually and record details every time a Taser is used, say officials.
"These new guidelines strike the right balance between officer safety, police accountability and public safety," said Solicitor General Fred Lindsay.
Alberta's new regulations have been under review for months, but come amid news of the Braidwood Inquiry in British Columbia that concluded Tasers can be a lethal weapon, contrary to what its manufacturer has long claimed.
An excellent editorial in Saturday's Globe and Mail:
Braidwood means a whole new start
Everything known about tasers – everything the provinces and police forces think they know – should now be treated as junk. Canada has a state-of-the-art manual that says the taser can kill, and its use by police forces needs to be severely limited. But have the provinces noticed? The silence of most of them on last week's 556-page Braidwood report has been, well, stunning.
Among the most egregious and most influential pieces of junk is the "research" report of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police on the supposed safety of the taser, notwithstanding the 25 people who have died in this country, and 300 in the United States, after being tasered. That report can now be tossed in the garbage bin where it belongs. The chiefs, who were hardly impartial anyway, undermined any claim to independence by accepting roughly $100,000 in sponsorship money from the taser's manufacturer. The chiefs' report contributed to the prevailing view among police in this country that people don't die from tasers, they die from excited delirium: overheating.
Thomas Braidwood, ... after a public inquiry, has dismissed that as plain wrong. Mr. Braidwood looked at the best evidence, and heard from experts in a variety of fields ... Unlike the Canadian police chiefs, he had both eyes open when he reviewed the evidence. He was impartial.
Meanwhile, back at Taser corp, there's a new model.
Taser unveils new 'semi-automatic' model
New stun gun capable of firing three probes simultaneously; company says weapon will 'fit in' with tighter usage rules recommended by B.C. commission
Taser International debuted its X3 model Monday, the first new conducted energy weapon the company has released since 2003. The X3's main selling feature is its ability to fire three pairs of electrified probes in quick succession without reloading – giving an officer with a taser the chance to simultaneously zap up to three suspects. Older models, which have only one pair of probes, must be reloaded after each shot
Taser International says its new X3 ... has a more consistent pulse than its predecessor, the X26.
The new weapon also tracks, second by second, the amount of energy being discharged into a target's body, the company argues. Its earlier model only tracked the time and total duration of a discharge.
"The log just on its own would be phenomenal for courts and [in light of] some of the controversy in Canada," Taser International spokesman Steve Tuttle told The Globe and Mail.
The rules and regulations can't cover every situation, and there are some times when it is justified to use a taser, but still not a good idea to use one. For example, in Australia, the police used a Taser against a violent person who had been sniffing gasoline.
Taser-hit man burst into flames
A man in Western Australia was engulfed in flames when police officers fired a Taser stun gun at him.
Police say they used the Taser on Ronald Mitchell, 36, when he ran at them carrying a container of petrol and a cigarette lighter.
They said that Mr Mitchell, who lives in a remote Aboriginal community, had been sniffing petrol. They suggested the cigarette lighter started the fire.
Mr Mitchell is in a critical condition in hospital with third degree burns
End of 2009 08 02 Updates
Update X3via DigbyTaser advice: Don't aim at target's chest
The maker of Taser stun guns is advising police officers to avoid shooting suspects in the chest with the 50,000-volt weapon, saying that it could pose an extremely low risk of an "adverse cardiac event."
The advisory, issued in an Oct. 12 training bulletin, is the first time that Taser International has suggested there is any risk of a cardiac arrest related to the discharge of its stun gun.
Maybe all you guys who voted "no" on my question should consider changing your vote to "yes"
End of 2009 09 21 Updates