Taser

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For the record producer, see Tazer (musician). For the band, see Tazers. For other uses, see Taser (disambiguation).

A Taser device, with cartridge removed, making an electric spark between its two electrodes
Police issue X26 Taser device with cartridge installed
Raysun X-1, a multi-purpose handheld weapon

A Taser is a conducted energy device (CED) primarily used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. Sold by Axon, formerly Taser International,[1] the device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the target, at 55 m/s (120 mph; 200 km/h). Their range extends from 4.5 m (15 ft) for non-law enforcement Tasers to 10.5 m (34 ft) for law enforcement Tasers. The darts are connected to the main unit by thin insulated copper wire and deliver a modulated electric current designed to disrupt voluntary control of muscles, causing "neuromuscular incapacitation." The effects of a Taser may only be localized pain or strong involuntary long muscle contractions, based on the mode of use and connectivity of the darts.[2]

Tasers are marketed as less-lethal, since the possibility of serious injury or death exists whenever the weapon is deployed. In the US, at least 49 people died in 2018 after being shocked by police with a Taser.[3]

The first Taser conducted energy weapon was introduced in 1993 as a less-lethal force option for police to use to subdue belligerent or fleeing suspects, who would have otherwise been subjected to more lethal force options such as firearms. As of 2010, according to one study, over 15,000 law enforcement and military agencies around the world used Tasers as part of their use of force continuum.[4]

A recent[when?] academic study suggested police use of conducted electrical weapons in the United States was less risky to police officers than hands-on tactics, and showed officer injury rates equal to use of chemicals such as pepper spray.

History[edit]

A US patent by Kunio Shimizu titled "Arrest device" filed in 1966 describes an electrical discharge gun with a projectile connected to a wire with a pair of electrode needles for skin attachment.[5]

Jack Cover, a NASA researcher, began developing the first Taser in 1969.[6] By 1974, Cover had completed the device, which he named Taser, using a loose acronym of the title of the book Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle, a book written by the Stratemeyer Syndicate under the pseudonym Victor Appleton and featuring Cover's childhood hero, Tom Swift.[7][8]

The first Taser model that was offered for sale, called the Taser Public Defender, used gunpowder as its propellant, which led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to classify it as a firearm in 1976.[9][10]

In 1993, Rick Smith and his brother Thomas founded the original company, Taser,[11] and began to investigate what they called "safer use of force option[s] for citizens and law enforcement". At their Scottsdale, Arizona, facilities, the brothers worked with Cover to develop a "non-firearm Taser electronic control device".[12] The 1994 Air Taser Model 34000 conducted energy device had an "anti-felon identification (AFID) system" to prevent the likelihood that the device would be used by criminals; upon use, it released many small pieces of paper containing the serial number of the Taser device. The U.S. firearms regulator, the ATF, stated that the Air Taser conducted energy device was not a firearm.

In 1999, Taser International developed an "ergonomically handgun-shaped device called the Advanced Taser M-series systems," which used a "patented neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI) technology." In May 2003, Taser International released a new weapon called the Taser X26 conducted energy device, which used "shaped pulse technology." On July 27, 2009, Taser International released a new type of Taser device called the X3, which can fire three shots before reloading. It holds three new type cartridges, which are much thinner than the previous model.[13] On April 5, 2017, Taser announced that it was rebranding itself as Axon to reflect its expanded business into body cameras and software. In 2018, Taser 7 conducted energy device was released, the seventh generation of Taser devices from Axon.[14]

Function[edit]

The M-26 Taser, the United States military version of a commercial Taser

A Taser device fires two small dart-like electrodes, which stay connected to the main unit by thin insulated copper wire as they are propelled by small compressed nitrogen charges.[15][16] The cartridge contains a pair of electrodes and propellant for a single shot and is replaced after each use. Once fired the probes travel at 180 feet (55 m) per second, spread 12 inches (300 mm) apart for every 7 feet (2.1 m) they travel, and must land at least 4 inches (100 mm) apart from each other to complete the circuit and channel an electric pulse into the target person's body.[17] The manufacturer claims that the modulated electric current is designed to disrupt voluntary control of muscles, causing "neuromuscular incapacitation." The effects of a Taser device may only be localized pain or strong involuntary long muscle contractions, based on the mode of use, connectivity and location of the darts.[18][19][unreliable source?] The Taser device is marketed as less-lethal, since the possibility of serious injury or death exists whenever the weapon is deployed.[20][better source needed]

There are a number of different cartridges available by range, with limits on capacity for non-law enforcement consumers.[21] Practically speaking, police officers must generally be within 15 to 25 feet (4.6 to 7.6 m) in order to use a Taser, though the X26's probes can travel as far as 35 feet.[22][17]

The electrodes are pointed to penetrate clothing, and barbed to prevent removal once in place.

A 2008 study of use-of-force incidents by the Calgary Police Service conducted by the Canadian Police Research Centre found that the use of the Taser device resulted in fewer officer injuries than the use of batons or empty hand techniques. The study found that only pepper spray was a safer intervention option.[23]

A typical Taser device can operate with a peak voltage of 50 kiloVolts (1200 Volts to the body), an electric current of 1.9 milliamps, at for example 19 100 microsecond pulses per second.[24] A supplier quotes a current of 3-4 milliamps.[25][better source needed]

Models[edit]

Axon currently has three models of Taser conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) available for law enforcement use and civilian use. Axon currently has work underway for a new model, the Taser 10: the Taser X26P, Taser X2, Taser 7. The Taser 10 has also been announced.[26]

Lethality[edit]

Main article: Taser safety issues

As with all less-lethal weapons, use of the Taser system is never risk free. Sharp metal projectiles and electricity are in use, so misuse or abuse of the weapon increases the likelihood that serious injury or death may occur. In addition, the manufacturer[who else?] has identified other risk factors that may increase the risks of use. Children, pregnant women, the elderly, and very thin individuals are considered at higher risk. Persons with known medical problems, such as heart disease, history of seizure, or have a pacemaker are also at greater risk. Axon also warns that repeated, extended, or continuous exposure to the weapon is not safe. Because of this, the [[Police Executive Research Forum|Police Executive Research Forum[who else?]]] says that total exposure should not exceed 15 seconds.[27]

There are other circumstances that pose higher secondary risks of serious injury or death, including:[20][non-primary source needed]

  • Uncontrolled falls or subjects falling from elevated positions
  • Persons running on hard or rough surfaces, like asphalt
  • Persons operating machinery or conveyances (cars, motorcycles, bikes, skateboards)
  • Places where explosive or flammable substances are present

Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. said in 2020 that "under Georgia law, a Taser is considered as a deadly weapon."[28][29][30] A 2012 study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation found that Tasers can cause "ventricular arrhythmias, sudden cardiac arrest and even death."[31][32] In 2014, NAACP State Conference President Scot X. Esdaile and the Connecticut NAACP argued that Tasers cause lethal results.[33] Reuters reported that more than 1,000 people shocked with a Taser by police died through the end of 2018, nearly all of them since the early 2000s.[34] At least 49 people died in the US in 2018 after being shocked by police with a Taser.[3]

Drive Stun capability [edit]

Some Taser device models, particularly those used by police departments, also have a "Drive Stun" capability, where the Taser device is held against the target without firing the projectiles, and is intended to cause pain without incapacitating the target. One report described drive stunning as "the process of using the EMD (Electro Muscular Disruption) weapon as a pain compliance technique."[35]

Guidelines released in 2011 by the U.S. Department of Justice recommend that use of Drive Stun as a pain compliance technique be avoided.[36] The guidelines were issued by a joint committee of the Police Executive Research Forum and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The guidelines state "Using the CEW to achieve pain compliance may have limited effectiveness and, when used repeatedly, may even exacerbate the situation by inducing rage in the subject."

A study of U.S. police and sheriff departments found that 29.6% of the jurisdictions allowed the use of Drive Stun for gaining compliance in a passive resistance arrest scenario, with no physical contact between the officer and the subject. For a scenario that also includes non-violent physical contact, this number is 65.2%.[37]

A Las Vegas police document[who else?] says "The Drive Stun causes significant localized pain in the area touched by the Taser [CEW], but does not have a significant effect on the central nervous system. The Drive Stun does not incapacitate a subject but may assist in taking a subject into custody."[38] The UCLA Taser incident[39] and the University of Florida Taser incident[40] were controversial encounters involving the use of a Taser's "Drive Stun" capability by university police officers.

Amnesty International has expressed particular concern about the Drive Stun feature being used abusively, noting that "the potential to use Tasers in drive-stun mode—where they are used as 'pain compliance' tools when individuals are already effectively in custody—and the capacity to inflict multiple and prolonged shocks, renders the weapons inherently open to abuse."[41]

Users[edit]

Controlled Taser demonstration by the North Dakota Air National Guard. The center person is being shocked through his back while being held to prevent falling injuries.

According to a 2011 study by the United States Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice entitled Police Use of Force, Tasers and Other Less-Lethal Weapons,[4] over 15,000 law enforcement and military agencies around the world used Taser devices as part of their use of force continuum. With the increasing prevalence of Taser device use by law enforcement, incidents[definition needed][weasel words] between law enforcement officers and suspects have also been on the rise.

Excited delirium[edit]

Main article: Excited delirium
See also: Taser safety issues

Many deaths have been attributed by law enforcement groups and medical examiners to "excited delirium," a non-specific diagnosis that is not recognized as a genuine condition by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, or World Health Organization, and is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.[42][43] Law enforcement-affiliated medical groups including the National Association of Medical Examiners have voiced support for the term.

Proponents of the term have described it manifesting as a combination of delirium, psychomotor agitation, anxiety, hallucinations, speech disturbances, disorientation, violent and bizarre behavior, insensitivity to pain, elevated body temperature, and increased strength.[44][45]

The diagnosis is controversial, and has been criticized as a "convenient excuse for what could be excessive use of force or inappropriate control techniques during an arrest."[42][46][47] As used by medical examiners, the term is, typically a diagnosis of exclusion established on autopsy.[48][49][44] The term has been widely criticized by civil liberties groups, who argue that it is a pseudoscientific diagnosis used to "excuse and exonerate" law enforcement authorities following the death of detained subjects, and as a "conspiracy or cover-up for brutality" when engaging with agitated individuals.[44][46][47] Also contributing to the controversy are the known Taser safety issues that may have contributed to many deaths ascribed to "excited delirium".[50][51]

Usage worldwide[edit]

Australia[edit]

Tasers are prohibited for civilian ownership in Australia in every state and territory. A weapons permit is required to purchase and own a Taser.[52][53][54][55][56][57][58]

Canada[edit]

As with the United Kingdom and Ireland, only members of law enforcement are allowed to own a Taser legally.[59] However, according to an article by The Globe and Mail, many Canadians illegally purchase Tasers from the US, where they are legal.[60]

China[edit]

Under the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Control of Firearms and Public Security Punishment Law, Tasers are prohibited for civilian ownership in China without an application for a state licence. A weapons permit is required to purchase and own a Taser.[61]

Germany[edit]

Since April 2008, Tasers can be legally purchased by persons 18 and older, but can only be carried by persons with a firearm carry permit (Waffenschein), which is only issued under very restricted conditions.

In 2001, Germany approved a pilot project allowing individual states to issue Tasers to their SEK teams (police tactical units); by 2018, 13 out of 16 states had done so. A number of states have also provided a limited number of Tasers to their general police forces. Some states, such as Berlin, have use of force guidelines that only permit Taser use where firearm use would also be justified.[62]

Under current law, the Federal Police is not authorized to use Tasers.[63]

The Bundeswehr (German armed forces) does not issue Tasers nor are they used in training.[64]

Ireland[edit]

Under the Firearms Act of 1925, Tasers, pepper spray and stun guns are illegal to possess or purchase in Ireland, even with a valid firearms certificate.[65][66]

Jamaica[edit]

Tasers are legal for civilians to own, provided they possess a valid permit under the Customs Act.[67] Currently, Police in Jamaica do not have access to Tasers, but in February 2021 Corporal James Rohan, Chairman of the Police Federation, requested access to non-lethal weaponry in order to deal more effectively with encounters with mentally ill individuals.[68]

Japan[edit]

Under the Swords and Firearms Control Law, import, carrying, purchase and use of stun guns or Tasers is currently completely prohibited in Japan.[69]

Russia[edit]

Stun guns and Tasers made in Russia can be purchased for self-defense without special permission, however, under the Federal Law No. 150 "On Weapons" of the Russian Federation it's illegal to import and subsequent sale of any foreign stun devices or Tasers into the country. The ban has been in place since the first version of the law was approved in 1996.[70][71]

Saudi Arabia[edit]

Tasers are classified as weapons under Federal Law No. 3 of 2009, and therefore require a valid license to own or import.[72]

United Kingdom[edit]

Tasers have been in use by Britain police forces since 2001, 2002, and 2003, and they require 18 hours of initial training, followed by six hours of annual top-up training, in order for a police officer to be allowed to carry and use one.[73] Members of the general public are not allowed to own Tasers, with possession or sale of a Taser punishable by up to 10 years in prison. As of September 2019, 30,548 (19%) of police officers were trained to use Tasers.[74] Tasers were used 23,000 times from March 2018 to March 2019, compared to only 10,000 times in 2013.[75] In March 2020, extra funding was provided to purchase devices to allow more than 8,000 extra British police officers to carry a Taser.[76]

Use on children[edit]

There has been considerable controversy over the use of Taser devices on children and in schools.

In 2004, the parents of a 6-year-old boy in Miami sued the Miami-Dade County Police department for firing a Taser device at their child.[77] The police said the boy was threatening to injure his own leg with a shard of glass, and said that using the device was the safest option to prevent the boy from injuring himself. The boy's mother told CNN that the three officers involved probably found it easier not to reason with her child.[77] In the same county two weeks later, an intoxicated 12-year-old girl was tased while she was running from police. The Miami-Dade County Police claimed that the girl had started to run into traffic and that the Taser device was deployed to stop her from being hit by cars or causing an automobile accident.[77] In March 2008, an 11-year-old girl was subdued with a Taser device.[78] In March 2009, a 15-year-old boy died after being tased in Michigan.[79][80]

Police claim that the use of Taser weapons on smaller subjects and elderly subjects is safer than alternative methods of subduing suspects, alleging that striking them or falling on them will cause much more injury than a Taser device, because the device is designed to only cause the contraction of muscles. Critics have countered that Taser devices may interact with pre-existing medical complications such as medications, and as less-lethal weapons, may contribute to death as a result. Some have also described the use of the weapon, particularly on a young child, as an example of cruel and unusual punishment.[81][82][83][84]

Use on non-human subjects[edit]

Tasers are used to immobilize wildlife for research, relocation, or treatment. Since they are classified as a form of torture, it is more common to use tranquilizer darts.[85]

Use in torture[edit]

A report from a meeting of the United Nations Committee Against Torture states that "The Committee was worried that the use of Taser X26 weapons, provoking extreme pain, constituted a form of torture, and that in certain cases it could also cause death, as shown by several reliable studies and by certain cases that had happened after practical use."[86][87] Amnesty International has also raised extensive concerns about the use of other electro-shock devices by American police and in American prisons, as they can be (and according to Amnesty International, sometimes are) used to inflict cruel pain on individuals. Maurice Cunningham of South Carolina, while an inmate at the Lancaster County Detention Center,[88][89] was subjected to continuous shock for 2 minutes 49 seconds, which a medical examiner said caused cardiac arrhythmia and his subsequent death. He was 29 years old and had no alcohol or drugs in his system.[90]

Tom Smith, the Chairman of the Taser Board, responded by claiming that the United Nations was "out of touch" and claimed that the use of the weapon was less harmful and more effective at "end[ing] confrontation".[91]

Legality[edit]

Further information: Electroshock weapon § Legality

See also[edit]

References[edit]

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External links[edit]

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