Tulisan said:
Also, as to tazer deaths compared to OC...
Groups like Amnesty International and others have a number of stats and reports of tazer related deaths. The reason one would die from Tazer use is because the shock could trigger heart failure on someone who is aggitated, under high stress, has a health problem, or has an artifically elevated heart rate(drug use). The arguement against tazer use is that most likely a resisting perp or criminal will be under high stress or on drugs, and therefore is under risk of death if a tazer is used.
Yet, I would still like to see a percentage of deaths related to Tazer use from a reliable source before I could weigh the significance of that arguement.
As to OC or "Pepper" Spray, Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) is an inflammatory agent comprised of natural oils and several varieties of red pepper. Because OC is an inflammatory, it causes the respitory tract to become inflamed, mucus membranes to be swelled, and vision to be impaired; it reduces breathing to "life support only." This means that it does not rely on "pain compliance" to be effective, as the inflammation will be the natural physical response for most people. This also means that because OC is made from natural oils and peppers that some of us use every day, the lethality of OC is almost nil. This means that OC as an extremely effective tool for stopping or reducing a threat (again, 70% success rate), while minimizing the risk of liability.
I have not heard of ANY deaths from OC, yet some of you LEO here may have heard differently. What I would like to see is some real stats rather then anecdotal evidence to come to an informed conclusion. As it stands so far, it would appear that Tazers have a higher rate of effectiveness, but maybe only by a few percentage points, and that the chances of death are far greater with tazers then OC. So the question I have is does the reward outwiegh the risk? I need hard evidence to determine that.
Side Note: Many of you may know this, but for those of you who don't, OC Spray is different the "Tear Gas" or what people commonly know from this company name as "MACE" who produced spray versions of tear gas. Unlike OC, Tear Gas is an irritant and therefore relies on "pain compliance" to work. It is also artificial, unlike OC which is natural, and can therefore cause death if too much is infected in the lungs. This means that more deaths have occured from tear gas or "Mace" from OC spray, and this also means that "Mace" is less effective then OC due to its reliance on pain compliance. Many people get the two confused, and attribute "Mace" deaths or ineffectiveness to OC, when this is innacurate.
Paul
In custody death rates from OC exposure is on par with those of the Taser, and other aggressive uses of physical force. The in-custody deaths in all of the above cases have resulted for exhertion on the part of the suspect, not from electrical stimulation. A University of Missouri study revealed that direct current applied to a pigs heart did not adversly alter heart rhythms, even when drugs such as epinepherine were administered that made the heart more susceptible to rhythm changes.
The numbers that amnesty internation (mis)quotes are actually consistent with the number of over dose deaths. It's not a coincidence that people under the influence of large, potential lethal quantities of cocaine or other hyper-stimulants, might come in contact with police and be required to be tasered, OC'd, or otherwise.
As for OC death claims, you have to go back to the last 10 or 15 years. Whenever OC was relatively new, Amnesty International was making the same claims for the same reason. Now the Taser is the issue Du Jour, so you won't hear about OC in-custody deaths, because it's not en vogue anymore.
One of the largest arguments against the Taser causing any of these incustody deaths is that those subjects who died, did not die while the Taser current was being administered, they died several minutes later after being taken in to custody. The idea that electricity lingers in the body and kills you at a later date is asinine. If it were to cause death, it would cause it while the current is not being administered, electricity does not linger in the body. Exhertion coupled with use of hyper-simulants caused every single death involving tasers, oc and others.
As for Amnesty Internationals motive, it's very simple. They don't want effective law enforcement. They will never state so, because they know it will expose them for what they are. They hate the taser, not because it is dangerous, but because it is safe and effective. There are members of Amnesty International that have some bizarre dream of some anarchist uprising in the united states, and they don't want this kind of device in the hands of police. Have you ever noticed that protestors seem to try and provoke the police in to violent action. That's so they can paint the police as violent thugs whenever they get themselves beaten with clubs. The taser doesn't cause serious injury, and doesn't look excessive on video. Therefore, the radical left views it as a threat to their use of this kind of publicity. The police can simply zap and arrest violent protestors without injury, and without the film of a "thug cop" beating some poor protestor, then they lose publicity. You might think i'm paranoid, but actually listen to these guys. They like it when some cop has to shoot someone, and they get to rant and rave about racist, violent cops. They hate the taser because, even on video, it doesn't look excessive.
As for the ACLU, that's clear as well. The ACLU is ran by trial lawyers. Trial lawyers hate the taser because the less clients killed and injured, the less lawsuits against police departments, the less money in their pockets.
The motives of these two groups are despicable on this issue. They determined to invent an issue where none exists. The Taser is a wonderful, and I can say having been hit several times with it myself, that it's both extremely effective and it causes ZERO long term side effects.
The best argument for taser use is that in Orange Co. Florida, in one year alone injuries to Deputies dropped 80%, and injuries to suspects themselves dropped 67%. Where's the down side? Orange Co. Florida sheriff's department went 14 months without a single use of a firearm, a significant drop directly attributed to the taser. The taser has saved hundreds of lives, thousands of injuries. Yet, the ACLU and Amnesty International want to argue over the cocaine intoxication deaths of 60 people who died because of their drug use. Bizarre.
This technology has probably saved more lives on each side than they have taken. There is NO 100% "safe" method of using force on somebody, thats just the way it is....
