Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Another Man Dies After Police Use Taser

Earlier this month, a Virginia man died after Hampton police tasered him twice.The officers involved were placed on administrative leave.The death can be added to the mounting list of fatalities associated with the widespread use of Taser stun guns by law enforcement in recent years.An article published on Examiner.com looks at Taser-related deaths, the use of excessive force by law enforcement, and the implications of this recent tragedy for the region of Hampton Roads, Virginia.

The article includes some disturbing statistics about Tasers, raising questions about why law enforcement agencies continue to promote the use of these weapons.Despite significant training, police officers continue to demonstrate that they are unable to use Tasers safely.For example, Amnesty International reported that 80 percent of Taser incidents involved unarmed suspects and 36 percent of Taser incidents were a result of verbal non-compliance.Only three percent of the cases involved the threat of deadly assault.

Examples of Taser incidents that have occurred over the last few years include the following:

  • In 2003, a mentally disabled man died after being Tasered for violating a home detention order.

  • In Colorado, a man was Tasered in his genitals while he was handcuffed in the back of a police car.

  • In 2007, a man was Tasered while holding an infant, which caused him to drop the infant on its head.

  • In 2009, a ten year-old girl was Tasered after refusing to take a shower and becoming combative after her mother called the police to subdue her.

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