NAACP to Hold Taser Forum in Modesto, California

In response to the death of three inmates at the Stanislaus County Jail over the past year after being tasered, the Modesto/Stanislaus NAACP and local police agencies are holding a public forum on January 21^st to discuss the use of a Taser by law enforcement. See the Modesto Bee article for further information regarding the public forum.

Law enforcement in Central California has come under intense scrutiny following these deaths involving the use of a Taser, as well as an incident in Merced where an unarmed man with no legs was tasered while sitting in his wheelchair. Fortunately the amputee recovered, but the incident made national headlines and provoked questions regarding the use of excessive force.

Taser Studies and Statistics

A Modesto Bee reporter wrote an interesting article highlighting the potential risk of death associated with the use of a Taser. The following are studies and statistics mentioned in the article:

• According to statistics from Amnesty International, 360 people have died in the United States since 2001 after being tasered. In a report released in 2008, Amnesty International researcher Angela Wright stated, “Tasers are not the ‘non-lethal’ weapons they are portrayed to be..” “They can kill and should only be used as a last resort.”
• A study by the National Institute of Justice found that many of the deaths were associated with repeated or continuous discharge of the Taser.
• According to a study of California police and sheriff’s use of the Taser conducted by Dr. Zian Tseng and Dr. Byron Lee, professors of cardiology at the University of California at San Francisco, the probability of a Taser discharge leading to death are much greater if the Taser darts hit the chest on both sides of the heart, the darts penetrate deep into the skin, if the person has a prior heart condition or is on drugs, or if the device is discharged multiple times.
• To reduce the potentially lethal risk of using a Taser, the ACLU of Southern California has suggested limiting the number of officers who can Taser a suspect at the same time and limiting the number of times a person may be tasered.