New York Woman Awarded $75,000 Settlement in Taser Case

On Tuesday, The Post-Standard reported that Onondaga County legislators unanimously approved a $75,000 settlement for a woman who was unjustifiably tasered by a police officer in front of her children last January. According to the article, 38-year-old Audra Harmon was driving with her two children when she was pulled over by a police officer for driving 50mph in a 45mph zone. The police officer, Sean Andrews, drew his Taser when Ms. Harmon got out of her minivan and then did not immediately get back in at the officer’s request. Subsequently, when Ms. Harmon got back into her minivan, Officer Andrews dragged her back out of the minivan and shocked her with the Taser. A video of the incident was taken from the patrol car and can be viewed here. Ms. Harmon’s children witnessed the entire frightening event.

In response to the incident, Officer Andrews was suspended for 30 days without pay, and additional administrative charges are pending. Ms. Harmon appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to talk about what happened to her, and the incident was also featured in a segment about stun guns on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” Finally, this week, the county approved a $75,000 payment to settle a lawsuit filed by Ms. Harmon.

Taser Death Re-examined: Government Commission Critical of Police Use of Taser

On December 8^th, a Canadian government commission issued a report re-examining the 2007 death of a Polish immigrant who died after being repeatedly tasered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Robert Dziekanski had just arrived in Canada from Poland and became distraught when a communications mixup left him stranded for hours in the baggage area of the airport. Dziekanski did not speak English, and police were called to the scene following reports of a man creating a disturbance at the Vancouver airport.

Officers arriving on the scene waited less than 30 seconds before deploying their Taser stun guns on Dziekanski, and shocked him repeatedly without determining whether further shocks were justified. A bystander captured the event on video, and footage of Dziekanski screaming in agony on the floor as he was repeatedly tasered while he died appeared worldwide and incited outrage over his death.

The strongly-worded 200 page report, which may be read in its entirety by clicking here, concludes that the use of the taser was, in the words of Paul Kennedy, chairman for the Commission of Public Complaints “premature and inappropriate.”

19-Year-Old Dies After Being Tasered By Police in San Bernardino

In mid-October, the Los Angeles Times reported another Taser-related death. In this case, San Bernardino police were apparently called to respond to a fight between three people at a board and care facility. After breaking up the fight, a 19 year-old man became “combative,” and the police used a Taser to control him. The young man then had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital. An hour later, he was pronounced dead.

Police officers across the United States carry Taser stun guns. Their general purpose is to temporarily disable a civilian who appears to be out of control. But Tasers are believed to have caused more than 150 deaths since 2001.

According to the Slate.com Explainer, Tasers are different from standard stun guns because they can shoot someone from a long distance – up to 20 feet away. Standard stun guns can only be used while up very close to the target. Tasers send an electric pulse with around 50,000 volts, which lasts for about five seconds. The electric pulse essentially gives the target a very intense shock, which causes pain, muscle contraction, and temporary paralysis. People shot with Tasers tend to fall down, and can sometimes suffer serious brain injury as a result of falling and hitting their heads. According to heart experts, Tasers can also cause cardiac arrest.