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.

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.

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.