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The Taser is a dart-firing electro-shock weapon designed to cause instant incapacitation by delivering a
50,000 volt shock. Tasers are hand-held electronic stun guns which fire two barbed darts up to a distance of 21 feet, which
remain attached to the gun by wires. The fish-hook like darts are designed to penetrate up to two inches of the target's clothing
or skin and deliver a high-voltage, low amperage, electro-shock along insulated copper wires.
Portable and easy to use, with the capacity to inflict severe pain at the push of a button without leaving
sustantial marks, electo-shock weapons are particularily open to abuse by unscrupulous officials, as the organization has
documented in numerous cases around the world.
There is also evidence that, far from being used to avoid lethal force, many police agencies are deploying
tasers as a routine force option to subdue non-compliant or disturbed individuals who do not pose a serious danger to themselves
or others. In some departments, tasers have become the most prevalent force tool. They have been used against unruly
schoolchildren; unarmed mentally disturbed or intoxicated individuals; suspects fleeing minor crime scenes and people
who argue with police or fail to comply immediately with a command.
In many such instances, the use of electro-shock weapons appears to have violated international standards
prohibiting torture or other cruel, inhuman or degarading treatment as well as standards set out under the Unitd Nations
(UN) Code of conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement
Officials. These require that force should be used as a last resort and that officers must apply only the minimum amount
of force necessary to obtain a lawful objective. They also provide that all use of force must be proportionate to the
threat posed as well as designed to avoid unwarranted pain or injury.
While coroners have tended to attribute taser-related deaths to other factors (such as drug intoxication),
some medical experts question wether the taser shocks may exacerbate a risk of heart failure in cases where persons are agitated,
under the influence of drugs, or have underlying health problems such as heart disease.
Most taser-related victims who died were unarmed men, who, while displaying disturbed or combative
behavior, did not appear to present a serious threat to the lives or safety of others. Yet many were subjected to extreme
levels of force, including repeated taser discharges and in some cases dangerous restraint techniques such as "hogtying"
(shackling an individual by the wrists and ankles behind their back). The cases raise concern about the overall levels of
force deployed by some police agencies as well the safety of tasers.
Tasers have been described by many police departments as "filling a niche" on the force scale. However,
Amnesty International is concerned that deployment of tasers, rather than minimizing the use of force, may dangerously extend
the boudaries of what are considered "acceptable" levels of force.
The above material contains excerpts from Amnesty International Canada.
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