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Taser Safety and Usefulness Questioned

by TChris

Tasers are billed as the nonlethal alternative to bullets, but that may not always be the case. Since 2001, fifty people have died after being shocked with Tasers. The manufacturer bases its safety claims on tests conducted on a pig and five dogs.

Company-paid researchers, not independent scientists, conducted the studies, which were never published in a peer-reviewed journal. Taser has no full-time medical director and has never created computer models to simulate the effect of its shocks, which are difficult to test in human clinical trials for ethical reasons.

In any event, testing may not reflect how the weapon is used in the field.

In training, volunteers usually receive a single shock of a half-second or less. In the field, Tasers automatically fire for five seconds. If an officer holds down the trigger, a Taser will discharge longer. And suspects are often hit repeatedly.

Because Tasers are marketed as nonlethal, they may be overused.

A 2002 company study found that nearly 85 percent of people shocked with Tasers were unarmed. Fewer than 5 percent were carrying guns.

The NY Times examines competing claims about the benefits and risks of Tasers. It finds scant evidence that Tasers reduce police shootings or work better than alternatives like pepper spray, while its independent experts conclude that "Taser has significantly overstated the weapon's safety."

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