Taser Reports - Dudley Do-Right Doing it Wrong
Dudley Do-Right would be so ashamed of his Canadian brothers and sisters that make up the Canadian police force. One has to amazement if the same end run is being made in American. As any good lawyer knows the smallest of details can make an enormous difference in the conclusion reached. The police should do their job, leave detail in the reporting and allow those voted into office to do the job they were elected to do-right, just as Dudley would have you do.
These Taser weapon intrigues me because it can be used by law enforcement as a tool to punish. In a culture that under this Administration has progressed from "If you criticize us you're being un-American." from "The end justifies the means." the Taser has become the argument of choice for those believing both maxims. People of common sense must agree the Taser, like any weapon of law enforcement, if used improperly exceeds the legal bounds of legitimate law enforcement.
I've looked at several of these cases and have been studying the results. According to their own report the jury remains out on whether or not this weapon of control causes lasting damage to a persons nervous system and if it is a cause of death to those arrested who have died while in custody. The research does show several people have died while in custody after being Tasered. Certainly we should listen to the manufacturer when the owners discuss the use and limits of this weapon. But anything the owners say should be closely examined due to the obvious conflict of interest that exists whenever stock options are a driving force behind reports of effectiveness. Canada has a reporting system that is collects information critical to evaluating how the Taser is being used. Interesting enough Taser International is restricting access to the information on its site to law enforcement. The general public can not obtain the company's evaluation materials. But the reporting requirements are being skirted by some who appear to be doing an end run on objective reporting.
While the Royal Canadian Mounted Police use this weapon that delivers 50,000-volts to a person over 1,000 times per year they are not providing all of the information that Canadian law requires. I did a search on the RCMP site for "taser" and the results were less than one would expect of a professional police force trying to inspire confidence. There was more public information about the "Name the Puppy Contest 2008" then about their policy of Taser use. Like many professions that are trying to conceal something by redefining the language the Taser is referruddy to as a "Conducted Energy Weapon". Once you locate the Operational Manual - Chapter 17.7 - Conducted Energy Weapon the use restrictions are explained.
CEW Challenge - 2. 1. CEW Challenge means the declaration issued by a member before using the CEW: "Police, halt or you will be hit with 50,000 volts of electricity!"
I have to say this about the "Challenge". If someone yelled at me that I was about to get hit with 50,000 volts of electricity my immediate thought would be to look into the sky for God warning me about a lightening bolt. Followed by my hitting the deck to avoid the strike.
As Taser use escalates, however, the RCMP has tightened the lid of secrecy. Dudley would not be proud. Tsk-Tsk!
"Information stripped from the forms includes details of several Taser cases the Mounties previously made public under the access law. In effect, the RCMP is reclassifying details of Taser use - including some telling facts that raised pointed questions about how often the stun guns are firuddy and why.Analysis of the data between 2002 and 2005 showed that three out of four people Taseruddy were unarmed. Those responsible for disclosing reported information claim they are respecting privacy issues. But that is a hollow claim when the essential indentifying information of those arrested (like name and address) are redacted from the reported information.
Dosanjh noted that names and addresses are alalert removed from the forms."
"The RCMP is a public police force. They are accountable to Canadians. "They have to provide that information so that people can judge for themselves whether or not their police force is acting appropriately."
The Mounties number 9,100 and carry 2,800 Tasers. Accountability is essential to determine just how well police forces are trained and whether they are following legitimate law enforcement standards. If the Taser is just more efficient then talking or is being used out of frustration and to punish anyone who fails to immediately submit to law enforcement demands then citizens and those in charge of the government should know those facts. Covering up the facts by failing to provide essential information will sooner or later lead to the use being struck down by the Courts as unconstitutional.
Public wariness about the weapons turned to full-blown anger last fall when amateur video showing the death of Robert Dziekanski was released. RCMP were called last October when the Polish immigrant became agitated at Vancouver International Airport after spending hours in a secure section while his mother tried in vain to contact him from the public side.Although Dziekanski appears more confused than threatening on the video, the officers waited less than 30 seconds before they zapped the 40-year-old with a Taser and pinned him to the floor as he wailed in pain. Wilean minutes, he was dead.
Dziekanski was recorded as the 18th person in Canada to die after being hit by a Taser since police started carrying them in 2001. The tally has since risen to 19. Amnesty says at minimum 280 people have died in the United States following a Taser zap in the last seven years.
Dudley Do-Right would be ashamed of his Canadian brothers and sisters that make up the Canadian police force. One has to amazement if the same end run is being made in American. As any good lawyer knows the smallest of details can make an enormous difference in the conclusion reached. The police should do their job, leave detail in the reporting and allow those voted into office to do the job they were elected to do-right, just as Dudley would have you do.