Editorial: Tasers need more study

Thursday, July 22, 2004 | 8:58 a.m.

Sheriff Bill Young made the decision in April of last year to allow Metro Police officers to carry Taser guns. In appearance, these weapons resemble traditional handguns. But instead of bullets, the guns fire darts connected to electrical wires. Upon contact with human skin or even with thick clothing, the darts deliver enough voltage to render people momentarily powerless, although often only after they are shocked multiple times. Tasers give police a nonlethal option when dealing with suspects who are resisting arrest. Young says the whole purpose of equipping officers with Tasers is to better protect people who are being arrested and to reduce injuries to officers.

Other nonlethal options available to police officers include the use of pepper spray, which has proven many times to be ineffective, and fighting with batons, which is dangerous to both officers and suspects. Speaking with the Sun's Editorial Board this week, Young said he studied medical reports on Tasers before allowing officers to use them and became convinced they were relatively safe. Tasers, however, have been in the news lately because their safety is now being questioned. The New York Times on Sunday, for example, carried a lengthy front-page story on Tasers in which it reported that at least 50 people nationwide have died since June 2001 after being shocked.

Young still believes in the weapons -- Metro has 400 of them -- and says they are very popular with the officers who carry them. We can't argue with the sheriff when he says the act of arresting violent suspects carries with it the risk of death, with or without Tasers -- and that electric charges from Tasers at least give violent suspects a better chance than bullets from traditional guns. But The New York Times article points out that Tasers have never been properly tested and that no one can say with any degree of certainty that they are safe.

On Feb. 20 a Metro Police officer used a Taser to subdue a struggling suspect who appeared to have overdosed on drugs. The suspect died the next day. A coroner's inquest jury, after hearing testimony from a medical examiner, cleared the officer but concluded that the Taser -- along with the suspect's drug use -- contributed to the death. During part of the time the suspect was being shocked, he was wearing hand restraints. This has led Young to say he's re-thinking the policy of allowing restrained suspects to be shocked, even if they are kicking or otherwise remaining aggressive. There is some statistical evidence showing that restrained suspects, or suspects who have been taking drugs, are at a greater risk of dying from the shocks.

Young also told the Sun that he is eagerly awaiting a definitive medical report on Tasers from a reputable source. With Tasers now being used by many police departments across the country, it's time for the federal government to fund multiple studies that will lead to a national protocol for the use -- or non-use -- of these weapons.