Editorial: Taser study’s credibility

Friday, May 13, 2005 | 9:08 a.m.

The use of tasers on suspects by police agencies across the nation, including in Las Vegas, has been controversial. Critics of tasers, which have been touted as a safe alternative to the deadly force posed by traditional firearms, have noted that they can seriously harm, even kill, suspects. Some police agencies are reconsidering how and when they use tasers, looking to independent studies to provide more guidance.

It was disturbing then to read a story in USA Today on Thursday that said an adviser to a federally funded study of the safety of tasers also was a paid consultant to the maker of them, Taser International. The Justice Department tried to minimize the adviser's role in the study, but the fact is that such a study must be truly independent for its results to have credibility. That is why we were glad to learn late Thursday that the researcher heading up the study -- following the revelation -- dismissed the Taser consultant from the study.