In 2009 the death of Antonio Galeano, a Queensland man with a mental health condition sparked a joint review by the Crime Misconduct Commission and the Queensland Police of Taser Policy and training. The review was concerned with many aspects of Taser use especially with the over use of Tasers by the Queensland Police against those with an underlying mental health condition and those under the influence of drug and/or alcohol. Although the report has successfully implemented 24 recommendations a further assessment was conducted by the Crime Misconduct and Commission in 2011. It released an independent review of the Queensland Police Services policies and practices, where it found that a number of key concerns remained. These key concerns were related to the over use of Tasers and especially the use of Tasers upon those who are believed to have a mental health condition and/ or are believed to under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The following will provide a discussing of the introduction and development of the Queensland Police Service Taser police, where it will reflect upon these concerns regarding these ‘at risk’ groups.
Tasers were first introduced by The Queensland Police Service (QPS) in 2002, when they were allocated to the services Special Emergency Response Team. Following a trial in 2007 to 2008, the QPS expanded their use into the general policing environment (CMC 2011: 3).Since the trial, the police minister announced that Tasers will be made operational
The research topic we have chosen to research is Tasers. The use of Tasers has been a very controversial topic in the last few years. Reporters, doctors, and human rights groups have all expressed concern that police officers will use a Taser in situations when no weapon is required and concern has also been expressed over if the Taser is really a less-lethal option. No one claims the use of Tasers to be risk-free but studies have found them comparatively safe. We believe that people opposed to Tasers ignore a body of the reports showing the technology is safe and effective. The research question we hope to answer is: Is the deployment of a Taser a safe and viable
Police brutatlity infleucnes its victims, as well as can undermine the group 's trust in it 's police force. Cops are given a extended range of scope in playing out their obligations. Since they are required to ensure society general safety and face conceivably brutal people, they can legitmatley utilize physical, and even fatal constrain in specific situations (Pierce, 1986, p. 52). Notwithstanding, and officer who utilizes extreme force when it is not called for, or important to play out his or her employment, may go too far into police
In his article, Coastes states that many flaws in the way police handle situations, especially when it comes to situations involving minors, those with physical/mental disabilities as well as those that are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Using pathos to appeal it to the reader’s emotions, Coastes states several instances of deadly forces being used by police when not necessary, such as in the cases of Anthony Hill, Tony Roberson, and Tamir Rice. In Hill’s case, he was a mentally ill person that stripped his clothing off and then jumped off his balcony and the police killed him. Roberson was high
The Court in Bryan v. MacPherson stated that when the officer used the Taser with the probes, aluminum darts tipped with stainless tell barbs connected to the Taser insulated wires, toward the target at a rate of over 160 feet per second. MacPherson, 630 F.3d at 824. The Court noted that once a person is struck, the Taser delivers a 1200-volt into the individual’s muscles, making the impact powerful. Id. at 824. The electrical impulse instantly overrides the victim’s central nervous system paralyzing the muscles throughout the body, rendering the target limp and helpless making the person experience excruciating pain that radiates throughout the body. Id.; see Draper v. Reynolds, 369 F.3d 1270, 1273 (11th Cir. 2004); see also Lewis v. Downey, 581 F.3d 467, 475 (7th Cir. 2009). Although the uses of Tasers by law enforcement can help defuse a dangerous situation, the force must be justified by the governmental interest
Invented by NASA researcher, John H. Cover, in the 1960’s and 70’s, the TASER® has been widely adopted by police agencies as a non-lethal alternative to guns. While these devices have aided authorities in subduing suspects, it has also resulted in numerous unnecessary deaths. The general perception of the non-lethality of Tasers along with poor judgement on the part of law enforcement has culminated in the over use and apparent misuse of discharge against suspects when alternate options have existed. The following paper will discuss in detail the creation of Conducted Energy Weapons (CEW) and the TASER®; negative medical implications of Tasers and their current use by police enforcement groups; the laws which govern the use of
Taser International, Inc. v. Ward, Court of Appeals of Arizona, Division 1, May 13, 2010
The intervention being evaluated is the TASER. Police agencies have increasingly relied on the TASER to incapacitate combative or violent suspects who may be resistant to lesser degrees of force. Despite their adoption by more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, there is little empirical research examining the use of these stun guns by police officers. Like many other innovations in policing, researchers have failed to keep pace with the diffusion of this rapidly spreading technology (p. 170). Advocates of the TASER contend that this technology has saved lives in situations where other less lethal methods are ineffective and lethal force may be justified and that their continued use is warranted (p. 171).
Use of fire arms as the choice weapon by police officers have been around since the late 1800s. Police departments started issuing firearms to police officers in a response to better-armed criminal populations, (Bulman, 2010). Recent studies have shown that less lethal weapons decrease the rate of police officers and suspect injuries. Because evidence supports less lethal weapons for police officer, many law enforcement agencies have agencies are stressing the use of less-lethal weapons. In the early 19th century, the less than lethal weapon of choice was the wooden club, (Bulman, 2010). Less than lethal weapons have evolved to technology such as conductive energy devices (CEDs), commonly known as the Taser.
The first major delimitation is that fact that excessive force by police officers is a relevant issue at present time. Furthermore, the questions administered in the survey where constructed for yes or no responses. This produced valid data from professionals within the field of study. Moreover, the research did not cross over into other areas of nonlethal training. The study was strictly about training efforts within the department and its record of
Armed police are required to become skilled at responding to events that demand the use of firearms (Fyfe, 1981). Arguments arise from the public's failure to recognise the police’s difficulty in making a straightforward judgment as to whether coercive force or the use of guns is required in events (Dick, 2005). When police do use guns, there is a risk that police may misfire and consequently cause more victims as a result (McCulloch, 1989). Furthermore, in circumstances that require force, natural biological impulses kick in; informally known as the fight or
Their abuse of powers does not only directly impact their victims, but the very people they pledge to keep safe. It also contradicts the rule of law (MULLINS, 2018). Recommendations for the future to limit the abuse of police powers, is to provide adequate training and reinforcements about not utilising more force than “reasonably necessary to make the arrest or to prevent the escape of the person after arrest” because applying more force than necessary is assault and is costing innocent lives globally. The training should be centred around reinstating that the use of firearms is the last resort, this will prevent more lives being lost due to abuse of police powers. An increase in the penalty associated with the crime and adding prevention measures is also applicable and essential to limiting the misuse of powers. In addition, all law enforcement officers should wear camera gear on their chest when receiving an incoming call, when making an arrest and when called to a scene. This will ensure primary evidence if issues arise. 100% of the survey respondents agreed with this recommendation. In addition, there should always be more than two officers attending a scene, this will decrease the likelihood of unreasonable actions from occurring in relation to brutality acts and civilians resisting arrests. To limit the racial and bias elements in regards to brutality incidents is to avoid racial stereotyping and try to incorporate programs that increase exposure and cultural competence within the police academy. There should also be an introduction of measures to ensure that police officers who engage in police brutality are properly investigated by a body other than the police force itself (Nedim, 2018), because if they were investigated by law enforcement officers, that could inflict bias perspectives
Eduardo Galeano’s Children of the Days presents historical events from a completely new perspective that is eye opening to those of us who have simply learned history through a textbook. By presenting different perspectives on historical events in a different light, Galeano demonstrates the fact that history has more than one side, and to fully understand the events one must attempt to view all perspectives. Galeano touches on many different topics within the book, however, his critique of religion stood out. When raised Catholic or Christian a child is taught not to question the church and to live by the bible. Galeano challenges that ideology by pointing out the flaws within the church’s teachings and its actions.
This proves that taser is an effective non-lethal weapon that can be used to subdue the criminals. Here are some possible advantages of taser guns, first, taser is a non-lethal weapon. As we may have already know, tasers are meant to take down the suspects without injuring or killing them. Also, it is safer to use in a situations where there are many bystanders in the scene, since tasers do not harm people around the intended suspects. This also leads to the second point of avoiding the usage of lethal weapons. So far, 1689 people have been killed by the police in a crime related actions (May, T. 2014). By promoting the usage of tasers, police officers around the world can lower the number of suspects being killed in the scene. Using the lethal weapon also dangers the suspects, police, and the bystanders, because firearms are a lethal weapon that can take away lives easily. Tasers also requires minimal training to use the functions, which also makes the officers and other security related people to easily use tasers in action. On the other hand, typical fire arms requires more training time to properly use them in order to avoid any accidents with it. Fourthly, by using taser, the injury rates dropped significantly. Taser have been used within law enforcement agencies from 1998, and from that time, according to the Taser International, taser helped lower injuries among officers and
What is police brutality? Police brutality is a violation of the law and is the use of force beyond what is needed to manage or control situation when dealing with members in society. “Police brutality has existed during the United States Industrial Revolution, the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and after the September 11 attacks” (Danilina, S. (n.d.). Police brutality has been in existence since the formation of police forces. Police brutality is the use of unnecessary and excessive force may be occurring in several ways. Pepper spray, gases, batons, and guns are some of the examples used with police brutality. The most common and recognizes form of police brutality is the physical form of this disease that is becoming more common in today’s society. Verbal abuse, racial profiling, arresting individuals under false pretense, and the improper use of objects just as Tasers are also viewed as police brutality. “Cruel and unusual punishments” by the state (police) are prohibited by the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Also the Fourteenth Amendment extends protection to individuals, “prohibiting the state from depriving “any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” (USLegal, (n.d.). Police brutality is becoming a serious offense that is being investigated more today than in the past. Even though people have rights against police behavior toward them, a lot of concerns and complaints
Law enforcement agencies have policies regarding use of force that need reform. There is concern for the balance of ethical decision making by police officers. There is also an equal concern for the rights and value of life of civilians along with those of officers. Maintaining stress-free standards for employed law enforcement is detrimental to police use of force directives. Police organizations can prevent and correct their citizen interaction without the use of excessive force. It is imperative that a process be found that could identify potential issues prior to use of force events occurring. Measures can be taken early by police agencies to avoid officers initiating criminal misconduct. Police training and development of communication techniques will provide the reform needed to subvert the idea of an excessive use of force police culture. Logic should be administered alongside reasoning prior to the use of any force, specifically deadly force. There is no reasonable explanation for excessive use of force so it should be prevented instead of authorized socially and accepted. Most of the police operations that incite negative outcomes are preventable with the implementation of appropriate training.