Tasers kill, and Taser International's Tom Smith agrees!

Yeb, that's what Taser Tom's statement in Vancouver's taser death inquiry boils down to. It happened yesterday and it went like this:

[Tom Smith] said Tasers save 70 lives for every life lost.

It's easy for me to proof that he got the numbers wrong (because apart from this "fortunate guy" I can't find another single life saved on the whole www), but that's not the point. Tasers kill, and Tom agrees.

Thanks for clearing that up, mate.

PS1: Leftdog says that Taser stocks are down. No wonder.
PS2: After extensive research I found another life saved (wink, wink). 2 saved, 344 taser related deaths; you do the math.
PS3: For more information on protecting life with TASER technology, please visit: http://www.TASER.com.

LINKS:
- Times Colonist: taser [kills] : see for all of it below
- Wikipedia: Taser
- Truth not Tasers

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Taser boss says weapon saves lives
Neal Hall, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, May 12, 2008

VANCOUVER - The chair of the company that makes Taser electrical shock weapons says the device is not risk-free but has been proven to save lives.

"Are Tasers risk free? No, they cause people to fall down," Tom Smith of Taser Inetrnational told a Taser inquiry in Vancouver today.

He compared the use of Tasers to that of air bags, which inflate during car crashes.

He said air bags cause some deaths but save many lives.

He said Tasers save 70 lives for every life lost.

Smith said it is a common myth that there has been no independent reseach of Taser use.

One of those attending the inquiry is Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, who said outside the hearing that he remains unconvinced that Tasers won't cause death.

"I believe the science is incomplete," he told reporters.

Dosanjh, who will testify later today at the inquiry, approved use of Tasers in B.C. in 2000.

He said he was misled at the time, saying he was told during a briefing that Tasers were totally safe.

He now believes the weapons need further study and national standards should be set for police about when they can be used.

Smith said there are about 300 documented deaths that occurred after Taser use in North America, including 20 in Canada, of which seven were in B.C.

He pointed out only 30 of those deaths listed the Taser as a contributing factor.

"I think it's extremely low," Smith said of the risk factor of using Tasers.

Smith said after his presentation to the inquiry that it is a myth that there have been no independent studies of Taser use.

There have 129 medical and field studies, he said, with less than 20 per cent funded by Taser International.

"I certainly encourage more studies," Smith said. "This is the most studied non-lethal force option in the world."

He pointed out that Amnesty International is one of Taser's biggest critics but has not funded any scientific research to support its allegations.

Smith said studies show that Taser use reduces the number of injuries to officers and suspects being arrested.

Smith said one study looked at a continuous Taser shock of 45 seconds, which found no evidence of increased risk.

"You show me the science that says risk increases with multiple exposures," he told reporters.

He said the death of a Polish immigrant at Vancouver International Airport was a tragic event that prompted the cuurent inquiry, but it remains unclear what killed the man.

Some police forces such as Cincinnati since bringing in Tasers, reported officer injuries are down 75 per cent, suspect injuries have dropped 40 per cent and use of force complaints against police are down 50 per cent, Smith told the inquiry.