TN! of the week: RCMP Constable Kwesi Millington:

Plenty of reasons why Kwesi Millington is the receiver of the Taser-Nazi of the Week nomination.

The most obvious ones:

1. "A bulletproof vest, handgun, baton and pepper spray were not enough to quell the fear RCMP Constable Kwesi Millington says he felt when confronted by Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski [who was holding a stapler] during a fatal October 2007 incident at Vancouver airport."

2.Without any warning Constable Kwesi Millington fired the taser at Robert Dziekanski, who, according to a scared Kwesi Millington, was making a threating gesture with a stapler toward one of the other three officers.

3. As a reaction to this "fluid" situation Kwesi did not taser Dziekanski once, not twice, no, Kwesi tasered "the subject" another four times AFTER it had fallen down on the floor from the excruciating pain from the first taser deployment.

4. Throughout the Braidwood hearing Mr. Millington's initial explanation continuously contradicted the Pritchard video, which seems nothing short of a cover up. The (a) yelling of Dziekanski, the (b) raising high of the stapler, (c) not functioning of the taser, (d) number of deployments of the taser, (e) even the intensions of Mr. Dziekanski (why Dziekanski walked to his luggage when asked for his passport and identification), they were all proven wrong by the video or other evidence presented at he inquiry.

What was it that Abraham Lincoln had to say about long strings of lies and cover-ups?

"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

Kwesi, you are the Taser-Nazi of the Week.

Congratulations!

LINKS
- Globe and Mail: "He was carrying a weapon and all four of us were only in our underwear"
- Dawg's Blawg: Braidwood to show us the obvious: the RCMP defeated by a single amateur video

TN! of the Week: RCMP Constable Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo

It's one thing to apply the taser WITHOUT killing the "suspect", it's another thing to use it as an "excellent example" that a deadly device is able to "save lives".

At issue is the deployment of the taser on a suicidal man who was hiding on the balcony of a Nanaimo motel, after he had slit his wrist.

RCMP Constable Gary O'Brien:

The suspect was losing large quantities of blood and the officers came to the conclusion he could cause either death or grievous harm to himself [...]

So what did the officer in question do? He shot him with his torturous taser. Zapper-Di-Zap-Zap!! And why not? The "suspect" was apparently in for dieing anyways, so why not help him a bit along the way? He wouldn't be the first one that week to die after being tasered to shit:

Police used a Taser while arresting Marreel in the hamlet of Fisher's Glen, south of Simcoe, at Front Street and Fisher's Glen Road, about 10:30 a.m. Monday. Marreel died two hours later and was pronounced dead at hospital.

Anyways, back to our Taser friend O'Brien. The following quote got him nominated:

RCMP spokesman Gary O'Brien:

[The electro-shocking of the suicidal man] was an excellent deployment [of the taser] and an excellent example of how these things can save lives.

It's a beautiful success story for Taser of course, if it were the truth. Unfortunately it is far from it, and here's why:

• In order to save lives one would have to assume that without the use of the taser this suicidal person would have died. This doesn't necessarily follow (since there are plenty of other ways to resolve issues like these), it's hard to believe and it is even harder to proof. All that was needed to have helped this man was some good policing: there are plenty of other techniques to help and/or handcuff a suicidal man, without the use of a taser.
  
• Contrary to popular believe, there isn't ANY serious proof/evidence that the taser has saved a single live, EVER. Therefore declaring this incident as an "excellent example of how tasers can save lives" is like saying that Christmas is an excellent example that Santa Claus can fly through the sky...
  

I love to believe in fairy tales and miracles, Constable Gary O'Brien, but the reality is that tasers kill, again and again. And as long as the police remains numb on their own police taser killings, yet dare to have the guts to take each and every opportunity to spread corporate supplied misinformation about the taser, I will keep honouring publicly paid spin-masters with "excellent" awards.

Readers, I'm honoured to present to you a perfect example of a Taser-Nazi: RCMP spokesman Gary O'Brien.

Congratulations!!

LINK
- Globe and Mail: "We, Canada's Corporate Press, have never been sure that Taser International's wonderful tasers can kill, but we're positive tasers they save lives - just check out our headline"
- MSN: "We're MSN Money, and we love Taser too"
- Taser International: "We at TASER love doing research (when we're not busy suing coroners that don't agree with junk science)"
- Taser's old site: "Our mantra is that "we save lives everyday" - The reality is quite different, but who cares?
- Truth not Tasers: "Do tasers kill? You do the math"

PS1: Here's another take on Taser death.
PS2: Find spin-master O'Brien's press release below. And why don't you give him a call to congratulate him? His phone number as at the bottom of the press release:

Nanaimo - Taser ends stand off with suicidal male armed with knife
File #2008-18130 2008-06-26 12:06 PDT

Nanaimo RCMP deployed a Taser June 21 successfully ending a standoff with a suicidal male armed with a knife.

The incident began shortly after 7:00 am on Saturday June 21, near the 7-11 on Terminal Avenue. An RCMP member sitting in his police vehicle, saw a male carrying a knife and dripping blood from an apparent wound to his wrist. The officer called for back up and was told by the unidentified male he wanted to die. The male, bleeding profusely from his wrist, continued to slash at and worsen his injury. Additional officers arrived and they attempted to establish dialogue with the male.

The incident carried across the street to a second level landing at the Port of Call Motel. The male then without warning escalated his actions and placed the knife to his throat and began to turn away from the officers. Fearing he was about to slash at his throat, one of the officers deployed the Taser from approximately 8 feet, instantly incapacitating him, allowing the officers to safely move in and take the knife from him. He did not sustain any injuries from the deployment of the Taser or when he fell to the ground. He was then treated by waiting paramedics for his life threatening self inflicted injury and transported to hospital.

The 44 year old male and resident of Nanaimo for the past year was arrested under the Mental Health Act and remains in hospital. No additional charges were laid. Constable O’Brien, Media Relations Officer for the Nanaimo RCMP spoke with him today he admitted the Taser and actions of the police officers probably saved his life.

Released by:

Constable Gary O'Brien
Media Relations Officer
Community Policing Services, Nanaimo
303 Prideaux St, Nanaimo V9R 2N3
Office No.: 250-755-3257
Cell No.: 250-713-0701
Fax No.: 250-755-3238
ediv_internet_webmaster@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Taser International loses court case: Taser stock fall

Taser stocks are down! Yep, it's all because of the latest liability suit that they've lost.

It's not the first time Taser didn't win a court case. Taser ended settling many court cases in the past to preempt embarrassment.

Here's why they lost this liability suit:

Taser failed to warn police in Salinas, Calif., that prolonged exposure to electric shock from the device could increase the risk of cardiac arrest, a San Jose, Calif., jury said on June 6. The jury awarded $1-million in compensatory damages, and $5.2-million in punitive damages to the estate of Robert Heston, 40, and his parents. The police officers weren't held liable.

"Police weren't held liable", that's interesting, isn't it? And on many levels. But the result is most important: the police can turn against Taser if they have to.

So it's for real. Taser loses the case in court. The beginning of the end of the taser-era.

LINKS
- G&M: Taser loses first liability suit - Shares fall 11% after jury orders manufacturer to pay $6.2-million (U.S.) in man's death
- Wikipedia: Taser
- Google Finance: Taser

TN! of the Week: Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Scott Wilson

Let's all congratulate RCMP Cpl. Scott Wilson for his nomination of taser-nazi of the week.

What got him nominated? His response to this "event" that happened at a Kamloops hospital yesterday:

An elderly man in Kamloops, B.C., was zapped three times on the torso by a police stun gun while lying on his hospital bed, CBC News has learned.

Frank Lasser, 82, appeared fragile Thursday when he showed the Taser marks on his body and talked about the ordeal he went through Saturday.

Kamloops RCMP said Thursday that officers had no other option but to deploy the [electroshock weapon] when Lasser refused to drop his knife.

What? A 82 years old man recovering from a pneumonia carrying an oxygen apparatus, and no other option than to deploy the torturous taser? Then what did (3) police officers (yes, there were three at the glorious event) do in the age before Taser's wonderful invention? Cry and run? Or shoot and kill?

But at least the police apologized and said they would never do it again, right?
Not Scotty, our nominee:

"Whether the person is 80 or 20, we are dealing with a person who had a deadly weapon in their hand," Cpl. Scott Wilson told CBC News.

With this kind of reasoning Scotty can walk into any restaurant and start tasering anybody; lots of people with knives in their hands (note to self: avoid Vancouver Transit, Vancouver's YVR Airport and all hospitals and restaurants in the Kamloops area).

Congratulations Cpl. Scott Wilson, defending the tasering of an 82 year old hospitalized man has gotten you nominated for The Taser-Nazi of the Week award!

LINKS
- CBC : RCMP subdue hospitalized man, 82, with Taser

Hamilton Police seriously injures man with Taser

The taser-Nazis appear to be at it again. This time in Hamilton, Ontario.

A Hamilton man Tasered by police is in hospital after the stun gun ignited [a flammable object in his waistband], burning him.

Special Investigations Unit spokesman Frank Phillips says three officers went to an east-end apartment after receiving a call about a disturbance Thursday night. The SIU is a civilian agency that investigates cases of serious injuries (including allegations of sexual assault) and deaths involving the police.

The officers located a man in an apartment, and during their interaction with him an officer discharged his Taser. A flammable object the man had in the waistband of his pants ignited. The man received [serious but] non-life threatening burns. The man was transported to Hamilton General Hospital where he was admitted for treatment.

LINKS
- CNW Telbec: SIU Investigations Injury in Hamilton
- TheSpec.com: Taser shock triggers fire in man's pants

When Canadian Police start behaving like Nazis we better call them on it: Sgt. Willie Merenick has been nominated for TN! of the week!

Who doesn't remember the Soup Nazi? Wikipedia remembers:

"The Soup Nazi" is the title of the 116th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, which was the 6th episode of the 7th season. It first aired in the United States on November 2, 1995.

The Soup Nazi is also the name of the titular character played by Larry Thomas. The term "Nazi" is used as an exaggeration of the over-regimentation he constantly demands of his patrons.

More recently another profession has increasingly been acting more like the Nazis: we're talking about the police here, especially when armed with or talking about the notorious stun-gun more commonly known as the taser.

Taser use by Canadian police force has grown exponentially in the last few years. Initially the use of the taser has been defended by the police as a replacement tool for the gun. But as of recent the taser has been used on “non-compliant” fair evaders on Vancouver transit. What's next? Tasering babies for crying out loud?

Amnesty International has reported that Taser use can amount to torture, and in case of the Vancouver Transit Police Taserings we couldn't agree more. If someone who hasn't bought a two dollar ticket can expect to be tasered into compliance by Vancouver Transit Police then we know we have given the police far too much leeway for taser usage; tasering someone into compliance is torture.

Torture was something the Nazis were specifically good at, sometimes with the same goal in mind: forcing the victim into compliance. And just imagine: if the taser had been invented during the 1930s, wouldn't all publicly paid Nazi officers have carried it?

Given the descriptions above, isn't it fair to compare current public officers that engage in or promote Taser use on non-compliant but non-violent members of the public, to their imagined Nazi counterparts by calling them TASER-NAZIS? We think it is :)

If you would like to nominate someone for “Taser-Nazi of the Week” then please leave a comment on this page. Here is the repressive “Getting it Right Policy” on nominating someone. The nominee should comply with at least one of the following policies in order to be considered:

1.Anyone paid by the public who uses or threatens to use a taser on a non-compliant but unarmed (non-violent) member of the public.

2.Anyone paid by the public who works at a policing agency (so not a law maker) and who actively advocates FOR the use of tasers while ignoring (either actively or tacitly) the rationale AGAINST the taser.

3.Anyone paid by the public who keeps repeating taser's unproven mantras (such as “the Taser saves lives” “the Taser prevents injuries” and “the Taser reduces injuries”) when hard facts have proven the contrary (many people have been injured and died after being tasered).

4.Anyone paid by the public who withholds information that can lead to the prosecution of officers that have used the taser gun to abuse or kill a "subject".

5.Anyone paid by the public who obstructs the process that can lead to the prosecution of officers that have used the taser gun to abuse or kill.

6. Anyone who lobbies on behalf of publicly paid workers and who participates in one of the activities described in 1-3.

First nomination for Taser-Nazi of the Week is: Sgt. Willie Merenick.

In an April 2008 interview Mr. Merenick confirmed that tasers have been used 10 times on members of the public in Vancouver by police officers from the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police. The taser was deployed “for the safety of the public, the people themselves and the police”.

The following is what got him nominated:

Sgt. Willie Merenick: “If we didn't believe that Tasers save lives, reduce injuries and are effective, we wouldn't use them.”

Well, Mr. Merenick, let me update you with some hard facts. Tasers do NOT save lives. In fact, there's isn't a shred of evidence that any of the thousands of Tasers out there has ever saved a single life, so who are you fooling here, Willie Merenick?

The same can be said about injuries. No data whatsoever that a taser can PREVENT an injury: If tasers really can prevent injuries shouldn't we all be wearing one? We do know that tasers have caused hundreds if not thousands of injuries (including burns, eye-wounds, broken limbs, and so on) and that many members people have died shortly after they were shot with a taser.

So there you go, Sgt. Willie Merenick, you've been nominated for taser-Nazi of the Week. Repeating corporate mantras while conveniently omitting contradicting facts (also called lying by omission) that would give a more balanced view on the taser has gotten you nominated. Congratulations!

LINK
- Vancouver Sun: Transit police back Taser use
- Amnesty International: Taser Related Deaths
- Democratic Underground: Taser Nazi nightmare needs to end

Ticket or Taser? Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 Transit riders warned

Babies that recovered from being tasered by tasering moms and pops now have something else to worry about: getting tasered while on Vancouver Transit. Vancouver's version of "trick or treat" is called "ticket or Taser". Visitors of the 2010 Winter Olympices, be warned and either rent a car, or grab a cab.

VANCOUVER — The country's only armed transit police have been tasering passengers who try to avoid paying fares.

According to documents provided in response to a Freedom of Information request, police patrolling public transit in the Metro Vancouver area have used tasers 10 times in the past 18 months, including five occasions when victims had been accosted for riding free.

Good old Freedom of Information request can come up with some nasty things these days. Read on.

In one incident, a non-paying passenger was tasered after he held onto a railing on the SkyTrain platform and refused to let go.

Holding onto a railing? You can't have that. Go ahead, taser, taser, TASER!!! Why can't these suckers buy a ticket, or travel by car like everyone else does? TASER those losers, with or without ticket, TASER TASER TASER!

“After several warnings to the subject to stop resisting arrest and the subject failing to comply with the officers' commands, the taser was deployed and the subject was taken into control,” said the report provided by TransLink, the region's transit authority.

Comply or be Tasered.

An internal review of the incident concluded that the action taken by transit police officers complied with the force's policy and was within guidelines “set out in the National Use of Force Model,” the report said.

Okay, Taser AND comply then.

On another occasion, a passenger was tasered when he fled from police who found him without a payment receipt during a “fare blitz.” This time, however, the passenger got away because, as recounted in the report, “the Taser was ineffective due to the subject's clothing and [he] escaped the custody of the officers.”

Lots more to read here.

LINKS
- Globe and Mail: Vancouver transit riders tasered for not paying fares
- Wikipedia: Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010
- Vancouver Transit: Translink
- Wikipedia: Skytrain Vancouver
- Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service - Strategic Plan Update (including use of Taser)

Jamie Graham, the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society and TASER - simply well connected.

Who wasn't surprised to hear that a mental health group is advocating FOR the use of the Taser?

Well, I wasn't. The BCSS has a longstanding close relation with former Vancouver police Chief Constable Jamie Graham, who is one of the strongest advocates for taser use in Canada. And I would argue far too close (page 3).

Remember Jamie Graham? He's the officer that will ALWAYS put in a good word for TASER international, that you start to wonder what his share in the company is. I'm sure TASER doesn't stop with a mere $85,000+ TASER sponsorship of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, because buying policemen has become a trademark of TASER international.

Personally I've never trusted this ex-chief. He seems to be able to lie by omission better than anyone else I know; but it's still lying. He'll argue that "the Taser gun is an effective, non-lethal weapon that saves lives in confrontations with combative individuals", but have you ever heard him taking the growing number of Taser deaths in this country serious? Shouldn't TASER-KILLINGS be on his mind too?

But why the BCSS keeps believing this phony guy when it comes to the TASER discussion is still somewhat of a mystery. Does anyone at BCSS get paid for repeating TASER's own junk-science? Besides, there's plenty of evidence out there that schizophrenics are being tasered frequently, sometimes with deadly results. Here's a recent Canadian example:

It was prompted by the case of Howard Hyde, a Dartmouth man who died in November about 30 hours after Halifax police Tasered him twice during his arrest for spousal abuse. Mr. Hyde, a schizophrenic, struggled with jail guards moments before his death.

Or what about this one:

My son is dead. He suffered from schizophrenia most of his adult life and yes, was developing heart problems. As a full-time resident of a group home for the mentally ill we might have expected more for Ray when he went into crisis.
Ray was stunned [with a Taser] in the chest and behind the left ear. [...] If the Taser is so effective, it is necessary to stun people multiple times in the presence of multiple officers.

Or how about Delafield, who died shortly after being tasered in her wheelchair for more than 2 minutes total:

Family attorney Rick Alexander said Delafield's death could have been prevented and that there are four things that jump out at him about the case.

"One, she's in a wheelchair. Two, she's schizophrenic. Three, they're using a Taser on a person that's in a wheelchair, and then four is that they tasered her 10 times for a period of like two minutes," Alexander said. According to a police report, one of the officers used her Taser gun nine times for a total of 160 seconds and the other officer discharged his Taser gun once for a total of no more than five seconds. A medical examiner found Delafield died from hypertensive heart disease and cited the Taser gun shock as a contributing factor, the report said. On her death certificate, the medical examiner ruled Delafield's death a homicide.

So why exactly does the BCSS endorse Taser use on schizophrenic people?

I have to give Jamie Graham some credit for this too; he's done so much for Taser International, so why shouldn't he be rewarded? His help to set up the Justice Institute of British Columbia, an organisation that regulary hosts Taser's own "Use of Force, Risk Management and Legal Strategies Seminars - For Chiefs, Sheriffs, Risk Managers and Legal Advisors" (pdf, see page two) has ensured that all Taser lies (including those by omission) would be installed in the minds of police officers across BC. Thank you Jamie Graham, well done.

Footnote for Taser International:
If your company hasn't already done so; I'm sure either the BCSS and/or their board members would appreciate a "donation" for their endorsement of Taser usage, including usage on patients suffering from Schizophrenia.

RCMP is getting ready to taser babies

The RCMP loves tasering people of all sorts and ages. So why not tasering babies?

Babies can get pretty annoying, especially when they won't let you sleep. If you think that's enough to get tasered these days, think again:

An RCMP detachment in a suburb of Victoria, B.C., is being accused of misusing a Taser stun gun on a 15-year-old boy who was being arrested for disobeying a court-ordered curfew for a mischief charge.

the boy was attempting to wriggle out of a police car when an officer fired a Taser shot into his leg.

Wait a minute! I thought the RCMP would only use the Taser as a weapon of last resort. Whose afraid of a fleeing teenager?

But things got a lot worse from there:

Shortly after, the boy began kicking the police-car door from the inside and the officer decided to use the Taser again, on the boy's chest, the report says.

Well, a 15 year old boy kicking a police car from the inside, that's enough reason to Taser again and again, isn't it? Just as annoying as a crying baby would be. I'm glad I'm not married to a police officer who brings his/her taser home in the evening. I wouldn't trust him/her for moment with a crying baby.

Footnote
There'll be no formal investigation into whether the Taser was improperly used in this case other than the standard review that is always done whenever a police weapon is deployed. Watch your babies.

LINKS
- CBC: RCMP accused of misusing Taser on Victoria B.C. teen.
- All my Taser posts
- Wikipedia: Taser
- Wikipedia: Police Brutality

Harper Government to blame for increase of Taser usage

Not the RCMP. Well, at least according to Kate McMillan's analogy.

Anyhow, tasers are in the news again, and it ain't lookin' pretty:

OTTAWA - The RCMP is stripping crucial details about Taser firings from public reports as use of the controversial stun guns skyrockets across the country.

A joint investigation by The Canadian Press and CBC found the Mounties are now refusing to divulge key information that must be recorded each time they draw their electronic weapons.

As a result, Canadians will know much less about who is being hit with the 50,000-volt guns, whether they were armed, why they were fired on and whether they were injured.

Sure, holding back a taser video isn't that easy these days, but "stripping crucial details" still works, as long as some conservative liberalist party rules this country all is good.

Taser report forms obtained under the Access to Information Act show the Mounties have used the powerful weapons more than 4,000 times since introducing them seven years ago.

Incidents have increased dramatically, topping 1,000 annually in each of the last two years compared with about 600 in 2005. The overwhelming majority of firings took place in Western Canada, where the national force often leads front-line policing.

East, West.....damn, I'm in the wrong corner of Canada.

As Taser use escalates, however, the RCMP has tightened the lid of secrecy.

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 fired and why.

Good for you, RCMP, I mean Harper Government, transparency rules!

A Canadian Press analysis [...] found three in four suspects Tasered by the RCMP were unarmed.

A majority unarmed? WTF?

Several of those reports suggested a pattern of stun-gun use as a handy tool to keep drunk or rowdy suspects in line, rather than to defuse major threats.

This doesn't surprise me, really. Why would someone who is paid in stock by Taser not use it whenever he can?

There's more:

Stun guns have swiftly become the go-to weapon for scores of police and correctional officers across Canada. The RCMP has more than 2,800 Tasers and some 9,100 Mounties are trained to use them.

Getting it right knows all about why the RCMP lovers the Taser.

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.

Exactly. We need MORE transparency when it comes to Taser use, not less. And then perhaps, one day these torturous devices will become history too.

Although Dziekanski appears more confused than threatening on the video, the officers waited less than 30 seconds before they zapped [...]. Within minutes, he was dead.

Thank you, Stephen Harper. I'm sure you meant well (and so does Kate).

LINK
- Canoe/Canadian Press: Taser News
- Wikipedia: List of torturous devices
- Getting it Right: Taser use in Canada (all posts)
- Wikipedia: electric shock
- Wikipedia: Electrocution

Canadian Police paid in stock by TASER International

Taser is in the news again. This time Thomas Smith, Taser stun gun manufacturer, was grilled by MPs on Parliament Hill. The Public Safety commission was questioning Mr. Smith as part of study stemming from death of Robert Dziekanski.

Deadly Tasers

OTTAWA — With his company under intense scrutiny following a high-profile death, and with a potentially lucrative Canadian business deal on the horizon, the CEO of Taser International vigorously defended his company's signature stun gun on Parliament Hill yesterday. [...]

The committee's study of tasers, and in turn Mr. Smith's appearance, were in large part prompted by the case of Robert Dziekanski, the Polish immigrant who died last October after RCMP officers tasered him at Vancouver International Airport.

Mr. Dosanjh asked Mr. Smith whether he was suggesting that tasers played absolutely no role in the 300 or so North American deaths that occurred after the [use of one or more Tasers] in the past few years. Mr. Smith said the use of tasers was deemed a contributing factor in [the deaths of] about 30 cases.

Victoria Police Darren Laur paid with TASER stockHere's another reason why the police love their Taser so much:

It was during subsequent questioning about Taser International's financial relationship with Canadian police officers that Mr. Smith revealed TASER International had paid two Canadian officers for services.
One of those officers, Darren Laur of the Victoria B.C police, was compensated with Taser stock after designing a holster for the device. However, it was not publicly known that a second officer was paid until yesterday's hearing. After the session, Mr. Smith said he believes the second officer was from a Montreal police force and was paid to provide taser training in Europe because he could speak French.

- Wikipedia: Taser International
- Globe and Mail: Taser CEO grilled by public safety committee
- Getting it Right: Why the Police love their Tasers so much

Taser update: 6 people dead in one week after being Tasered

There's an interesting article on Tasers at CBS website today:

Tasers have become increasingly controversial in the United States, particularly after several notorious cases where their use by police to disable suspects was questioned as being excessive. Especially disturbing is the fact that six adults died after being tased by police in the span of a week.

Last Sunday, in Frederick, Md., a sheriff's deputy trying to break up a late-night brawl tased 20-year-old Jarrel Grey. He died on the spot.

"I want to know what he did that was so bad," the victim's mother, Tanya James, said. "Did the deputy think that their life was in danger? Did he have a weapon?"

The death came just weeks after Frederick police used a Taser to subdue a high school student.

Black leaders held a rally Tuesday calling for the department to ban Tasers, at least until there is a clear policy on how they are used. The NAACP says it appears the sheriff's office is using Tasers routinely, rather than as a weapon of last resort.

Also this week, in Jacksonville, Fla., in two separate cases two men died after being stunned.

One suspect, who fled a car crash and tried to break into a nearby home, struggled with a policeman, prompting the officer to tase him three times. The man continued to fight, and tried to bite the officer, while he was being tased. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Another man died Tuesday after a Jacksonville officer pulled over his car. When the officer approached it, the man took off running. When the officer caught up with him, during a struggle, authorities say the officer used his Taser to subdue the suspect.

After being placed in the back of the police car the suspect became unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Last Sunday, in New Mexico, 20-year-old Jesse Saenz died after Raton police used a Taser to subdue him. Police say Saenz was struggling and fighting with them as they attempted to take him into custody.

Saenz died after being transported to a county jail.

In Nova Scotia, a 45-year-old man who was jailed on assault charges jumped a counter and ran for the door as he was being booked. He died yesterday, about 30 hours after being shocked.

- CBS: U.N.: Tasers Are A Form Of Torture - "Stun Guns" Are Under Fire After Six Deaths This Week; Rallies Held Demanding They Be Banned

Canada Taser Update: Taser Moratorium now in place at Whitehorse Jail.

The latest Canada Taser Update with news from the CBC:

The Yukon Justice Department has imposed a moratorium on using Tasers at the Whitehorse jail in light of recent deaths involving the stun gun elsewhere in Canada. [...] The decision to introduce the temporary moratorium comes as numerous reviews of Taser use are underway across Canada.

"No one wants to have to access a tool that they're using with uncertainty about, you know, what the outcome of its use might be," Superintendent Phil Perrin said.

- Read also: UN Committee: Taser guns torture and kill
- CBC: Taser moratorium in place at Whitehorse jail

UN Committee: Taser guns torture and kill

The latest news on Tasers (and other electroshock weapons) comes from the UN Committee against Torture (CAT):

Taser electronic stun guns are a form of torture that can kill, a UN committee said on Friday [November 23, 2007] after several recent deaths in North America.
"The use of these weapons causes acute pain, constituting a form of torture," the UN's Committee against Torture said.

Not really any new information for regular visitors of my site. But what's interesting is WHO is saying this, the United Nations Committee Against Torture, a "body of highly regarded independent human rights experts that monitors implementation of the Convention by State parties".

They've got more to say too:

"In certain cases, [tasers] can even cause death, as has been shown by reliable studies and recent real-life events," the committee of 10 experts said.

Three men, all in their early 20s, were reported to have died in the United States this week, days after a Polish man died at Vancouver airport after being tasered by Canadian police.

The man, Robert Dziekanski, 40, fell to the ground and died after the police officers piled on top of him. There have been three deaths in Canada after the use of Tasers over the past five weeks.

So now even the United Nations regards tasers as torturous weapons that can kill. When will our police stop using Tasers?

- 24.com: Stun Guns "a form of torture"
- wikipedia: UN Committee against Torture (CAT)

Tasers kill, but do they actually save lives?

We've heard the catch phrase many times in the last few days, tasers are supposedly saving lives. Here are some recent examples:

London Free Press (November 21, 2007): Taser critics don't know what they're talking about, Fantino says
"“I can say without qualification that Tasers save lives,” said Fantino."

570News Victoria (November 19, 2007): Police weapons expert says Tasers save lives, prevent injuries
"A Victoria police weapons expert says Tasers save lives and he personally believes he would have killed several people in the line of duty if it wasn't for his Taser. Const. Mike Massine says his use of the Taser diffused several tense situations where using his firearm was the next alternative.

CBC (November 17, 2007): RCMP to review Taser policy in wake of airport death: commissioner
Numerous police forces say the weapon is a crucial "non-lethal" option for officers that helps save lives and protect both them and civilians from injury.

Not that there's any hard evidence of course, on the contrary, there's a growing number of cases in which the Taser has been considered a primary or secondary cause of death.

So how can "experts" keep claiming that tasers save lives?

They use a technique called informal predictions, which are often nothing more than opinions marketed as "evidence".

Here's one of Taser's own fallacies, from Taser's paper: TASER Device Liability and Litigation Riskown fallacies (p.3):

TASER technology is saving lives as well. Houston (TX) Police reported that in 39 instances between December 2004 and October 2006, incident involved officers would have been justified in using deadly force instead of stunning them;

Taser makes several mistakes in reasoning:
- reporting that in 39 instances officers were "justified in using deadly force" doesn't mean that these officers would have actually used deadly force if they wouldn't have had a taser.
- using deadly force doesn't guarantee that the "victim" will die from it. There are many ways to shoot someone without killing; try the legs for example. And not all "use of deadly force" will actually result in a hit; police officers miss too.

So how many lives were actually saved? We don't know and neither does Taser. There is simply no hard evidence. What we do know for sure is that tasers kill. There's proof that between June 2001 and June 2007, there were at least 245 cases of deaths of subjects soon after having been shocked using Tasers.

Then why are there so many police officers repeating the "tasers save lives" myth? Well, why don't you read it for yourself?

(don't forget to read the comment section)

Update: more "Taser Saves Lives" bullshit below:

CBC (November 22, 2007): B.C. police chiefs defend Taser use but support reviews
But [British Columbia Association of Chiefs president Gord Tomlinson said the association is rejecting calls for a moratorium on Taser use because members believe the weapon is safe and saves lives.

CTV.ca (November 22, 2007): Commons committee to probe Dziekanski's death
"Forgive us if we sound biased in the defence of the Taser. But if we didn't believe completely that they've saved live[s] and prevented injuries . . . we wouldn't be using them."

Thunder Bay's Source (November 22, 2007): Fantino concerned about rhetoric over Taser use
[Fantino] says Tasers have been studied enough and is adamant that they save lives.

Note: Not a single journalist asked what the reasons are for believing that tasers save lives. Neither did anyone bother asking what the equation between lives saved and people killed is: so much for sound evidence or good journalism.

Upper-date: more "Taser Saves Lives" bullshit below:

CBC.ca (February 24, 2009): Tasers save lives, police associations say
Canada's two main police associations are defending the use of Tasers, saying in Ottawa Tuesday that [tasers] save lives and there is no proof the stun guns have been directly responsible for civilian deaths.

CNW (February 24, 2009): British Columbia Police Association supports national position on Taser use
Describing the Taser as a "vital tool that protects the lives of police and the public" BCPA President Tom Stamatakis notes that the 2,500 members of the 12 police services across B.C. that he represents "support the use of the Taser within clear guidelines".

Calgary Herald (February 13, 2009): RCMP limits use of Tasers
During a meeting of the Commons public safety committee on Thursday, [Commissioner William Elliott] insisted Tasers are still useful weapons that save lives, but also said the RCMP now recognize they can cause death in"acutely agitated" suspects.

Metro Canada (February 24, 2009): Chief Backs use of Tasers
[Police Chief Rick Hanson]: “Absolutely, they should have Tasers; Tasers save lives."

RCMP Watchdog continues whitewash of RCMP lies and spin

What do we expect from the "Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP"? One would think that such a commission would be critical of the RCMP right? Nothing could be further from the truth:

An RCMP watchdog has dismissed a civil rights group's complaint that the Mounties "misrepresented the facts" surrounding the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, even as the force continues to receive e-mails accusing it of "lying."

The Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP will instead follow up an internal complaint into whether officers followed proper procedures, according to a letter from its chairman, Paul Kennedy.

Insiders are probably not all that surprised because the commission is far from independent

The Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP is mandated to conduct reviews when complainants are not satisfied with RCMP handling of a complaint, but even it has no teeth, says the past chair of the commission, Shirley Heafey.

[...] the commission can't subpoena evidence or question witnesses involved in an RCMP investigation. It only has access to investigation material if the RCMP commissioner willingly hands it over.

And to be frank, when a watchdog uses euphemisms like "conducted energy weapon" (likely invented by Taser to describe the sometimes-lethal, other times torturous electroshock weapon, better known as the Taser) one has to wonder how "critical" this commission will be of ANY Taser use.

So did the RCMP lie? Many people think they did, and they've let the RCMP know too:

"We've been outright called liars," said Carr of e-mails he'd received from the public. "But a liar is someone that has one piece of information and says something else. We were giving the information we knew at the time. That's not a lie."

Well, this seems to become a classic example of an agency that, because of all the lying, doesn't know when to stop lying anymore. Of course the RCMP was lying; here's why, with some help from the Victoria Times Colonist.

The morning after the incident, Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre told a Sun reporter that three police officers tried to reason with Dziekanski, but instead he "continued to throw chairs around" despite efforts to calm him.

How many lies can one put in one paragraph? Just watch and see:

Did the RCMP know that there were not (lie #1)"three" police officers, but four?
Did the RCMP know that the four officers did not (lie #2) "reason with Dziekanski?
Did the RCMP know that Dziekanski did not (lie #3) "throw chairs around [after the police arrived on the scene]"?

The answer to all these questions "YES", they knew all these facts because they had the now famous RCMP Taser Killing video in their possession right after Robert Dziekanski had died.

The fact that the RCMP keeps lying about their lies is a good indicator that the whitewash has continued. Who IS going to stop it?

- CanWest: Watchdog rejects spin charge against RCMP
- Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP: Complaint
- The Tyee: As Killings by Police Mount, a Call for Independent Probes
- Wikipedia: Taser Controversy
- An interview with the Paul Pritchard (rush transcript; includes audio)

RCMP keeps tasering: Now a Chilliwack man tasered by RCMP is in "extremely critical condition"

They say that the Taser saves lives. So where are all these people that have been saved? Where's the evidence? Have you talked to somebody yet who has been saved?

What we do know is that, contrary to what Taser and Co. would like you to believe, Tasers DO kill:

A Chicago medical examiner has ruled (in 2005) that shocks from a Taser were responsible for the death of a man in February, marking the first time that the electronic stun gun has been named as the primary cause of death. (HT Frank Frick)

Closer to home we are faced with more RCMP Taser use, possibly with deadly consequences:

Investigators are looking into how a Chilliwack, B.C., man ended up in "extremely critical condition" after a confrontation with RCMP officers in which a Taser was used on Monday afternoon.

So why use the controversial not-lethal-if-you're-lucky Taser?

Police said the man became combative and aggressive when two officers arrived. They tried to subdue him using pepper spray, batons, and then a Taser gun, police said.

No videos that contradict RCMP's version of events are available yet.

- CBC: Chilliwack man hit by taser in "extremely critical condition": RCMP
- The Arizona Republic: Taser shocks ruled cause of death

U of A Student Paper argues RCMP not to blame in RCMP Taser Killing

When reading the a problematic article titled "Tools, not police, to blame for death" by Paul Owen (probably a journalism student at the University of Alberta, writing for "the Gateway") , I tried to leave the following comment at their site, but it was "rejected" (error code 4 ?). His writing is in quotation marks, mine follows.

"Police officers are trained to prevent a violent action, not to react to one."

You must be kidding yourself, Mr. Paul Owen.

"but to place the blame for it solely on the shoulders of the four officers who simply did what they were trained to do"

Did you watch the same video I watched?
- I saw that these officers were using excessive (and evidently lethal) force in a situation that could have been resolved by good policing, assessing the situation better. Are you sure they were simply doing as they were trained to do?

All that this confused man needed was a little help (an interpretor would have helped). Never did the RCMP consider waiting for an interpretor. Why not? That's what you should ask the RCMP.

He never attacked bystanders, and in the opinion of many witnesses and several experts it seemed very unlikely Robert Dziekanski would have attacked anyone.

- What they should have known is the following, taken from the "office of the police complaint commissioner review" on "taser technology" p.39):

5. What role does restraint play in sudden and unexpected death proximate to restraint?

Subjects who struggle with police are almost always restrained in a face-down position.

If subjects are pinned down with a great deal of weight placed on their shoulders and back for a long period of time it may hamper their ability to breathe rapidly enough. Did you watch the video? All four were on top of Robert Dziekanski, who was in a face-down position for about 90 seconds while being handcuffed, and then he lost conscience.

- We DO KNOW that the RCMP lied about this RCMP Taser Killing. Lying has often been the RCMP strategy to protect their own but never was there a video in which reality appears to be significantly different from the RCMP whitewash/lies.

- These officers were also trained to resuscitate any person in the need of CPR. Did YOU see a single officer applying CPR? There were four of them present. None of them helped him when it mattered most; the point between life and death. These four officers are all guilty of gross neglect, if you ask me.

In short, your story is based on two false premises:
1) The police is not trained to react to an violent action. -
2) The four officers simply did what they were trained to do.

Once you've got the premises right, then proceed to argue what's proper or not.

- The Gateway: Tools not Police to blame for death

In other news today: US man dies in Taser incident

Within days of Taser International going on defensive due to the death of Robert Dziekanski, another man dies.

From the Register:

A 20-year-old man died yesterday in Frederick City, Maryland, after being tasered by a police deputy, the Frederick News Post reports.

The victim, identified by friends and relatives as Jarrel Gray, was allegedly involved in a fight with three other people in Gresham Court East early on Sunday morning. The unnamed deputy responded to reports of the altercation shortly before 5am, "found four people fighting outside and deployed a Taser", according to police spokeswoman Cpl Jennifer Bailey.

Bailey added that the man "fell on the ground unconscious and was given first aid on the scene, then taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead".

- The register: US man dies in Taser incident
- ZDNet: Within days of Taser International going on defensive due to one death, another man dies

What members of Canada's Law Enforcement think about the RCMP Taser Killing; it's disgusting!

An anonymous person shared a link of the Blue Line Forum with me. What follows is a selection of what Canadian Law Enforcement has been expressing on this "wonderful forum", right after the release of the RCMP Taser Killing video:

"Setting up a barricade at the doorway does not strike me as the actions of a confused traveller. It indicates to me that he was preparing for a confrontation with the authorities."

"well IMO with the control tactics/use of force training I have I can see the RCMP being 100% justified in how they reacted to the situation."

"Why in God’s name should a copper get hurt just to avoid tasering or OCing a subject that it violent and out of control?"

"Today we have use of force tools that allow us to effect our purpose without getting a "bloody nose". Getting hurt isn't part of my job. My job is to get the job done and go home safely to my family."

"what would look worse to the general public, 4 coppers on top of this guy using knee strikes, arm bars, or possibly, batons to restrain him, or 2 "zaps" with a taser which drops him...they then place him in cuffs?"

"I don't go to work to become a punching bag, and weapons and tools are available to me so I go home. These guys are cops who are no different. At the end of the day it's ME who goes home, if some jerk-off who tried hurting me gets hurt or killed in the process, that's just too damn bad."

"Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six."

"Hell, WHY did this guy pick up a solid metal object with sharp corners? Do you REALLY think he was going to staple some loose papers in his passport? [..]Did this guy at one point have : ABILITY, INTENT, MEANS? Bet your ass."

"Again, no one has asked the obvious question: Why for the love of mike, if you had 7 years to learn even simple English phrases like " I am lost, can someone call my mother?" didn't he do so?"

"Broadcasting the videotape did nothing but inflame public opinion, without providing any additional information on whether the officers' actions were justified. [...] But, you do see the guy writhing in pain and then go limp - images which do little but crank up Joe Q. Public and the media."

"And as for Mr. Pritchard, if he sold this video for profit, he is less than a "global citizen" IMHO"

"I like that Ottawa Police demonstration of the Taser to the CBC, but it should have been someone in the CBC that they tasered....."

"Wow this [Paul Pritchard] guy is now Canada's newest hero. Yep 25 years old now he can move out of his parent's basement and change the world. One shitty, grainy video at a time. I noticed he did sweet nothing to try to calm the guy down, or maybe he could have subdued him by himself. Funny how easy it is to lay blame when you are sitting on your useless ass watching. Loser."

"Why is no one talking about how this Candian hero is benefiting financially from someone's death??"

"I'm glad all the RCMP members involved in the incident made it home to their families after shift."

"I'm always amazed that people try and profit from someone else's misery, either #1 I wouldn't film that, or #2 if I did, I would give it to the police and never think about it again. "

"i don't even read the news stories now. it's too frustrating."

"I guess that's what separates us from the scum of journalism. They see a duty to film. We see a duty to actually do something. Then they see a duty to criticize. Gaping crap pipes."

See for yourself how a single member of this forum (named VoteQuimby) gets bullied by all other members: start reading here or here.

And just so you know, the above comes from a "public" forum. One is only left to guess what the "tone" will be at Blue Line's "private" forums, which are unaccessible for "Joe Q. Public and the media".

Here is couple of images that two "Canadian Law Enforcement" members use to bolster their profiles:





Disgusting.