Don't tase me, bro! The UN says it's torture!

In a month that has seen several people killed after being tasered, a UN committee of ten experts has ruled that tasers constitute torture and are capable of killing. This flies in the face of the manufacturer's statement, which is that any resulting deaths after a taser is used are "attributable to other factors." Intended to prevent officers from having to use lethal firearms, the taser has arguably become well established as just another tool in a regular officer's arsenal for use in scenarios where a firearm would never be considered. As for what effect this ruling will have on the sale of tasers, we're guessing "not much" until all the involved parties come into agreement about the lethality (or lack thereof) of the taser.

[Matt @ Nov 25th 2007 4:11PM]

Screw the UN on this. It's not torture any more than getting your face slammed on the ground and a the shit kicked out of you by the police when you resist arrest.

[Andrew @ Nov 25th 2007 5:19PM]

I agree! Makes me wanna party like it's 1984.

Sigh. Check out this video for one more reason why cops need repercussions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaMYL_shxc

[James Cameron @ Nov 25th 2007 8:38PM]

Trust me, you would rather have them beaten you up than to be tasered.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/03/07/a-crunchgear-investigation-the-trouble-with-tasers-what-the-manufacturer-doesnt-want-you-to-know/

[SKI @ Nov 26th 2007 8:29AM]

Since we can't taser, we'll just shoot them.

[kev @ Nov 25th 2007 4:13PM]

Wow...people are too soft these days. Stop fucking crying about police brutality and shit like that. Learn to live lawfully and you won't have to suffer the consequences. Be thankful you didn't live in the Soviet Union.

[Alan Partridge @ Nov 25th 2007 4:15PM]

Man I would love to be there when the cops kick the shit out of you for all those dvds/porn you;ve been downloading

[kev @ Nov 25th 2007 4:28PM]

Can someone please explain to Alan the difference between running away from the cops/resisting arrest and theft? Thanks.

P.S. You're not funny.

[Blackster @ Nov 25th 2007 4:38PM]

so, you've read the news about the latest taser deaths, which involved the canadian mounties?
seems like they were a tad too brutal and reckless!

[Adam @ Nov 25th 2007 4:39PM]

Ah, gotta love the UN. Some of the worst attrocities ever are being committed all over the world, children are being turned into soldiers in africa, genocide and ethnic purging are so rampant it doesn't even make the news... and the UN wants to bitch about tasers.

--------------------------------------------

The UN is made up of governments. The governments of the participating countries are those that determine its agenda.

P.S.: The UN is capable of multitasking. Just because they're saying taser use if a form of torture doesn't mean they're not working on other issues.

[triptogenetica @ Nov 25th 2007 4:51PM]

Oh, and can someone please explain to kev the difference between copyright infringement and theft? I'm sure we've been over this...

[kittenparade @ Nov 25th 2007 5:12PM]

@Alan
Do you truly believe that living a lawful life will absolutely prevent you from experiencing police brutality? That's cool if you do, it's just really ignorant and stupid. I am assuming your white. I am too but at least I can see the racial injustices committed everyday. I am also assuming that you lead a lawful life and don't commit crimes. You've probably never gone over the speed limit or littered or listened to your car stereo too loud. Be thankful you live in the cyber world, cause with dumbass comments like that you woulnd't be safe in the real world.

[Greg Poole @ Nov 25th 2007 6:01PM]

Wow, there are some aggressive people on here. I thought this was a blog on technology, not a place for people like kev to vent their ridiculous right wing views. Wow, as long as we're not living in the Soviet Union then everything else the government decides to do must be okay. In fact, since you're so confident in living lawfully, why don't we all have cameras installed in our houses so the government can watch what we're doing and catch criminals. You've got nothing to hide, right, so it won't affect you?

[Canman99 @ Nov 25th 2007 7:17PM]

I hope you realize the Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore.

[goyogi @ Nov 26th 2007 1:35AM]

I agree with you, Kev. People should follow the law or get tazed. Let's start with the politicians who don't follow the constitution. Let them lead by example.

[Man Do @ Dec 22nd 2007 3:50PM]

Liberal idiots. Lets try a new holiday "No cop for a day." Let see all of the you cry then!

[Josh L @ Nov 25th 2007 4:15PM]

The real story here is that the UN still thinks it is at all relevant in any way.

[Adam @ Nov 25th 2007 4:39PM]

Many mistake the UN to be an independent organization or enforcement body. Think of the UN as a conference room that countries can sit in and discuss international issues. The UN committee that states that tasering is a form of torture is made up of about 10 countries. The US is a member of that committee, by the way.

[Hastings @ Nov 25th 2007 4:40PM]

You must be American...

[Josh L @ Nov 25th 2007 4:45PM]

@ Adam

I know how the UN works, which is why I say it is completely irrelevant in today's world. The nations that follow its direction and abide by its rulings are the nations that aren't doing anything bad anyway, and the nations that are committing atrocities and genocide don't give two shits about what the UN has to say.

Which is pretty much nothing, by the way. As Eugene says further down the page, human atrocities are being committed around the world that are orders of magnitude worse than some cops who might be a little too taser-happy. How much money, time, and energy was wasted on this meaningless study?

[metal @ Nov 25th 2007 4:54PM]

I have to agree that the UN is pretty powerless but not necessarily for the same reasons.

The main reason I feel its powerless is because of who has veto power. You invariably have two veto holding members that have views that are almost the opposite. I cant remember whether this was over irans nuclear policy or north koreas missile program, but there was an instance where the US wanted to pass sanctions and because they knew china wouldnt comply, the result was some sort of mildly worded statement about how things arent going right. I mean, see how often that gets results.

[Wwhat @ Nov 26th 2007 4:15PM]

The UN was created (by the US basically) so that the daft politicians waste all their energy arguing instead of having their armies murdering eachotherm, and innocents.
So in that light each time the UN does NOT act it's a sign it's working.

[Bman @ Nov 25th 2007 4:26PM]

Tasers can become tourture when they are overused. And they are.

Tasers should be used when the option is shoot or tase. They should not be used because the officer thinks it will be too much work to restrain someone. Tasers should be projectile only, and officers should be required to file an incident report just like they do with guns.

Tasers are overused, but they are not torture by default. By that definition, water is torture.

[aaron @ Nov 25th 2007 4:47PM]

fyi police DO have to file use of force reports when they use tasers, batons, OC spray, empty hand controls, etc. not just guns.

[G Koenig @ Nov 25th 2007 5:24PM]

Tasers were never designed as a direct alternative to lethal force and the idea that "Tasers should only be used in place of guns as an alternative to killing people." is a massive mischaracterization of how they are supposed to be deployed.

Tasers exist because people who resist arrest and force police officers to go "hands on" pose a major risk to themselves and to the officer. When police need to forcibly arrest people, there are a wide range of unknown variables and people tend to get injured (again, both the suspect and the cop). People have a wide range of strength, fighting skills, adrenaline levels, mindset and substance abuse problems; what should be a simple job of cuffing someone can turn into a major fight and people can get horrendously injured.

An example is my cousin who is an officer with the SJPD. He was arresting a wanted felon who was high on drugs a few years ago (without a Taser) and had to go hands on. The altercation lasted 5 minutes (a lifetime when you are in a struggle with someone who may very well be trying to kill you) and he ended up with a badly damaged knee that required surgery. The suspect ended up with multiple contusions, scrapes and sprains - all of which were later used by his lawyer in an attempt to level charges of police brutality.

Tasers are effective because they effectively remove the vast majority of variables from the equation. Hit someone with a Taser, and 99.9% of the time, the effect is highly predictable (they fall to the ground). With very rare exception, Tasers have no lasting effects - unlike pepper spray or hitting someone with a baton, once the 5 or 7 second jolt is done with the Taser, pain subsides and recovery occurs immediately. I've been Tasered and pepper sprayed in training scenarios; being Tasered sucks, but I would MUCH rather have that then the OC spray.

Tasers are an excellent tool that have prevented lots of injuries on both sides of law enforcement. They have been used effectively millions and millions of times. Like any tool, they can be abused and vigilant police training and officer management needs to take place, but the benefits vastly outweigh the downsides. Of course, the negative outcomes get highlighted by anti Taser people and made to look like the norm, but this sort of manipulation shouldn't be used to remove a highly effective tool from our communities.

[Khris @ Nov 25th 2007 5:18PM]

@ aaron

There are a lot of corrupt Police officers out there. Just because they HAVE to file reports, doesn't mean they DO!

[aaron @ Nov 28th 2007 8:39PM]

Khris

yes there are corrupt officers out there, that is a real shame that taints the rest of the honest ones. it's too bad that people hear "cop" and assume "bad."

know that tasers have built in record keeping software that keeps track of every time the unit is used, with or without deploying the barbs. every single time a taser is used, police supervisors know.

[eugene @ Nov 25th 2007 4:27PM]

Ah, gotta love the UN. Some of the worst attrocities ever are being committed all over the world, children are being turned into soldiers in africa, genocide and ethnic purging are so rampant it doesn't even make the news... and the UN wants to bitch about tasers.

[Cellenin @ Nov 25th 2007 5:05PM]

So true! Few here realize that the same countries on human rights committees are the worst violaters on the planet.

[James Cameron @ Nov 25th 2007 8:30PM]

@ eugene

You sir are a freaking retard. So I guessed what you are saying this is the only thing that the UN is involve themselves in?

While the people in the UN are risking their lives in other serious matters around the World and you're sitting on your silly ass not doing any good yourself saying this is only what they(UN) are doing.

They might not be able to save the freaking World but at least they are doing something are trying to make life better for others.

[Mark Richardson @ Nov 26th 2007 12:15AM]

@James Cameron
Sorry, James, but you are the "freaking retard" here. Put down the UN's Koolaid and do a little research. The UN is one of the most dysfunctional organizational bodies in history; it is a complete and utter failure. It hasn't averted any global, national, or regional conflicts, as it was formed to do -- just look how influential the UN has been in the Darfur crisis if you don't believe me -- in fact, it has all but worsened them. Darfur is only the most recent in a very long list of examples.

Aside from that, for you to lash out at someone you don't even know with such scathing and egregious accusations over a completely factual statement is truly depressing.

Is there really such a thing as a UN fanboy? Apparently so...

[James Cameron @ Nov 26th 2007 4:05PM]

@ Mark Richardson

I think you are another "retard". So you think other places around the world is better off without the UN? Stop looking for all the negatives. Thing like this aren't that easy to solve and fix overnight. Without the UN, it could and will get worse. Take law enforce officers for an example. Take them away from the Cities and see what you'll get.

[fireblade @ Nov 25th 2007 4:40PM]

"don't taze me bro." LOL. Wasn't that quote from the University of Florida
student before the campus pd zapped him.

[thethirdmoose @ Nov 25th 2007 4:54PM]

No. You are wrong. God made it.

[Tony @ Nov 25th 2007 9:02PM]

Wow, I didn't realize that!

You're so smart.

[jroc @ Nov 26th 2007 11:35AM]

Yeah they zapped him for asking a question. Here are more police brutality links http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2007/210907_b_brutality.htm

[Edwin @ Nov 25th 2007 4:38PM]

Even though the news outlets running this story lack links to any official statement, they all seem to be quoting this page. Search on the word "Taser" and you will find that the only mention is a single sentence that does not declare the taser is torture, but that the committee "was worried" that it is used as such. You can see for yourself this one sentence is the only thing quoted in the news story linked to, same as with this CBS article.

Sorry, unless there's some other source I haven't found yet, this is a completely bogus news story. The Daily Telegraph has broken one single sentence up and presented it out of context to suggest that the UN has issued an official proclamation that simply does not exist.

http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/D3DD9DE87B278A87C125739C0054A81C?OpenDocument

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/25/national/main3537803.shtml

[rafael @ Nov 25th 2007 4:44PM]

40yo Pole was killed by this device in Canadian airport :( he didnt speak english, and waited 10hours for his luggage, no wonder he got angry. but he wasn't agressive at all and those canadian $@##% tasered him many times, till he died. it should be banned

[Josh L @ Nov 25th 2007 4:47PM]

I agree. In addition, many POWs in Vietnam were tortured and killed with water and electricity and wire cutters. I vote we ban those things, too.

[Mischa Lockton @ Nov 25th 2007 4:48PM]

Yep, it is one thing to zap someone, quite another to be zapped repeatedly for no reason until you die. The commanding officer and all involved should be sent to iraq where we need hot blooded killers.

[Brent @ Nov 25th 2007 5:27PM]

Just curious about whether or not you even watched the video of the event? They tased him twice, not "many times", and certainly not "until he died". In addition, the coroner is still doing the examination so you can hardly say that the taser caused the death. If anyone wants to get educated about the situation (and I'm not disagreeing that the RCMP were too aggressive, but just about your wild acusations here), just do a youtube search for "polish" and "rcmp"... the full/real video's just short of ten minutes.

[raf @ Nov 25th 2007 5:56PM]

yep i watched the video, here in Poland this story made headlines. the fact is they could solve this situation without taser, and avoid unnecessary victim. thet treated him like he was some terrorist, yet all he wanted is to get his luggage, thats sad.

[Generic @ Nov 26th 2007 4:53AM]

I hear you rafael.

What shocks me the most is that electrocution is not recognised as a form of torture by many or nearly all law-enforcement agencies as long as they are the ones using it. If it happens in a third world country while people are detained, the police become subject to human rights activists' scrutiny. Where are these activists when it comes to taser use by the police on the road.

I realy haven't seen any justification for the use of tasers in all the cases involving deaths. These cases make headlines. What about the cases that don't make headlines. I saw on TV a police officer in the USA who was tasing a drunk woman because he ordered here to lie on the ground while she was trying to run away because she was being tased. I don't think that the taser should be used as a law enforement tool in situations were extreme violence is not an issue. If the police officer has to struggle with the outlaw, then let him/her know that that is part (and not all) of the job description and that the taser is not the easy way out like what happened in Canada recently.

[waiownsyou @ Nov 25th 2007 4:45PM]

Haven't they considered something as simple as lowering the voltage? That may tame people and not kill them.

[Phoenix Sanders @ Nov 25th 2007 4:46PM]

Ive been tazed before, and it hurts like you dont know what.

[Mischa Lockton @ Nov 25th 2007 4:46PM]

Well this would be a step up from guns.

I don't give a shit if it a a gun, taser, or the sidewalk; the police need to be accountable for their violence just like the rest of us.

[Josh L @ Nov 25th 2007 5:01PM]

@metal

I agree, there are a lot of things about the UN that keep it from working the way it was envisioned to. The whole organization needs to be overhauled, or barring that, torn down and replaced with something that isn't completely ineffectual.

[FreeCrunch @ Nov 25th 2007 5:41PM]

Not the taser! ;)

http://www.freecrunch.com

[David W. @ Nov 25th 2007 5:08PM]

Tasers are meant to be used instead of guns...police officers need to think of it that way...if it's not something you would use a gun for, use pepper spray...

I do feel the word "torture" may be a bit strong, yes, it hurts reaaaaaaaally bad, but when I think of torture, I think more of an extended type of thing.

Police officers need to be held accountable for their use of the guns, and I think they need to go through training maybe once every six months...but yea...

[Khris @ Nov 25th 2007 5:22PM]

It should become standard practice that every time a Police officer uses a taser against someone, they themselves must subject to it as well.

Would make a lot of them think twice about using it unless it was absolutely necessary, and certainly refrain from using it multiple times.

[John @ Nov 26th 2007 1:38PM]

Torture is causing pain to someone who has no power to stop you and is not immediately any threat to you. Period. It's one thing to call the use of tasers brutality, but to call it torture is ridiculous.