Don't tase me, bro! The UN says it's torture!
By Conrad Quilty-Harper 
posted Nov 25th 2007 4:04PM
posted Nov 25th 2007 4:04PM
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.
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.
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
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/
Since we can't taser, we'll just shoot them.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
Oh, and can someone please explain to kev the difference between copyright infringement and theft? I'm sure we've been over this...
@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.
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?
I hope you realize the Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore.
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.
Liberal idiots. Lets try a new holiday "No cop for a day." Let see all of the you cry then!
The real story here is that the UN still thinks it is at all relevant in any way.
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.
You must be American...
@ 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?
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.
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.
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.
fyi police DO have to file use of force reports when they use tasers, batons, OC spray, empty hand controls, etc. not just guns.
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.
@ aaron
There are a lot of corrupt Police officers out there. Just because they HAVE to file reports, doesn't mean they DO!
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.
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.
So true! Few here realize that the same countries on human rights committees are the worst violaters on the planet.
@ 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.
@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...
@ 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.
"don't taze me bro." LOL. Wasn't that quote from the University of Florida
student before the campus pd zapped him.
No. You are wrong. God made it.
Wow, I didn't realize that!
You're so smart.
Yeah they zapped him for asking a question. Here are more police brutality links http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2007/210907_b_brutality.htm
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Haven't they considered something as simple as lowering the voltage? That may tame people and not kill them.
Ive been tazed before, and it hurts like you dont know what.
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.
@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.
Not the taser! ;)
http://www.freecrunch.com
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...
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.
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.
What sounds better?
(A)Moronic fool acting aggressive with a police officer gets Tazed.
(B)Moronic fool acting aggressive with a police officer gets Shot.
I believe that the keyword here is 'aggressive'. The problem is that since a taser doesn't usually kill you, police officers are using it more than is advertised. There is a simple rule commonly used with a grain of salt when accurate statistics are not available. It says that 20% of cases are known while 80% are not. Ask experts if you find my estimation outrageous. Check that against the known cases to see if they were justifiable and you will realise that the truth is ugly.
The problems is that we expect officers to be responsible, caring, blah, blah,... but they are humans. Humans always choose the easiest way to do task. Zap!
Also banned in the UN report:
-Saying mean things
-Purple nurples
-Indian sunburn
Recommended alternatives:
-Being nice
-Sharing toys
-OMG Ponies!
+47 for boatboy. If there was any doubt in my mind that Tasers are awesome, it's gone now -- if the UN hates it, it must be good.
Honestly, I don't have a lot to add to the discussion, but I will echo the sentiment that I would rather be tasered than shot or bludgeoned. Some *tiny* fraction of people who are tasered have serious reactions (like heart stoppage or whatever), but that's going to be true of basically anything that's capable of stopping an aggressive person from hurting the officer.
I wonder, if your heart stops while being tased, will being tased again, start it back up?
Agreed. Check out an example of that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaMYL_shxc
I don't think a lot of people understand "use of force". Police are given tools that are only to be deployed to control a situation or stop a threat. Officers are only supposed to use the amount of force necessary to control a situation. Any time an officer uses force, whether it is hands, mace, or baton it is only supposed to be used to control a situation or stop a threat.
Of course a tazer can be used as a device of torture, but so can water.
It is part of police officer training to learn a use of force continuum. This is method of choosing the right amount of force for a given situation. If a perpetrator is trying to kill an officer or a civilian, the proper amount of force would be deadly force, which may include a firearm. If the perpetrator is simply resisting arrest for a misdemeanor offense, the proper use of force may be anything from joint manipulation and take downs to mace, to a tazer.
Using any of these devices would be consider torture if used beyond the scope of controlling a situation or stopping a threat.
concise
concise
there are already studies being made about this and the aFFECT on the human brain!
http://www.spymac.com/details/?2308382
Yes the UN wants all police to use "Harsh Language" instead of taking action. Yea please UN what are you going to do about all the torture and atrocities going on in Africa?
Once the media finishes brainwashing us tasers will be just as effective as a sidearm to most people. They have to show people dieing on tv and being tortured and screaming enough first though. What good is a docile wage slave zombie with a bullet hole... but with the fear of being electrocuted and possibly killed by pre existing medical conditions sure sounds good on paper to the neo pigs.
The Taser is not non lethal, it is merely less lethal. Law enforcement should be trained to use the device in accordance with rules set forth for use of extreme and/or deadly force. The mitigating factor is that knowing that the discharging of the device is far less likely to result in death. This can lead, subconsciously, to overdependance on its use. There is little way to hamper this, except by following the same guidelines for weapon discharge the firearms carry. Officers who use their sidearms are required to go through procedures to justify their use (as opposed to television and Hollywood trigger-happy police).
A weapon is a weapon, regardless of the levelof lethality. Accountability needs to be maintained regardless of the perceived or actual danger inherent in its use. Is the taser statistically less lethal? Most assuredly so. Does that imply that it should be used with disregard to public safety, or without consequence? Most assuredly not.
Guidelines need to be established and followed regarding the use of non- and less-lethal weaponry that are in accordance with lethal weaponry in order to stem the tide of wanton misuse and abuse of said tools. Non- and less-lethal weaponry should be viewed only as a means of reducing the number of deaths inherent in apprehending suspects who would only be stopped with the use of deadly force, and not as a means for more easily subduing persons for whom use of deadly force was not formerly authorized. Always, in times of doubt, or moments of crisis it will arise that an individual officer or law enforcement agent will need to make judgment calls regarding such use, and it can be hoped that experience and extensive training will prevail and will tend toward the use of less- or non-lethal force, but with the aforementioned accountability that has equal weight to lethal force and takin ginto account situational merit and testimony of eye witnesses.
Screw the taser, they need to go back to shooting people.
LoL. Expect news from courts: "This guy didn't die because I shoot him! He died because his head had a hole!! His death is attributable to other factors, namely that he couldn't live with hole in his head. But his inability live with hole in head has nothing to do with my shooting!!!!!"
The problem isn't the tasers, its the few dumb police officers that abuse and overuse them in every situation. Cops are so lazy these days they can't even arrest a woman in a wheelchair without tasing her. lol, And don't act like there hasn't been an abuse of the taser where someone who isn't resisting arrest being tasered.
Tazers are just weapons. Like guns, and guns do not kill people, people kill people. (Remember that slogan) And ignorance is a leading cause of why a few contract cops turn into power hungry and aggressive individuals. They believe that they are acting in the best interest of society as a whole however their actions often cause grieve for the better officers. In Canada we pride ourselfs on the history and importance of the RCMP, however the brutal (accidental) slaying of a polish man has tarnished the badge of every police officer. People, in authority must exercise restraint in the use of force. Be clear on your objective and evaluate the possible impact of the use of force. Policing airports, campuses, highways and schools does not require a SWAT team mentality.
I personally, and I think a majority of people agree with me, like the rampant use of tasers when they are not justified. What bothers me the most is that I don't know just how many misuses are not being reported or are being covered up by these same cops that misuse the force. I've seen my local cops get out of their car with their tasers drawn, I thought the taser was supposed to be used as a 'second-to-last' resort next to the gun. I thought it was supposed to be used when a subject was being violent towards the office or other people or had the intent to harm himself, from what I've seen cops taser then ask questions, and that seems to be the norm now.. there is a problem there and it needs to be addressed by holding the officers that do these things accountable for unlawful/unjustified use of force. These tasering will continue to happen until somone starts holding them accountable.
It is kinda, but I have seen cops come out of cars with guns drawn if they think the suspect might be armed.
edit.. that's supposed to be 'Don't Like the rampant..."
In other Breaking News: The UN also notes that water can be used as a torture device and is capable of killing.
people still care what the un says? my wife has one of these and if you mess with her, she will put you down. everything is torture now a days, just ask around. boo hoo.
I hope if I get tasered, it's somewhere where there's ambient disco music in the background (maybe like Barnes & Noble cafe), so people from afar think I'm getting down and boggying, rather than embarrasingly writhing, contorted in pain, on the floor for failure to put down the green tea as instructed by security.
Saw this on a T-shirt, fits pretty well here.
Top 10 U.N. Slogans
10. If an impotent, bloated bureaucracy can't solve it, then it's best left festering.
9. You can't spell "unethical" without U.N.
8. Genocidal dictators, beware our non-binding resolutions.
7. Bringing peace to our world (actual results may vary).
6. Tomorrow's corruption today.
5. Raising pointless squabbling to an art form.
4. We take bribes so you don't have to.
3. Try our world famous cheesy fries
2. If troubles abound, we'll be nearby doing nothing.
1. If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial America.
Guess you won't have a career in comedy then, oh well, there's always the job of claims adjuster.
When the UN considers waterboarding torture then tasers stand no chance. Seriously, have you seen waterboarding? It works because it scares the poop out of you. I had worse done to me in college. Piss on you all who think most people who get tased don't deserve it. Even if the cop is wrong don't argue and do what they say and 99.9% of time they'll take it easy on you. Watch all the episode of cops where the cop says to get on the ground, guy runs his mouth and doesn't do it and then cries and says, "I didn't do nothin'" when he get tackled to the ground.
So much for the internet being a place of logical debate.
D Koenig:
Kudos for showing a logical and informitave argument. and scratch the above for you.
Waiownsyou:
No disrespect intended, but the amount of volts do not determine the amount of letahlity there is in any electricty, short of literally cooking you. It is the amount of amps that can kill someone, depending on wether or not there are enough to disrupt the two nodes in the heart that send electric pulses through it.
Misha Lockton:
If you are a U.S. citzen, i am sorry that that is the way you feel about the volunteers who are sacraficing themselves for your liberty and freedom.
If you are a citizen of a different country, i am sorry that you feel that way about the military that was the pillar of strength that saved europe, asia, africa and perhaps the rest of the world from succumbing to the nazi and imperialist movements.
you should decide who is the more "hot-blooded" before making any more comments of that strain.
On the whole, i think that tasers are a neccesary evil that should be banned when crimnals stop fighting back with intent to kill, and when news coverage stops proclaiming every use of police hand-to-hand force as brutality.
dvorak.org/blog
How about the U.N gets more outraged about torture in ummm, Darfur!
I bet you don't know what the hell is going on in darfur, why it happened/happens, or even where it's located.
If you don't think Tasers are missused, check this out.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fae_1195587967
The internet will never be a place of logical debate :P
Russia saved europe
you guys were late to the party there
Tasers are being used as a complience device and in extrodinarily stupid occasions
see
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_yorkshire/7096456.stm
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=23278&comview=1
Binge drinking is bad m'kay.
Of course the manufactureer is downplaying the danger of the taser! They want profits!
And "Generic", the police aren't human. They're thugs in uniform. I think most cops who use the taser do so with malice, and with the intent to harm the perp.