TaserProbe
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TASER X3 triple-shot stunner arrives, subdues population
Right on schedule, Taser's launching the TASER X3 "force option," which allows "peace officers" the ability to shoot up to three probes in quick succession in order to "incapacitate" their "targets." Not only that, but the X3 can display a "warning arc" when loaded, allowing officers to "gain voluntary compliance" and "avert use-of-force" by putting on a light show. When it comes time to take down that unruly Trustafarian, however, it'll get done with style -- the probes are aimed with laser sights, and the new Pulse Calibration System actively monitors the perp to deliver a Precision Shaped Pulse(TM) that provides "consistent effects." Yeah, we want one. Video after the break.
CBC / Radio Canada exposé finds Tasers are unreliable killjoys
The CBC and Radio Canada have run a bunch of Taser tests recently, and the results aren't likely to reassure anyone. US-based testing lab National Technical Systems pulled 41 X26 units out of 7 random police stations across the nation, and fired each at least six times. What happened? Well, four of them threw off a current "significantly" higher than a stun gun is supposed to, including some that were 50 percent higher than normal, while three didn't fire at all. All the faulty units were manufactured pre-2005, but the company that makes them (which makes almost all US police employed stun guns), couldn't provide someone for the CBC to interview, so no one seems to be sure of the cause. Of course, it goes a long way toward explaining why so many people need to head to the hospital after getting a taste of the taser. Not cool guys, not cool. [Thanks, Tony A.]
Probe finds one-third of people shot by Tasers need medical attention
While the last Taser study we came across found that the devices were safe and caused only a few trips to the hospital, a joint investigation by CBC News and the Canadian Press has now turned up some decidedly different findings, with about one-third of people shot by Tasers reportedly requiring some form of medical attention. Those numbers were drawn from the Taser-use forms that RCMP officers are required to fill out whenever they draw the device, which revealed that 910 of the 3,226 people shot between 2002 and 2007 had to go to a medical facility, and that "many more" people had minor injuries but never saw a doctor. Needless to say, we somehow suspect this won't be the last such investigation or study on the matter, especially with the lawsuits flying fast and furiously these days.[Via Digg]
