From Vid Beldavs, Citizens for a Crisis Intervention Program
Our citizens’ group has been tracking taser abuse across the US following the death of James Borden after tasering in our local jail on 6 November 2003.
Our review of dozens of incidents reveals many cases where neither the officer nor the public were threatened. The taser has become the weapon of choice for bullying officers wishing to assert their power over ordinary citizens.
The new technologies referred to in your article create an even greater potential for abuse (19 June, p 24). Taser International asserts that its device is not lethal and is absolutely safe. But the technology may not be as safe as Taser claims. In the case of Borden’s death, according to the Herald Times online, “In December, Monroe County Coroner Dave Toumey ruled that Borden died of cardiac dysrhythmia – disorder of the heartbeat – caused by an existing heart condition, pharmacologic intoxication and electric shock.”
Douglas Zipes, a cardiologist who has studied taser-related deaths, commented in the same report that the electrical energy from such stun guns could cause sudden death.
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Bloomington, Indiana, US
