Taser safety report

Prepared by the N.C. Taser Safety Project, this April 2008 report, entitled “Not There Yet,” asserts that tasers have “resulted in numerous deaths and injuries” in the state and that stricter safety standards are needed. Several cases in the area have caused some residents to criticize their use by law enforcement. Both Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan and Asheville Police Chief Bill Hogan have asserted that tasers are used in a safe manner.

Click here to download a pdf of the document.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

4 thoughts on “Taser safety report

  1. flyingangel

    TASER sAFTY, fOR ONE THING THERE NOT SAFE ,IN FACT THERES NOTHING SAFE ABOUT THEM. iF YOU HAPPEN TOO HAVE MEDICAL PROBLEMS, SAY FOR INSTANTS A HEART CONDITION THAT YOU HAD TOO HAVE A PACE-MAKER PUT IN YOUR CHEST SO YOUR HEART WOULD BEAT RIGHT. THEN YOU WAS tased you would die from that shock,And on top off that the police are too fast too tases people, they dont even know if the persons deaf orwhat types of health problems a person has, Personally Id rather be shot with a real bullet at leaset id have a little better chance in living afterwards.

  2. The uncontrolled and wide use of non-lethal weapons encourages law enforcement to improperly employ them for behavior modification rather than defense or arrest.

  3. OrigamiSquared

    I am doing a research project on this, and so I felt compelled to inform you that a functioning TASER is perfectly safe when used correctly. Volts alone won’t kill you. It takes current to harm a human. Volts can be thought of as speed, and amps as material. A low amp high voltage device would be similar to shooting a cotton ball at someone at a high velocity. It would have to be pretty fast to hurt you. However a rock lobbed at much slower speeds (lower voltage higher amps) could still do damage. From Ohms law, we know V=iR. The resistivity for a human is around 350000Ohms. You need 85mAmps to stop a normal heart. Running at 50000V, the TASER only produces around 70mA at it’s peak. As added protection, there is a current limiter that prevents too high a current from leaving the gun. The alternative is shooting the criminal, and that has a 90% death rate opposed to the >>.5% death rate of TASERs. If you want more information, e-mail me at fsmftwbbq AT gmail DOT com

  4. iCareTooMuch

    I’m jumping in late on this conversation, but wanted to add my opinion.

    I can not see the issue with police using tasers on non-compliant individuals. It is important for an officer of the law to have alternatives for self-protection instead of using a firearm. It keeps people who momentarily “lose their mind” from losing their life.

    Yes. People with heart defects or pacemakers could potentially die from a taser. Yes. People with severe allergies could die from pepper spray. Let’s face it though. These alternatives are not the 100% solution. The 100% solution is that people listen to an officer when he tells you to do something. Stop thinking, stop arguing, stop everything.

Leave a Reply to flyingangel ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.