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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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16

Taser Tells Cops: Don't Aim at Chest

Company cites 'extremely low risk' but insists stun gun is safe

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(Newser) – Stun gun maker Taser has issued an advisory to police departments suggesting cops not aim at a suspect’s chest because it poses an "extremely low" chance of triggering an "adverse cardiac event." The company insists its product is safe, but if something goes wrong, "it would place the law-enforcement agency, the officer, and Taser International in the difficult situation of trying to ascertain what role, if any, the Taser” played, the bulletin reads.

About 400 deaths have occurred following Taser incidents in the US since usage began in 2001, and critics see this as a major reversal. The company does not. “We have not stated that the Taser causes (cardiac) events in this bulletin, only that the refined target zones avoid any potential controversy on this topic,” an exec tells the Arizona Republic. The advisory says “back shots remain the preferred area when practical."

Chairman and co-founder of Taser Tom Smith demonstrates the use of a Taser X26 law enforcement electronic control device.
Chairman and co-founder of Taser Tom Smith demonstrates the use of a Taser X26 law enforcement electronic control device.   (AP Photo)
Stephen Tuttle, vice president of communications at TASER International, holds up the TASER X26, bottom, and the new TASER C2, top.
Stephen Tuttle, vice president of communications at TASER International, holds up the TASER X26, bottom, and the new TASER C2, top.   (AP Photo)
A Taser.
A Taser.   (AP Photo)
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This bulletin confirms what critics have said for years: that Taser has overstated its safety claims. . . . (It) has to be read as if Tasers can cause cardiac arrest. - Mark Silverstein, Colorado American Civil Liberties Union

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16 comments
VIEWING:
 
Timinator2K
Oct 21, 09 11:55 AM CDT
Better yet, aim for the crotch, faster compliance for the zap. Or, for liberals, aim for their big mouths, you can't miss. Reply
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-7
IN RESPONSE:
calkino
Oct 21, 09 12:58 PM CDT
i have yet to find even one liberal who can compete with half the volume of rush's mouth. hell, no one can even come close to hannity, let alone rush.
Vote up! Vote down!
+3
IN RESPONSE:
dontlikeyou
Oct 21, 09 1:08 PM CDT
We hear about people dying after being tazered nearly every week and yet the maker of the tazer says it is safe. Bull shot.
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0
Yourself
Oct 21, 09 11:59 AM CDT
would lowering the amperage of the shock be SO bad? idiots. If you have to say "aim elsewhere" then obviously there is a danger. and 400 dead people in just 8 years is a lot for something they claim has such low risk. Reply
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+4
IN RESPONSE:
tran_tor
Oct 21, 09 1:22 PM CDT
I would be very very interested in the number of ratio of tazer uses to tazer deaths. 200 people a year is one every other day.
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0

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Arizona • ACLU • American Civil Liberties Union • heart attack • cardiac arrest • Colorado • Taser • stun gun • police department

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