Taser safety issues relate to the lethality of the Taser. The TASER device is a less-lethal, not non-lethal, weapon, since the possibility of serious injury or death exists whenever the weapon is deployed.[1] It is a brand of conducted electroshock weapon sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. Axon has identified increased risk in repeated, extended, or continuous exposure to the weapon; the Police Executive Research Forum says that total exposure should not exceed 15 seconds.[2]
A 2012 study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation found that Tasers can cause "ventricular arrhythmias, sudden cardiac arrest and even death." At least 49 people died in 2018 in the US after being shocked by police with a Taser.[3][4][5]
Medical conditions or use of illegal drugs can significantly heighten such risk for subjects in an at-risk category.[6] In some cases however, death occurred after Taser use coupled with the use of force alone, such as positional asphyxiation, with no evidence of underlying medical condition and no use of drugs.[7][8]
- ^ "TASER CEW Use Guidelines" (PDF). Axon. April 5, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
- ^ Lee, Timothy (November 14, 2017). "Family of man who dies after Taser incident gets $5.5 million verdict". Retrieved January 3, 2019.
- ^ Douglas P. Zipes (January 7, 2014). "TASER Electronic Control Devices Can Cause Cardiac Arrest in Humans". Circulation. 129 (1): 101–111. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.005504. PMID 24396013. S2CID 207709146.
- ^ "As death toll keeps rising, U.S. communities start rethinking Taser use". Reuters. February 4, 2019.
- ^ "Shock Tactics: Reuters Taser Tracker". Reuters.
- ^ USA Amnesty International's concerns about Taser use, Statement to the U.S. Justice Department inquiry into deaths in custody Accessed on December 2, 2007
- ^ "Robert Dziekanski Taser Death A Homicide: Coroner (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. April 8, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^ "Tased in the Chest for 23 Seconds, Dead for 8 Minutes, Now Facing a Lifetime of Recovery". June 7, 2016.