2 Mich. officers on leave after Taser incidents; E.L. on watch
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In the midst of two Taser-related officer suspensions within the past week in Michigan, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said the city’s department has had no issues involving Tasers.
“Our officers go through a lot of training,” he said. “It’s continuous training. Four times a year, we get together to go through use of force.”
The Lansing Police Department announced Nov. 12 an officer has been suspended for two weeks following investigation into an allegation that he engaged in an inappropriate use of force involving a Taser.
And in East Grand Rapids, a man in police custody died Monday after being hit by a Taser, East Grand Rapids police Capt. Brian Williams said. East Grand Rapids police Capt. Chuck Lark said preliminary investigation showed the man had no internal injuries from the use of a Taser.
The officers involved were placed on administrative leave, Williams said.
Wibert said although the East Lansing Police Department, or ELPD, has not experienced problems with Tasers, the department likely will look into the Lansing incident as a learning tool.
“I imagine we will look at it in our training the next time we’re together and determine how that could have gone better,” he said.
The two recent incidents have caused some to question the safety of the devices. Physiology sophomore Chelsea Reynolds said Tasers are “excessive” in trying to keep people under control.
“There’s a line that needs to be drawn between keeping people in control and controlling them,” she said.
In East Lansing, Wibert said the 11 Tasers owned by the department were shot twice and displayed six times in 2008, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Displaying a Taser is defined as a use of force alongside the use of batons, chemical agents and handguns, he said.
Wibert said the ELPD has a policy guiding nondeadly use of force, which bans officers from using force except in specific situations, such as self-defense, prevention of injury and control of an arrested person.
MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor was unable to comment Thursday when contacted by The State News.
Despite the recent incidents involving Tasers, William Terrill, an associate professor of criminal justice who studies the devices, said he believes they are effective. Although some people have died or been seriously injured after having a Taser used on them, about 90 percent of people have not, he said.
Commentary
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Seriously?!
(11/19/09 10:56pm)Report
90% have not? so one in ten people die or is seriously injured from use of a taser? Tasers are a form of torture. Period. They are abused by police officers and they should be banned. Enough is enough.
arc
(11/19/09 11:18pm)Report
Don’t tase me bro!
katie
(11/20/09 8:29am)Report
Do any of you people research things before you make your comments? Tasers are very effective and they hurt like hell. However, in law enforcement there ARE times when people need to be controlled (pay attention Ms. Reynolds). If, as an officer, you are faced with an out of control individual who is threatening to assault you or kill you, your options on how to restrain and control that individual are rather limited. You can tase someone, or shoot someone. Additionally, if someone is refusing to cooperate and resisting arrest, instead of using hand and leg strikes (which may cause lasting injury), a taser may be utilized to prevent such injuries.
The people who have died from being hit with a taser had underlying medical conditions which caused their death. It was not the electricity itself. Tasers are designed only to affect the central nervous system, no other bodily functions/organs.
The bottom line is, if you aren’t stupid, resist the police and/or try to fight the police, you wouldn’t be in a position to get tased in the first place.
WOW
(11/20/09 12:23pm)Report
I was rather dismissive of what i viewed as over the top reaction against tasers.
Then i read: “Although some people have died or been seriously injured after having a Taser used on them, about 90 percent of people have not, he said.”
Do you realize that is an amazingly terribe stat. That means for every 1,000 people tasered, 100 people die or are terribly injured.
Thats unacceptable for how casually they are used in some areas. Just hit them with the baton pepper spray and they’d look worse/bloody but be a lot better off.
In other words, (if the articles stats are correct) if every MSU student was tasered, we’d lose almost the entire freshman class.
Moo
(11/20/09 2:33pm)Report
Tasers are used on people and cattle for the same purpose: To keep us in line. We are headed for the slaughterhouse.
mike
(11/21/09 2:12am)Report
Ok then, let’s ban tasers. Let them just use their bullets instead. And why is a sophomore in physiology used as a reference. Is she some kind of certified expert on the use of tasers? Couldn’t find a doctor on campus to comment on it? Great reporting as usual SN.