SFCRetired
Regular Member
As an electronics tech, I was taught a long, long time ago that a relatively low current and voltage placed across the heart could very readily cause death. At the same time, I was taught to troubleshoot live circuits with my left hand in my pocket (for the military, putting your hand in your pocket is rank heresy, but it was the military who taught me so) to avoid creating a current path across the heart. Along with that, we were also taught to avoid being grounded through our feet. Rubber-soled boots were deemed sufficient.
Now, we look at tasers, a supposedly less-than-lethal device that, even properly used, has the potential of putting thousands of volts, at a current rating I've never seen, across the heart. Giving a police officer who uses this device the benefit of the doubt, there still exists a high probability of its accidental improper use. We won't even discuss those officers who, for whatever reason, have it in their mind that they can use the device as punishment for perceived conduct.
My premise is that a device which causes the skeletal muscles to lock or spasm so that the target is unable to stand also has the potential to cause the heart to spasm or go into fibrillation. Either condition, if unrecognized and untreated, will rapidly end in death.
Of the deaths which have been documented, most have been labeled as due to "excited delirium", a condition which no medical textbook lists.
Bottom line: I have had, and still have, serious doubts about the supposed "safety" of these devices. Despite all the best efforts of the manufacturer to suppress negative publicity, there are still too many stories of deaths resulting from the use of tasers.
Now, we look at tasers, a supposedly less-than-lethal device that, even properly used, has the potential of putting thousands of volts, at a current rating I've never seen, across the heart. Giving a police officer who uses this device the benefit of the doubt, there still exists a high probability of its accidental improper use. We won't even discuss those officers who, for whatever reason, have it in their mind that they can use the device as punishment for perceived conduct.
My premise is that a device which causes the skeletal muscles to lock or spasm so that the target is unable to stand also has the potential to cause the heart to spasm or go into fibrillation. Either condition, if unrecognized and untreated, will rapidly end in death.
Of the deaths which have been documented, most have been labeled as due to "excited delirium", a condition which no medical textbook lists.
Bottom line: I have had, and still have, serious doubts about the supposed "safety" of these devices. Despite all the best efforts of the manufacturer to suppress negative publicity, there are still too many stories of deaths resulting from the use of tasers.
