Tasers, also known as "Chattel Prodders." Should Police Have Them? Are You For or Against?

Geneva Convention
Article 3

In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:

1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.

To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;

(b) Taking of hostages;

(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;

(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

If ts good enough for the enemy, surely in 2008 it is good enough for us, right?

BT

In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
~Mark Twain

We're talking about a cattle prodder right? I see a pharase I hadn't seen before and I check it out, can't find anything about a chattel prodder anywhere. Just making sure I'm not missing anything, or maybe it is just some new "cool kid" lingo...LOL

Have a great day all!

And oh yeah, I'm against them unless I'm pulling the trigger. :) The only reason I say that is because the powers that be have proven that they can't use them properly. If it was a choice of a gun or a taser you have to go with the taser, but you don't use a gun to "subdue" someone who is speaking out and "disturbing peace", and you shouldn't use a taser in that scenario either. JMHO

The taser itself isn't the problem, it's the unlawful use of the weapon by police that is wrong. If the taser was being used in an honest manner, then we wouldn't be having this discussion. I like what the poster said about legislation that punishes officers with jail time if they're found to have used the taser criminally. Although, our court system should already be doing this. We have legislation for criminal actions by police, but in some cases, the courts are looking over incidents, and siding blindly with police. I believe weather it's a night stick, taser, or firearm; if a police officer unjustifiably uses any instrument against another, then that officer should have charges pressed on him, and due process should take it's course. Those things aside; 1.) I remember before the taser was popular with police, they only had firearms, and it made things more "black & white". If it came to deadly force, the officer had to stake everything on weather it was justified to shoot or not. Therefore, creating a very cautious mentality where, if the officer didn't see justification, then he knew he may be facing murder or assault charges if he shot a suspect. The attitude now seems like... "Hell, I might as well just tase first and ask questions later, I mean, it isn’t gonna kill him, right?" 2.) Even though it's not the machine or instrument being used, it's the person using it, that decides right & wrong. I'm of the mind that, if the people of this country want to strip the police of their tasers, then so be it. Ultimately, the police exist on our authority as citizens. If we feel more comfortable without tasers, then the people's concerns trump the state's.

They WILL be used at traffic stops, at riots, to restrain 70 year old preachers just as they have been up to now.

I am sure the government can think up 101 new pieces of technology to 'restrain' us safely, yet hideous and demeaningly. Don't care.

Why not make us wear that collar or bracelet they want to be issued at airports, which zap us 'just in case'? Why not give us all a barcode so they 'can eliminate innocent people more quickly' from their 62000 investigations?

Why not let the government wiretap us, most FBI guys are good people for sure, and they really wouldn't do anything unfair or intrusive I believe.

I would personally prefer that a few psychos on PCP got shot than people everywhere getting tasered for all sorts of trivial non-offenses. And it's the principle anyway - the gummint has NO RIGHT to do that to someone's body. Period. That's not in their purview ever imo. It's torture.

I can't believe so many 'libertarians' here are defending this.

In a truly free society the police "protect and serve". In a tyrannical police state the police "enforce laws". Police used to just protect and serve with firearms and us citizens protected ourselves with firearms. Then the police were given clubs. Then the government required us citizens to obtain a permit to obtain guns in most areas of the country. Now the police have tasers. Why would a police officer need a club and or taser to protect themselves from a dangerous criminal when they already have a firearm on there hip and shotguns in there police cruisers? So the police need a gun, club, and taser to "protect and serve"? No they need all those weapons now to enforce the law. It is obvious to me we live in a police state and tasing people is just the beginning of true tyranny. The police should be allowed to carry firearms to protect themselves. Police should also be held accountable when abuse of power with all the weapons they now carry result in death. Of course in a police state the rules are different for those enforcing the laws. I encourage all citizens to carry firearms, clubs, and tasers to protect themselves from criminals and now the police. On another note there are materials that we can wear that would make tasers less effective. I say we shall outsmart the police er I mean the criminals.

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...I was watching the show Cops one time and there was a police officer involved in a car chase of a stolen car. The people in the stolen car literally started shooting at the police cruiser behind them out the windows of their car. As the chase goes down an alley behind some industrial buildings, the stolen car slams on its brakes, and the police cruiser rear-ends the other car, with both coming to a stop several feet from each other. The occupants of the stolen car throw the doors open and jump out, and begin to run down the alley. Without missing a beat the police officer jumps out of his car and starts chasing the people down the alley.

I always imagine how much courage it must take to jump out of your car right next to the people who have just been shooting at you, then chase 2-3 people into an alley by yourself. The point is I'm glad there is someone out there doing things like this, and let's not forget they are sometimes putting their lives on the line in uncertain and stressful situations.

That said, yes there are some that abuse their power. Sometimes, horribly, this abuse is based on racism or uncontrolled aggression. And the 4th Amendment violations justified by the War on Drugs are abhorrent.

But I think the rampant hatred toward the police on this forum is misplaced, and think we would all be better served by trying to put ourselves in their shoes when considering these questions...

I might eliminate all "war" on non-violent "crime", 90% of police, put remaining police under citizen oversite, and encourage (not require) every single adult to bear arms. I am guessing that within short order, the idiots and "bad guys" would take care of themselves, and the rest of us would be much safer and much more polite.

should be illegal. As an electrician for 19 years I can say that being shocked is very serious. When someone is being electrocuted it is "instinctual" for them to try to get off or away from that which is shocking them. It is the flight or fight response that kicks in. It is a startling and overwhelming feeling I know. So when I see these people being electrocuted I understand why they seem to continue to be unwilling to comply to the officers request. It is, I believe, at least most of the time, there flight response.
Now I can also testify to the potential damage to the body that can result from being electrocuted. Throughout might career as an electrician I have been shocked multiple times. Most were just quick little zaps, but I have been shocked quite seriously a couple of times and I can tell you now that my body has suffered because of it.
So coupled with the fact that officers can't recognize the flight response as instinctual and the fact they could be inflicting irreversible damage to some one by repeatably shocking them over and over I can say that without a doubt that tasers should be outlawed. They simply cannot be trusted with such a device. Nonlethal my but!!!