Taser, are they hiding a smoking gun?

On October 2^nd 2009 a Georgia man died after being stunned by a Taser during a law enforcement BADGES investigation. While the investigation is ongoing and there has been no word yet on how many times the individual was Tased, we have to ask ourselves how safe are these devices? And, should the public continue to call these devices non-lethal weapons?

The BADGE officers stated that they stopped the vehicle Friday afternoon in the area of the Turtle Lake Apartments, the officers saw that one of the vehicles occupants was, “consuming an unknown amount of what appeared to be narcotics” and in an attempt to prevent him from “consuming or destroying” a struggle began which is when the officer pulled out his Taser X26 and began to stun the man. While the stun guns are only designed to have 5 second blasts it is unknown how many times the officers stunned the individual. When the officers realized that he was in need of medical attention they rushed him to the hospital. The facts of this case raise questions of what substance the arrestee was eating and how that may have contributed to his demise.

Two other individuals in the vehicle where arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, and a third was charged with weapons and drug charges.

Without referring to the facts of this case I’m predicting there will be continued litigation involving Tasers, how they are being used, how they function and it will lead to research that will demonstrate the internal functioning is not as reliable as has been assumed; the question will arise as to a defect in that the electrical pulse isn’t as constant, predictable and reliable as we are being lead to believe; or even what we have assumed. The Taser supporters can get as mad as they want towards those raising questions about the Taser’s reliability and how they are being used by law enforcement, but that will only spur on those asking the questions and demanding more research. Those individuals commenting on this blog in support of Tasers like to accuse the lawyers of trying to drum up business, but that only serves to deflect the main concerns of lawyers and other citizens. The civil rights of Americans is what is at stake, something much more important than a stock’s price. Many lawyers, including this one, believe there is a place for the Taser in the weapons police carry and are authorized to use; but we can’t blindly accept the notion that civil rights take a back seat to convenience or a stock's price. This fight is long from being over.

How about if Taser, International opens up its research library and testing data to some news organization along with what it gives to the Wall Street Journal?

Taser's stock price was down to around $4.62 from a high of over $33.00 since January 2005. One has to wonder if the 'market' suspects something about the product that most of America is willing to ignore or remain ignorant about.