A lead bullet in many cases would seem a less lethal option... in the hands of a non-psycho authority (not many left). Tazers are lethal... not every time but often enough. I say "turf-them" just like their stock.

Cheers,

Vic

The man was struck by the weapon's two probes and fell to the ground, but was still combative, said Lemaitre.

Three officers then attempted to restrain the man, who continued fighting with police, even after a fourth officer managed to handcuff him.

He then slipped into unconsciousness.

It's important to be careful when making judgments on issues before you know the details (or read the article).

True, the man died after he was tazered, but how much later was that after?

It sounds to me like he was suffering from the effects of drugs. Likely Meth, from the description. If this is so, he would likely have died even if they had just locked the room an left him alone.

A similar event happened in my area recently. Some dude got a hold of some bad Meth and freaked right out... smashing car windows, kicking doors, screaming incoherently, and basically going totally ballistic. Then he died. Just dropped. By the time the cops got to him, he was already dead. This happened only a few blocks from where I live, BTW. I heard the screaming.

SO... I'm thinking abusive tazer happy cops are not to blame here.

I thought all Canadians said 'please, and thank you' after tasering. You mean he was still combative? How unCanadian.

Well Jeze Marie. Another death from what is supposed to be a non lethal weapon. An investigation should be started.

Originally posted by BitRaiser
I have been tazered. Or rather, I tazered myself. Accidentally... while I was constructing a tazer device... I ah... oopsed. "Pain" really isn't the right way to describe the sensation. It's far from pleasant, but it doesn't "hurt" in the traditional sense.

this is not a valid opinion. The standard time for shocking someone if you are in law enforcement or military is about 5 seconds, and they use 50k grade. Chances are, you were using 10k grade - and just due to your own reflexes, it is not possible to tase yourself for more than a fraction of a second.

To say that being tased doesn't "hurt" means one of two things - 1, you are using a very weak taser, or 2, you only felt it for a fraction of a second.

Most of these cases people are being tased for 5 second spurts (or more) and multiple times in a row.

Yeah Boon' read you 5 by 5. Do you think it's part of standardized disinfo media training? Sargeant/Lieutenant shows up - spews standard story to media - obfuscates truth? Meth - my left foot. The only one's that are "speedy" are the tazer-hair-trigger happy. Laughable. Meth. Just as laughable as the "pre-existing condition" slight of mouth often trotted out.

I'm waiting for an "authority" to croak during tazer training... I don't wish that fate on any human but it would seem only a matter of time.

Cheers Boon' ,

Vic

[edit on 15-10-2007 by V Kaminski]

Originally posted by Boondock78
Vancouver lawyer Cameron Ward, who has been following the issue closely for several years, said the gun, which generates a 50,000-volt electrical charge, was introduced in Canada without any independent safety testing. Sixteen people have died in Canada and almost 300 in North America in recent years after they were stunned by a taser, Mr. Ward said

Most troubling to me is that, although those several hundred people are but a tiny percentage of the North American population, they are DEAD.
How many of them were actaul criminals, felons, the people whose activities we as citizens need to worry about?
How many of them were rapists, thieves and murderers?
Not just regular folks in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Sound to me it could be any of us next, if one happens to be the kind of citizen who doesn't do what their told immediately when they are told.

Boon, I'm afraid I will join you in your decision to avoid airports at ALL costs.

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
Most troubling to me is that, although those several hundred people are but a tiny percentage of the North American population, they are DEAD.
How many of them were actaul criminals, felons, the people whose activities we as citizens need to worry about?
How many of them were rapists, thieves and murderers?
Not just regular folks in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Sound to me it could be any of us next, if one happens to be the kind of citizen who doesn't do what their told immediately when they are told.

Boon, I'm afraid I will join you in your decision to avoid airports at ALL costs.

you bring up good points. these are not the gun runner, nightstalkers that are out there getting tazed. they are 15 year old girls. they are mothers with drinking problems. they are over weight middle age women that don't get out of the car fast enough.

it CAN be any of us at any time..they want compliance...
look through any of these threads...one of the first things people that are on the side of the law say is 'COMPLY IMMEDIATELY'..

sorry but i just can't get behind that.

i was tought to question authority....now, that does not mean if the cop says get on the ground i say F you and start swinging. it means i don't get down on the ground just cause he said so.
these days that could get me killed.

i'm serious about the airport thing too. i'm done. not setting foot in another airport again.

I feel sorry for the guy - and I refuse to believe it was drugs.

I`ve flown into Vancouver about 8 or 9 times in the last 5 years. The combination of lack of signs pointing to where you are supposed to be, lack of staff, general attitude on the part of the staff that IS there, and so forth AFTER a 10-15 hour long haul flight has had me gnawing on my carry on bag on more than one occasion.

In my experience, the staff there is one of the worst in the world. And I fly a LOT.

I`m thinking that the guy asked someone for directions, and got shunted to the wrong line where he stood for an hour, only to be told he was in the wrong line, missed his connection, got told he was SOL, and lost it. I say that, because I`ve seen it happen. In Vancouver.

My 2¥, anyway.

Originally posted by vox2442
I feel sorry for the guy - and I refuse to believe it was drugs.

the only mention of drugs is from one dudes post....he gathered info from this one article and deduced the guy was 'probably' on meth.

My comments were in reaction to the early reports.
Yes, it sounded like a drug reaction to me. I might be a little jaded in that direction because I live in the Vancouver area and I see a lot of Meth abuse.

I have a little trouble understanding how any sane individual could have a freak out like the one described in an airport. Yes, I know traveling can be frustrating, and I know the Vancouver Airport can be a total pain, but what kind of idiot throws a wall banging, computer smashing temper tantrum in an airport post 9/11?? Strikes me like something was wrong with this guy.

Before anyone gets all huffy, no, I don't think that he deserved to die regardless of his mental state.

As to my earlier comment about self-tazering... yeah, it was a hell of a zot and it was more than a fraction of a second. Thing is, it happened because I had crushed my trigger in the vice I was using to hold it while I unthinkingly grabbed the leads. Because of the discharge, I couldn't release them. It's a good thing there was only a partial charge in my capacitor. When I said that "pain" wasn't quite the right word for the sensation, I don't mean it didn't hurt (or that the first words out of my mouth weren't "OW #&@^!!"). I meant it didn't feel like being punched in the head, stabbed, burned, or whatever. It was a very unusual sensation that you really have to experience to understand. Anyone who's been zapped will agree.

Finally, I have a challenge:
If you really believe that being shot in the foot is safer than being tazered, let's head out into a field and try it. You can tazer me, I'll shoot you.
Sound like fun?

Tazer's are NOT safe. They aren't considered Safe by the RCMP. They are, however, a viable tool that can help save lives.
The problem isn't so much with the tazers themselves as with the officers that deploy them in the wrong situations. AS with any other form of force, they should be considered a last resort, not a simple way to resolve a difficult situation.