CA Cops Told to Aim TASERS Lower!

Aim Tasers lower, police told RCMP and OPP change policy after maker urges stun gun users to avoid firing at suspects' chests

www.thestar.com...

Police forces across Canada, including the RCMP, OPP, are immediately changing their Taser use policy after the manufacturer issued a directive that officers should not aim the weapon at a suspect's chest.

Taser International said in a bulletin that it's no longer advisable to aim the conducted energy weapon, which sends out a jolt of electricity, at a target's chest area to avoid impact to the heart.

"[W]e have lowered the recommended point of aim from centre of mass to lower centre of mass for front shots," the company said in a new training bulletin.

I hadn't heard about this yet. Taser is saying it's not good to shoot people in the chest with these things...i9t could hurt them. (uh...really?)

The story is about Canada, and I haven't heard if US cops are following the directive or not.

Here's what one CA cop says:

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Joe Bosie said Sunday that officers received a memo about the new policies last week. "It makes sense," said Bosie. "Those probes or needles are very sharp and if you were to discharge a Taser in or above the heart area like the neck or eyes it could cause serious injury."

and....the obligatory quote from a sister of someone killed with a taser:

"Finally this is an acknowledgment from Taser that the weapon isn't as safe as they've been claiming," she said Sunday. "Hopefully this will make police even more skeptical about using Tasers."

I know what you were thinking when you read the title of the thread and all you guys cups your goods for protection. So, do you think it's open season on genitals then?

The Canadian news had this story a few days ago. They showed how the new area is from the end of the ribs to the knees on the front and the shoulders to knees on the back. The idea is the voltage is moved away from the heart, the manufacturer claims that the shock can hurt people with weak hearts. They also showed RCMP training with it, each officer had to shoot someone in the correct area... and later got to be the one shot so they know what it feels like.

Take a needle, hook it up to a wire running to a wall socket, then jab it in your cawk.

That's what they are telling the cops to do.

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable way to subdue suspects to me.

Originally posted by mnemeth1
Take a needle, hook it up to a wire running to a wall socket, then jab it in your cawk.

That's what they are telling the cops to do.

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable way to subdue suspects to me.

No thanks.

I'm a little surprised that they have actually even ADMITTED that these things have the potential to kill someone, after numerous deaths.

I suppose we're going to see lots of stories about guys getting zapped in the nads.

Hey cops, do you aim tasers different based on the gender of the person being tased?

Doublespeak as usual, regardless of what the article states the police will still be firing there tasers at anyone they deem a threat.

Third line

Edit: first response didn't make sense

[edit on 10/18/2009 by Big Oil]

[edit on 10/18/2009 by Big Oil]

So you don't want to fire a weapon that uses electric pulses at an organ that is regulated by electric pulses...... DUH!

Giving cops tazers is like giving kids candy. They will overuse it as soon as they feel threatened, and given recent videos, that seems to be when someone looks at them the wrong way.

When you see a cop, better throw yourself to the ground right away just to be safe, not looking directly at them. But then again, you could be carrying a bomb so you may get tazed anyway.



[edit on 18-10-2009 by Copernicus]