Without evidence of benefit, an intervention should not be presumed to be beneficial or safe.

- Rogue Medic

TASER or Glock, addendum

 

I was not suggesting that the TASER be used to manage inconveniences.

The TASER should be used when the option (in the mind of the peace officer) is shooting the misbehaving person or allowing the misbehaving person to injure someone (civilian, police, or themselves).

As for the suggestion that the police “just shoot them in the leg,” there are plenty of sites that explain clearly what is required for police to use of deadly force. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with them. If you know of any good sites, please mention them in the comments to one of these posts.

I also wrote about this here:
 

TASER or Glock – Which treatment do you choose?

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Comments

  1. Shooting the suspect in the leg as a suggested course of action is not a good idea. It’s a great deal more effective (and more likely to actually impact) to aim for center of mass. Firearm discharges are used as a last resort (well, they should be), wounding is not a desired outcome, stopping the threat is. Also, shooting someone in the leg doesn’t necessarily disable them. Meaning, they could still hang on to the knife and stab you when you close to treat the leg wound. Then you might have to Taze them anyway, and you’d really have some p***** off people.

  2. Oh, and regarding requirements for use of deadly force, it varies by state, and sometimes local jurisdiction, but there’s usually two elements. 1) Someone (including officer) has to be in mortal peril and 2) officer has to be sure that lethal force is the only option remaining.

  3. “Then you might have to Taze them anyway, and you’d really have some p***** off people.”But you would have an excellent educational video – what NOT to do!Thank you for the infromation.

  4. Um, the TASER isn’t a substitute for a firearm, it’s a substitute for a baton, sap, club, blackjack,or other striking device, i.e., NON-lethal force. Given a choice between besing tased and doing a Rodney King imitation, I think I’ll take the jolt…

  5. As a substitute for a firearm in the sense that it gives you one more option BEFORE the police have to resort to lethal force – at least if the TASER is an option (sometimes it is not).I apologize for being unclear

  6. 1. I’ve seen folks die with a GSW leg. From a .25 no less. That’s not non-lethal–and no firearm is nonlethal. Less lethal, MAYBE.2. You aim for the leg and miss, hitting a bystander or the cranium. “I was trying to wound him” is really weak.

  7. Uh, who exactly are the idiots that think shooting someone in the leg (and potentially shattering the bone or the knee joint, or tearing the femoral artery etc) is preferable to getting tazered???Are people REALLY this stupid? (don’t answer that, I know the answer is, sadly, YES!)