squirrelyburt

I've been hit with a taser in training, once was enough... and I'm still here. I am not a taser instructor yet, but the taser affects the nerves, not any cardiac rythyms. It works on volts, not amps.Voltage hurts, amps kill. Taser has .05 of an amp per application, about that of a strong static shock.

Amnesty International previously voiced a very strong anti pepper spray opinion, that "it was going to smother people, their skin will melt off... yadda yadda." I have athsma and I've been sprayed 5 times. I've been directly involved in spraying nearly 300 recruits with no medical incidents. The academy I teach at has over 1000 recruits exposed, no medical incidents.

There has been recent research into in custody deaths and how excited deleriums may be responsible for many of these incidents, coupled with other factors such as lack of recognition by officers and lack of pre-emtive EMS response. Excited deleriums can occur for a number of reasons, mainly related to psychotic episodes or use of stimulant drugs. Often, there is already a cardiac condition in the person (enlarged heart).

Think about working out, how your cardio goes up. The same thing happens in excited deleriums except the subject acts crazy, the Police come and typically a physical confrontation ensues. Tasers and pepper spray (OC, Mace) are less lethal options for road officers. We do all we can to prevent injury to ourselves and the subjects during the confrtontation, but in excited deleriums, problems start after the fight is over. A person in the excited state can have a pulse of over 200, and body temps of over 105 prior to a confrontation after a confrontation, it can be even higher. Once the police subdue the person, either the heart rate slows dramatically and blood vessels collapse, the heart stops, or the person is left in a prone position by Police and cannot support himself due to restricted oxygen intake. Death results.

Bottom line, less lethal options are not killing people, they die as a result of existing conditions and the cops are there. In custody deaths have not increased since the inception of pepper spray or tasers, in fact, lethal confrontations are decreasing.

Would there be a preference to return to the standard police baton or night stick? Think of the age of media we are in, and picture a badly bruised child or woman in wheel chair from a baton strike. Bad, bad, bad.

Thanks for all the support for law enforcement in here.

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