We published a story recently whereas Chief Duncan is set to discuss the use of these stun guns within the Salisbury community.
One has to wonder, (and I believe this is a very good question) what would have happened IF the Officer used a stun gun instead of deadly force.
I want to be very clear here. I am in NO WAY challenging the outcome of this particular shooting. I'm simply opening up discussion as to the use of stun guns in Salisbury and Wicomico County.
Are we better off with them or without them?
41 comments:
This shooting was not a taser use situation. Tasers are not for situations where suspects are armed with firearms. BTW, stun guns and tasers are not interchangeable words. They are two totally different weapons with different uses. Salisbury PD are getting tasers, not stun guns.
Taser-Related Deaths = 836+ In North America
Taser is paying millions in secret "suspect injury or death" settlements.
Letters to medical journals and plenty of anecdotal evidence have suggested at least since 2005 that even healthy people could suffer cardiac arrest if shot near the heart with Taser’s "non-lethal" ECDs. By September, 2009, Taser changed its product warnings accordingly. Today, Taser’s ECDs are branded as "less lethal" instead of "non lethal," and its training materials warn that "exposure in the chest area near the heart … could lead to cardiac arrest."
A 33-year-old physician in Las Vegas, went into cardiac arrest and died in January, 2008 after he was shot five times with an ECD, including once in the chest. That case is headed to trial in January 2014.
PIERRE, S.D. — The police chief here is defending an officer's use of an electroshock weapon against an 8-year-old girl threatening to harm herself. Parents of the child, who was with a babysitter at the time, want the officer disciplined for using excessive force.
Man having diabetic seizure tasered 11 times.
Officers taser 14-year-old boy, sending him into cardiac arrest.
Officers repeatedly taser, threaten to sodomize foster children.
Mentally ill man falls to his death after being tasered.
Bipolar man killed by taser for running down street naked.
10-year-old child tasered at day care.
Previous to having the taser how would these cases have been handled? Would citizens have been shot? If not then why were they tasered?
Can the taxpayers of Salisbury afford the expense of lawsuits that will be forth coming?
So, your facing an armed career criminal who is in possession of not one but two loaded handguns. This suspect has made it clear that he intends on using them by his statement " one of us is going to die". I pull out my taser, warn him, and then tase him. "What if" that taser has no affect???? In a situation where you only have a split second to make a decision to react, you won't/ don't have time for a "what if".
Reggie
Never take a taser to a gun fight. On the other hand when an unruly drunk is involved wearing nothing with a large pocket, sure, I can see their use. Or a 80lb Officer (Duncan) so they don't get tossed around like a rag doll trying to cuff somebody. Anybody that is not willing to submit to an officer is not likely to play by "the rules" and in todays world deadly force is needed and used more than before.
It depends on how close to the perp.
May have worked if the trooper had at same time be aiming live ammo at guy.
But I still believe that guy had no intention of being locked up and suspect the first round was he shooting his self. If the revolvers were in his jacket the entire time, the officer would not have known round one was self inflicted. He ended up helping the suspect on his way to not going to prison.
I suppose it is the discretion of the LEO... but in my opinion stun guns are to be used to subdue unruly or out-of-control persons, in a case of a proposed imminent threat conventional weapons must be employed to put down the perpetrator...
Officer Rodriguez would have died had he elected a stun gun. The perp did fire a shot, and had 9-11 more to go.
That said, yes, there is a place for stun guns being used on unarmed perps high on drugs with violent behaviors.
people can die from stun guns to. they may have their place but would have just caused more problems in light of the current situation you reference!
Wouldn't have worked in this case for sure....Officer would have been killed instead.....but I'm not a big fan of stun guns.
What would have happened is officer Rodrigez would have been shot. You dont bring a taser to a gun fight. This crimimal.made a choice and officer Rodrigez responded appropriately in my opinion.
I guess that there is probably a place for stun gun s but I think the officer did an outstanding job and I'm glad hr is going home to his family and that crime spree in the vehicle has been stopped forever. Pray for the officer who risks his life to help protect us everyday.
559, to, too, two. Please, look them up and use accordingly. It's really simple and makes you actually believable.
Well Joe,
My question is, as i was growing up, I am an 80's baby, they would always have shows or tv ads and the like showing off how they are developing non-lethal weapons like rubber bullets, powder pellets that make you itch and the stun guns and things of that nature, where are all of these things to help prevent taking a life? they have stopped delevoping them and mentioning them and quit frankly they don't even use them...
Cops were once tought how to handle any situtation and to deescalate it, yet here we have nothing but lethal weapons being used and as a first defense... The cops are being trained that they are above the law and can shoot anyone and claim self defense or I was scared for my life... The first reaction to cops, and or not mad or abuse or no abuse is to shoot first...
Look at the statue of liberty situation every civilian hurt was by a cop and no one shot was fired by the criminal...
They don't know if someone has a twitch or itch or anything and they just shoot... I mean heck they go to the wrong house and shoot at people because of the type of call they got and they murdered someone and they get away with it...
Just like the swat team raids, 90% of those end in a death and usually of the home owner and usually they cops were at the wrong house...
No way a stun gun situation, given Norris' history with possessing firearms illegally.
6:56am I love you made up stats and false statements. Its pretty sad.
The gun that discharged was in the criminals right had, and not even pointed at the cop. nearly impossible to point you right hand, that is shoved in your pocket at the door.
you would have to be a psychic to know whether a taser would work in that situation or not.
7:39, maybe you should do some research and educate yourself.
Most people who are killed by taser are unarmed and prior to the taser the situation would not have been handled by firearm.
They also use tasers on children now. Most people have been brainwashed by a great media blitz to think they are harmless, they are not.
They even taser people at school meetings and city council meetings who do not comply, tow the line and dare to speak out.
LE uses it to exert power over citizens to keep them in line.
Is that the type of community you want?
Tasers have not been proven to have caused a SINGLE death. Excellent devices and should be used more often than they are.
8:02 oh yes they have
and the manufacturer has settled several cases with large settlements.
As noted in an earlier post the manufacturer changed their literature from non lethal to less lethal because of it.
Lets see, we would feed the guy for rest of his life in jail, oh then after all the court appointed lawyers, law suites
YEAH, great article
anonymous 8:15, What's your problem?
It is a great article.
Unlike OTHER sites out there, we, (#1) get actual comments.
#2, I can only think of ONE person out there who would make such a statement, too blind with obsession and anger to actually see this is a great topic of discussion.
You don't have to agree with what we publish, we're cool with that. However, go back to your own failure of a Website and make your complaints about me there and leave us alone.
By the way, learn how to spell.
When criminals start using tasers then and only then should police start using them. Today's criminals are quick to pull out a gun and shoot anyone in their way. Sure, there are bad shootings but all one has to do is open up the news and see how many murders there are each year. Murders far outnumber officer involved shootings. Give the people protecting your family a fair chance.
tasers would be used in lieu of running after a perp, that way the dog won't get confused and bite the wrong person
Police officers in at least five US states have filed lawsuits against Taser International claiming they suffered serious injuries after being shocked with the device during training classes.
Tasers or no tasers the cops have guns and you law abiding citizen of Md. cant carry one. Meanwhile people like this roam our streets with one in each pocket.
6:56 We are no longer living in the 80's. I don't know specific outcomes on Tasers as far as deaths and long term or short term effects. What I do know is a club will work, if the threat is that serious as was in this case, don't become a statistic and shoot.
Real life / real death.
In the movies, James Bond can wound a person from 300 yards. In real life, you are lucky to hit your spot from 20 feet!
When the US was considering rescue of the hostages in Iran, Jimmy Carter actually asked "can we use stun guns". What an idiot - he was watching too Star Trek episodes where they set their phasers to "stun".
No, I say the criminals should know that cops have guns, and can use guns. Otherwise you give the criminals a leg up if they know that the cop has to first try and use his "stun gun".
9:47 tasers are not replacing guns. they would have both.
Having been in the Navy when they pushed full speed ahead with women serving on ships...and now with the number of female police officers....I fear that this is being used on occasions to level the playing field. City/County/State budgets cant afford to keep a male with a female at all times therefore the female Officer is at a disadvantage in the field. God created us different...and there's absolutely nothing wrong with excepting that a female officer can't physically do what most men can. So in an attempt to slide the scale...taser's are an option and not a viable one for the publics safety. Sorry ladies
Police use what is called " escalation of force" where you might use a baton they could also use a taser which has been shown to minimize injury to the officer and the suspect.
This situation appears to have escalated past the use of a taser. His decision was the right one and the veteran officer got to go home that night. Unlike most of us his life is on the line every day.
With out the right to carry all Marylanders are at the mercy of thugs who have guns and who do not care whether his victim lives or not.
No Monday morning quarterbacking.The fact that it happened means that it was supposed to happen.
a liability lawsuit waiting to happen. cops abuse the power of tasers all the time on citizens, even after they have been subdued.
"They even taser people at school meetings and city council meetings who do not comply, tow the line and dare to speak out. LE uses it to exert power over citizens to keep them in line. Is that the type of community you want?"
I agree. I just want to know everyone's definition of what a being a criminal is. There are new laws made every year, that make it possible to become a criminal. What bothers me, is the amount of people that comment on this site that use "he was a criminal" as excuse to be a valid reason for a man's death and that since the officer shot him, he saved the community millions by not having to incarcerate him. I am in no way disdaining the officer, but I am going to question when and what situations are viable to shoot or taser a "suspect". If I say something and you don't agree with it, should that give someone the authority to taser or shoot me?
11:45 I suggest you google or youtube that question. And you will see your answer of all the abuses, against citizens, who do not "comply" with actions such as speaking out of turn at a school or council meeting.
Is this the type of society we want? Goes on everyday.
nope. if you have to use a stun gun youre just being wasteful.
You know our mayor and council will by using it to their advantage to control meetings with threats of usage.
look how he acts now,and you don't think he will use it ?
Rodriguez should get promoted...never use a TASER in a Gun fight...
yeah, bring a tazer to a gun fight
I think that an officer has the right to protect and to serve.
This includes protecting himself. The hand gun is my choice , any other weapon is stupid.
Real bullets should put the fear in criminals.
I remember when a cop could give you 3 verbal warnings , stop or I'll shoot. What happened to that?
How can you reduce crime , that easy , concealed carry , shoot the criminal and move on , lifes too short to worry about these idiots.
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