The Taser has been a controversial weapon since it was first authorized for use by Canadian police officers in 1999. The Taser or stun gun sends a short blast of electricity into suspects in order to immobilize their muscles and allow police to subdue them. According to the CBC, there have been 20 Taser-related deaths in Canada between 2003 and 2008. Proponents of the weapon argue that it is less lethal than a firearm and its use should be continued. Critics take the position that the stun gun causes unnecessary deaths and should be banned.
The Death of Robert Dziekanksi
The focus on Taser use in Canada received international attention after the death of 40-year-old Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport two years ago. Dziekanski arrived from Poland as a landed immigrant on October 13, 2007 to join his mother who was living in British Columbia. He became disoriented and ended up spending about fourteen hours in a restricted area of the airport. Eventually he began to throw some furniture around and police were called. Four RCMP officers confronted him and shortly after they arrived, Dziekanski was tasered five times. He died right after the last jolt was fired.
What happened to Robert Dziekanski might have been just one more fatal Taser statistic were it not for airport passenger Paul Pritchard. Pritchard filmed the entire confrontation between Dziekanski and the police and the video contradicted the police officers’ version of events. It was the video seen around the world that led to a public inquiry into the events of October 13 and 14, 2007.
The Braidwood Inquiry into Taser Use and Dziekanski’s Death
The inquiry was headed by Thomas Braidwood, a retired British Columbia appellate court judge and the Braidwood Inquiry was divided into two stages. The first stage, which began on May 5, 2008 dealt with an examination of the Taser itself. On July 23, 2008, Justice Braidwood’s report was tabled in the B.C. legislature. The report concluded that while the Taser itself was beneficial better standards were required for its use in an attempt to minimize deaths from the deployment of the stun gun.
Stage two of the Braidwood Inquiry began on January 19, 2009 and is now just winding down. This second phase of the inquiry is dealing with the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Dziekanski. Taser International is denying that their product led to Dziekanski’s death notwithstanding their recent directive that police should not aim at a target’s upper chest while deploying the weapon. Lawyers for Taser International are arguing that the Taser did not cause the newly arrived immigrant’s death and point out that people have been dying while in the process of being restrained by police by various methods for the past 150 years. While lawyers for Taser were making this argument, it became public that the company had issued a directive advising police officers using Tasers not to aim at a target’s upper chest area. This directive has been implemented or is in the process of being implemented by several police forces in Canada including the RCMP, the OPP and the Toronto Police Force.
Taser International Backtracks from Directive
Now Taser International appears to be backtracking from the directive that has been or is in the process of being implemented all over the world. A company representative has told the Australian Associated Press that the directive has been misunderstood. While those deploying Tasers are advised not to aim at the upper chest and other parts of the body, this is not because the use of the weapon in that manner can lead to death. The recommendation was only made in order to minimize the controversy that surrounds police officers and departments when Tasers are employed. Police officers should only avoid the chest area if it is possible, and if they have the time to do so.
Issuing the directive and then announcing that it is being misinterpreted is adding to the present controversy surrounding the use of Tasers.
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