When a person is pulled over by a police officer, they would most likely not expect to have a Taser used on them and then arrested. However, many cities are evaluating their policies regarding Taser use, and a new report has found that a large number of deaths related to Taser use could have been avoided.
Although many traffic violation cases don’t involve a Taser being deployed, out of over 500 deaths from Tasers, between the years 2001 and 2012 in the United States, 98 cases involved an unarmed person or one in which a person was shocked multiple times.
According to the same report, 16,000 law enforcement agencies around the world use Tasers. The company Taser International says that these devices contain proper warnings about the risk of death or injury. However, police departments continue to use them.
If someone is arrested, they might be wise to speak with an experienced attorney. They can work with the person to evaluate how they were treated during and after an arrest. Sometimes if a person is treated poorly, it can have an effect on the outcome of their trial. This can lead to a wrongful conviction and potentially unnecessary time spent in prison.
It is important the people are treated with respect throughout the legal process, and unnecessary uses of force should be taken seriously. These incidents can put a person’s life at risk. No one should have their life threatened during an arrest for something that might be a simple as a traffic stop.
Source: MintPress News, “Five Texas Police Departments Ban Tasers,” Katie Rucke, Sept. 26, 2013