Lancaster police learn a lesson on Tasers
Would be criminals might want to think twice about trying to resist arrest in Lancaster. Armed with one of the newest law enforcement tool, police are able to subdue suspects with out the use of baton, guns, or the tricky pepper spray. They now carry a stun gun called the Taser.
As 31 year old Daniel Wood recently found out, however, they don’t always work as advertised when certain guidelines are ignored. When police interrupted him inhaling an aerosol, Wood made a run for it. After darting though traffic he was caught and as the officers tried to subdue him he began to resist arrest. That is when another officer Tasered him, causing a small fire to ignite on his chest. The fire was quickly patted out and the suspect was treated and released.
This unfortunate injury should not have happened. The Tasers had just recently been issued, meaning all of the officers had just been trained in its use and on the polices regarding appropriate situations for its use. One of the Lancaster’s polices forbid the use of the Taser when flammable substances, in this case the aerosol, might be involved. The department has launched an investigation into the matter but it would be a good guess that the Lancaster police have a new found respect for the policies having seen what can happen when they are not followed.
Lancaster police Chief Dave Bailey is still a propionate of the Taser, quick to point out that incidents like this are uncommon. He also points out that most injuries. Both to police and suspects occur at the time of arrest. The Taser, when used properly, is a lot safer to the suspect that being subdued by a baton and he would most certainly rather be shot with a Taser, however unpleasant, to being shot with a gun. And for the officers it is even safer than Mace. A strong gust of wind can blow it right back into the officer’s face.
The internal investigation will shed some light on just what happened. Did the officer just decide to ignore the policy because he did not think it was dangerous to do so, or did he just get caught up in the moment and it slip his mind? It would be a good guess that other officers have learned from this so it seems unlikely to happen again.
When the smoke has cleared around this incident, however, the public will look back over the track record for the Taser and see that it can be used as a safe and efficient law enforcement tool.
Tags: anti crime, self-defense tools, taser, weapon