In recent years, tasers have been hailed as an excellent non-lethal weapon for the police force to use to subdue unruly criminals. Unfortunately, both “unruly” and “non-lethal” have proven to be a bit subjective in practice. Police around the country have face controversy as they have used the weapons against unarmed persons who pose no risk to the officers and the public. Even worse, some people with medical issues have been hospitalized, even killed, by these supposedly harmless tools.
A federal court of appeals recently looked at this issue and has issued the most restrictive ruling yet regarding the police use of these weapons. The court declared that many uses of tasers violate the suspect’s rights to be free from excessive force. The court opinion seemed to imply that police should evaluate all aspects of a situation before using the weapon. Factors they need to be wary of include the suspect’s level of threat, the crime the suspect is accused of, and if the suspect is mentally troubled.
San Diego criminal lawyer Eugene Iredale, who argued the case, says it is a landmark decision and one of the clearest statements regarding the law enforcement tool’s use to date.
To read more about the court decision, see the article in the Modesto Bee. Image Via Oldmaison [Flickr]