The makers of Taser estimate that 1,700 police officers carried their product in the last year. However, controversy has swirled around the use of these non-lethal devices in middle and high schools around the country.
On October 20 of last year, Miami-Dade county police officers used a Taser to subdue a six-year-old Pharr Elementary School student.
Police responded to a call from Principal Maria Mason. Mason called 911 when the six year old broke a picture frame in her office and held a piece of glass, threatening to cut himself.
Officers were not able to convince the boy to drop the glass, and when he cut his own leg, one officer shocked him with the Taser and another caught him to prevent him from falling.
Retired Juvenile Judge Frank Orlando disagreed with the officers’ use of the weapon. “It just sounds excessive to me to Taser gun a six year old…they couldn’t subdue a six year old? Must have been a pretty big kid,” said Orlando.
Juan DelCastillo, police spokesman, defended the officers’ use of the Taser. “Sure he could have been tackled and maybe injured, maybe his arm broken or maybe that glass could have cut him in a critical area.”
May 8, a 9-year-old girl was Tasered in Arizona by a South Tucson police sergeant. Police responded to a call from the Arizona Children’s Home, a facility for special needs children.
Chief Sixto Molina said the call was in regards to a “runaway from the institution.” Molina also said the child was handcuffed when the Taser was used.
Most recently in the news, at Pinellas Park High School police used a Taser on Doug Walker, an 18-year-old student.
According to the police report, Walker was swearing, kicking, and thrashing. “He was told to quit and he wouldn’t quit,” an officer told Bay News.
Walker’s lawyer, John Trevena, fears that Tasers may be used in situations where they are not necessary. “The potential is there to have situations where it’s misused,” said Trevena.
King Downing, of the ACLU, claims that Tasers are being used for behavioral problems not crimes.
However, Sgt. Steve Baum of the Newark, Ohio Police Department supports the use of Tasers and feels it gives officers more options, “rather than making [students], hitting them or hitting them with a night stick.”
An Amnesty International report earlier this year revealed that between June 2001 and March 2005 Tasers accounted for 103 deaths.
The Taser sends 50,000 volts of electricity through the body, temporarily causing the muscles to contract and immobilize the target. According to Taser International, the Taser is safe to use on children and adults. Taser International tested the voltage on pigs ranging from 66 to 257 lbs.
In an interview with CNN last year, Rick Smith, CEO of Taser International defended his product as a safe alternative for police. “There’s no cumulative effect of electricity. It doesn’t stay in the body. Each pulse transverses through the body. It’s out and it’s gone.”
Ben Nester, a Plymouth State Criminal Justice Major, feels that Tasers are a good alternative for police. “In general, it’s good for police protection, as long as they are properly trained on how to use them.”
However, Nester is not as enthusiastic as some officials about the use of Tasers on adolescents and teens. “I don’t think it’s the best strategy.” Nester continues, “but if there is nothing else that can be done for the officer’s protection, it’s a last resort.”