from experts in the field:
Hilary Homes is Amnesty International Canada’s
(www.amnesty.ca) campaigner for international justice,
security and human rights.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
DEBATE RESULTS:
Do the costs of teleworking
outweigh the benefits?
Use-Of-fOrCe DeCIsIOns by police in what are often very chal-
lenging and difficult circumstances need to be well informed. amnesty
International’s fundamental concern about conducted-energy devices
(CeDs) such as Tasers is that the technology has moved forward in
advance of adequate independent testing, study and accountability.
The safety parameters for Tasers have yet to be independently established, which is not the
case for other police equipment.
YES
6%
NO
94%
The very thing that makes a stun device such as a Taser attractive is the same thing that
raises concerns: It’s fast and it’s relatively easy to use. The speed with which a Taser can be
deployed—multiple shocks in a short time frame—also raises concerns about adequate
reassessment of ongoing threat levels in contexts where Tasers are deployed.
Percentage reflects votes
received by November 13, 2008.
Increasingly, Tasers appear to have been deployed too often and too soon. fast resolution
of a situation is not necessarily equivalent to safe resolution of a situation.
amnesty International is concerned that the use of Tasers in Canada is expanding despite
continuing reports of excessive use of force and deaths in custody following use of a Taser,
inconsistent guidelines and training, and inadequate oversight and public disclosure of infor-
mation on use.
at least 21 deaths have occurred following use of Tasers in Canada, and there have been
some 300 such deaths in the United states. While some of these cases have yet to be reviewed,
Tasers were found to have been direct or indirect factors in more than 30 of these deaths.
Our organization continues to call on authorities at federal, provincial and territorial
levels to work together to impose a moratorium on the use of Tasers and similar devices by
law-enforcement officials until there has been independent and comprehensive study of their
use and effects. In the absence of a moratorium, the use of Tasers should be restricted to situations where officers face an imminent threat or would otherwise be justified in resorting to
lethal force. C
from experts in the field:
Ian Davidson is the chief of police for the Greater Sudbury Police
Service and president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
(www.oacp.on.ca).
On a DaIly basIs, police officers who are sworn to uphold the law
and preserve community safety face very volatile and dangerous situa-
tions. These unfortunate realities of human life often require officers to
utilize various levels of “use of force” to protect themselves or members
of our communities, or to control individuals who resist an officer’s
lawful authority to arrest. every use of force encountered between the police and a citizen
carries with it the possibility of injury to any of the participants, accompanied by a very high
level of accountability for the officers involved. be assured that these realities are well under-
stood and taken very seriously by police services and their leadership.
The emergence of conducted-energy devices (CeDs) is an important and effective public-safety tool for police officers and citizens alike. a recent article in the Calgary Herald refers to a
study conducted by the Canadian Police research Centre citing use-of-force data provided by the
Calgary Police service, which found that CeDs scored high in safety for both suspects and officers. This study indicates that CeDs are less injurious than either a baton or empty-hand physical
control—to say nothing of the potential injuries and deaths attributed to the use of firearms.
There has been a growing perception that CeDs carry an undue and significant risk of
serious injury or death. However, this perception does not appear to be supported by the data.
With respect to the safety of CeDs, there is no definitive research that implicates an independent causal relationship between the use of CeDs and death.
It is important to note that police leaders and their organizations are not inextricably tied
to CeDs. Indeed, if new and definitive medical evidence were to demonstrate that CeDs were
not safe and the risks of application outweighed the benefits related to the overall issues of
safety, police chiefs in Ontario and beyond would discontinue their use.
The Ontario association of Chiefs of Police remains convinced that CeDs have an important role to play in protecting the public and officers from violent individuals, as well as in protecting such persons from themselves. supported with clear policies and procedures, and in the
hands of a well-trained officer, CeDs save lives. C
Opinions expressed are those of the
individuals or organizations represented
and are presented to foster discussion.
Costco and The Costco Connection take
no position on any Debate topic.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009 The Costco Connection 15
