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Why is it that a death(s) is required before you are taken seriously?  Tasers were introduced to the RCMP in 2001.  The number of taser related deaths is cataloged here. As early as 2004, Amnesty International had serious concerns about how the taser was being used by Canada’s law enforcement agencies. Robert Dziekanski was allegedly tasered to death by a squad of RCMP officers at the Vancouver International Airport on October 13th, 2007.  His crime, being intoxicated, acting disturbed and unable to understand English; in any case not a warrant for the death penalty.

A recent report obtained by the CBC had a few interesting nuggets of information regarding the use of Tasers.

“RCMP officials relied too heavily on information provided by manufacturers when they developed their own stun gun policies and training programs, an independent review concludes.”

Huh, our police in their lust for zap-a-riffic enforcement tools, seems to have went with the best case scenario and used the always unbiased and accurate industry data.  No problems there.

Well actually there have been problems.  Enough problems to justify a new policy for how tasers are used on people:

“Note, we have lowered the recommended point of aim from centre of mass to lower centre of mass for front shots,” the company[Taser International] says in the bulletin on its website.”When possible, avoiding chest shots with electronic control devices avoids the controversy about whether ECDs [electronic control devices] do or do not affect the human heart,” said the bulletin said.

I do not think the new recommendations go far enough.  Robert Dziekanski was shocked multiple times before and after he was restrained.  Stunning people repeatedly when they are restrained or hysterical should not be allowed under any circumstance.  Being unable to protect yourself while being assaulted with electricity would be stressful for any individual and would put them an undue risk for injury and death (excited delirium is not an acceptable justification for the multiple tasing of a person).  Taser use needs to be more highly regulated to protect the public from the use of excessive force.