Personal Injury Law News
October 28, 2009
The use of tasers by law enforcement
In 1993, TASER International's founders, brothers Rick and Tom Smith, developed devices that use “proprietary technology to incapacitate dangerous, combative, or high-risk subjects who pose a risk to law enforcement officers, innocent citizens, or themselves in a manner that is generally recognized as a safer alternative to other uses of force.” The website claims that the TASER technology “saves lives every day, and the use of TASER devices dramatically reduces injury rates for police officers and suspects.”
Hmm. If that is true, then why has there been an increase in the number of deaths and serious bodily injury to people who have been tased? Where are the lives being saved? Where is the evidence proving that the use of tasers reduce injury rates for police officers as their website asserts?
In Texas, a 72 year old woman,Kathryn Winkfein, was recently tased during a traffic stop, where she admittedly lost her temper during the confrontation, but considering her age, felt she was mistreated. There is a video of the incident that shows the officer tasing Winkfein and her falling down and moaning pain.
There are countless people like Winkfein, who have been and continue to be harmed by this dangerous weapon, who do not fit into the “dangerous, combative, or high-risk” category, yet time after time police officers choose to use this hazardous device when there are more appropriate tools at their disposal.
The question that I pose is this: are we as a society becoming numb to the atrocities suffered by our community at the hands of law enforcement?
What we need is a guarantee that those officers who patrol our streets will do so with no malice and will access a situation properly before reaching for their taser gun and deciding to shoot first and ask questions later.
Sometimes, personal injury expenses can be overwhelming, and contacting a lawyer becomes necessary.
Dealing with insurance companies can sometimes be difficult. If you are considering an injury case, contact the Houston Personal injury lawyers of the Stephens Law Firm at 713-224-0000
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