Taser review released

The review was prompted after 20 deaths occurred in Canada since 2003, including the November 2007 death of Howard Hyde, a former Shelburne resident, in Halifax.

Tasers are a relatively new tool but have been quickly adopted by an increasing number of law enforcement agencies.

In recent years, an increasing level of concern over their use has been evident.

“This report is a province-wide snapshot of how often and where the Taser is being used, and is an excellent foundation for the panel,” said Clarke.

Use of force by law enforcement was first established as necessary.

“Situations can escalate very quickly and the officer must respond appropriately based on his/her perception of the situation and in the context of rules and regulations governing that response,” the review read.

Inconstancies for the use of Tasers were discovered throughout the Province.

While it was determined that the various law enforcement groups currently authorized to use Tasers, all have developed written policy and procedures in accordance with provincial standards the review did find however that they differ in categories of behavior for when the Taser can be used and in the categorizations of force.

It was found that some policies required notification of a supervisor before Taser use while others did not but only required notification as soon as possible after deployment.

Cautions related to multiple use were part of some policies and in others they were not mentioned.

As well while some policies required that medical personnel remove probes, others permitted them to be removed by the Taser operators.

The majority of policies, but not all, stated that the person struck with a Taser be evaluated promptly by medical personnel.

More inconsistencies were discovered with how much training was received concerning the use of Tasers. Municipal police officers and Sheriff Services receive eight hours of training that include both lecture and practical exercises while the RCMI and Correctional staff receive sixteen hours of training.

The study showed that the use of Tasers has substantially increased over the past three years and that in 2007 there was a 103 per cent increase of the use of Tasers in Nova Scotia.

At the same time, there was also an increase in the effective use of Tasers as a ‘mere presentation’ was effective enough to calm someone challenging an officer.

The (Taser’s) advantages derive mainly from its versatility, reads the report, its rapid impact, use from a distance, potential for reducing injuries to officers, subjects and bystanders and its reportedly short duration of physiological impact.

“But these are the very characteristics that may render the (Taser) open to misuse or even abuse: Particularly over-reliance on the weapon to subdue subjects when less intrusive means could be effective.

The review gave suggestions for policy makers including improved training programs, improved policy communication, improved accountability and to respond and adapt policies to new research about the device.

Part two of the provincial review will include the advisory panel to examine the review.

Whether there will be a limit to the use of Tasers will be up to the advisory panel.