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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for non-lethal weapons
10 results foundAuthor: Stoughton, Corey Title: Taking Tasers Seriously: The Need for Better Regulation of Stun Guns in New York Summary: Tasers or “stun guns,” deliver up to 50,000 volts of electricity intended to incapacitate their victims. Long lauded as safer alternatives to deadly force, Tasers are in use by 16,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S.—including 350 in New York State—and have been linked with hundreds of deaths. More than a dozen New Yorkers have died after Taser shocks, some in police custody and others with mental illness whose families turned to law enforcement for help, only to suffer mortal loss. Since February 2004, news reports have documented five deaths after Taser shocks in Suffolk County alone. Scores more across the state have been hurt or humiliated when officers, lacking consistent guidelines and thorough training, deployed Tasers inappropriately. To better identify and understand patterns of Taser use in New York State, the New York Civil Liberties Union analyzed 851 Taser incident reports from eight departments across the state as well as 10 departments’ guidelines for Taser use, obtained through the state Freedom of Information Law and public sources. These records show that officers misuse and overuse these weapons, resorting directly to Tasers rather than less intrusive police tactics to calm, subdue or arrest people they encounter. They also suggest a lack of awareness of the risks of multiple, prolonged shocks; of the particular danger Tasers pose to vulnerable populations; and of the need to avoid sensitive areas of the body, including the chest. While some studies tout the benefits of Tasers as a tool for law enforcement, the absence of sound policy, training and guidelines to direct the powerful weapons’ proper, lawful use contributes to this disturbing pattern of misuse and overuse and puts the state’s residents and visitors at unnecessary and unjustifiable risk. The NYCLU’s analysis found: Nearly 60 percent of reported Taser incidents did not meet expertrecommended criteria for justifying Taser use—criteria that limit the weapon’s use to situations where law enforcement officers can document active aggression or a risk of physical injury. Fifteen percent of incident reports indicated clearly inappropriate Taser use, such as officers shocking people who were merely passively or verbally noncompliant with a police order, or where a suspect was already handcuffed or restrained. Only 15 percent of documented Taser incidents involved people who were armed or who were thought to be armed, belying the myth that Tasers are most frequently used as an alternative to deadly force. More than one-third of Taser incidents involved multiple or prolonged Taser shocks, which experts link to an increased risk of injury and death. More than 1 in 4 (27 percent) of Taser incidents involved shocks directly to subjects’ chest area, despite explicit 2009 guidelines by the weapon’s manufacturer instructing users to avoid firing Tasers at the chest area, citing a risk of “potential cardiac consequences. In 75 percent of incidents, no verbal warnings were reported, despite expert recommendations that verbal warnings precede Taser firings. Half of the jurisdictions surveyed do not, in fact, require officers to issue verbal warnings. Forty percent of the Taser incidents analyzed involved at-risk subjects. Taser experts caution against Taser use on children, the elderly, the visibly infirm and individuals who are seriously intoxicated or mentally ill — “the very individuals” most likely to be in contact with police, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Of these incidents, 30 percent involved situations where officers were called to assist with a mentally disturbed individual with no indication or suggestion of criminal activity. People of color are overwhelmingly represented in Taser incidents. Of all incidents in which race was recorded, 58 percent involved black or Latino New Yorkers. In Albany, where 28 percent of the population is black, 68 percent of Taser incidents involved black subjects; similar disproportionalities were evident in Syracuse and Rochester. As the NYCLU’s analysis demonstrates, these problems are directly linked to the fact that use-of-force policies governing the use of Tasers lack consistency and, with the exception of the NYPD, do not comply with the recommendations of national law enforcement experts that have developed model policies for Taser use. Moreover, seven of the eight jurisdictions surveyed by the NYCLU analysis appear to rely exclusively on training materials provided by TASER International, the weapon’s manufacturer—an approach that experts widely condemn as inadequate preparation for crucial decisions in the field. In addition to these fundamental flaws in policy and training, law enforcement agencies are not doing enough to monitor and supervise the use of Tasers in the field. The incident reports obtained by the NYCLU showed grossly inconsistent and incomplete record-keeping, a significant obstacle to accountability and proper assessment of the risks and rewards of Tasers. Defining and practicing the “appropriate use” of Tasers remains the outstanding challenge in the effort to ensure that Tasers do not cause more harm than good. Accordingly, the NYCLU recommends the following: 1. New York State law enforcement agencies must reform use-of-force polices and Taser training programs to comply with nationally recognized expert guidelines, such as the guidelines created by the United States Department of Justice and the Police Executive Research Forum. 2. The State of New York must play an active role in promoting and achieving universal adoption of these expert-recommended policies and guidelines, and in ensuring that local agencies coordinate their Taser policies and training programs. 3. The State of New York and local law enforcement agencies must require accurate, complete reporting and robust monitoring of Taser use. Such reporting should be made available to the elected officials responsible for oversight of law enforcement agencies and to the citizens whose taxes support them. Details: New York: New York Civil Liberties Union, 2011. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed October 2, 2011 at: http://www.nyclu.org/files/publications/nyclu_TaserFinal.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.nyclu.org/files/publications/nyclu_TaserFinal.pdf Shelf Number: 123072 Keywords: Non-lethal WeaponsPolice Use of ForceStun GunsTasers (New York City) |
Author: Broadstock, Marita Title: What is the Safety of "Pepper Spray" Use by Law Enforcement or Mental Health Service Staff? Summary: Oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray, referred to here as “pepper spray”, is a chemical incapacitant causing intense irritation of the mucous membranes and skin. The organic agent oleoresin capsicum contains the active ingredient capsaicin, obtained from cayenne pepper plants. It is usually mixed with a carrier agent for dispersion, such as oil, alcohol or kerosene for application using an aerosol spray (Chambers, 2000). Pepper spray has been employed as a less-than-lethal inflammatory agent in civilian, government and military sectors, and particularly for law enforcement, criminal incapacitation and, in the United States of America (USA), personal self-defense. First used in the USA in 1973 by Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) personnel who approved it for police use1, it became widely adopted by law enforcement agencies from the late 1980’s (Kaminski et al. 1999). Pepper spray has also been used in correctional facilities in the USA (American Civil Liberties Unions of Southern California, 1995). Though banned in Sweden because of its potential to cause eye damage, it has been increasingly used by European security forces in Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Switzerland (Chambers, 2000). The Home Office reportedly recommended that pepper spray be not introduced by British police services due to health concerns. In contrast, pepper spray is available for use by police across Australia, albeit in some States on a trial basis (Criminal Justice Commission and Queensland Police Service, 1999). The New Zealand police introduced pepper spray to front line members in 1997 as a less-than-lethal option when dealing with violent incidents where injury is likely to ensue (Doone, 1997). Inhalation of, and skin and eye contact with, pepper spray causes an almost instantaneous onset of responses. Effects on the eyes include severe burning pain, involuntary closure, lacrimation (tearing), conjunctival inflammation, redness, swelling and blepharospasm (eyelid twitching). Skin contamination causes tingling, burning pain, edema, erythema and occasional blistering. Respiratory symptoms include nasal irritation, bronchoconstriction, a burning sensation in the throat, severe coughing and sneezing, and shortness of breath (Olajos and Salem, 2001). More systemic effects include disorientation, panic and loss of body motor control (Smith, 2002). Most symptoms resolve within 30 to 45 minutes. The inflammatory properties of pepper spray have been suggested as being particularly effective in managing violent, intoxicated, drugged and mentally ill people who may be less susceptible to pain. However, some data (Edwards et al. 1997; Granfield et al. 1994; ACLA of Southern California, 1995) suggest that precisely such individuals “may be resistant or immune to OC’s effects or that OC may actually exacerbate the difficulty associated with controlling such persons” (Edwards et al. 1997). Acute effects of capsaicin have been suggested including bronchospasm, respiratory arrest, pulmonary edema, hypertensive crisis and hypothermia as well as serious respiratory and cardiovascular effects and permanent damage to the sensory nervous system (Stopford, 1996; Olajos and Salem, 2001). The safety of pepper spray is the subject of this Tech Brief. It aims to consider evidence for adverse events of pepper spray used in ways comparable to their application by police officers or mental health service personnel to acutely subdue a disturbed person. It also aims to identify situations or populations related with increased risk. Details: Christchurch, NZ: New Zealand Health Technology Assessment (NZHTA), 2002. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: NZHTA Tech Brief Series, vol. 1, No. 2: Accessed November 10, 2011 at: http://nzhta.chmeds.ac.nz/publications/pepper_spray.pdf Year: 2002 Country: New Zealand URL: http://nzhta.chmeds.ac.nz/publications/pepper_spray.pdf Shelf Number: 123300 Keywords: Non-lethal WeaponsOleoresin CapsicumPepper Spray |
Author: Victoria Police Title: Evaluation of Victoria Police Conducted Energy Device Pilot Project Summary: The Taser X26 is a brand of conducted energy device (CED); a 'less lethal' device that is used to cause temporary incapacitation to a person. Emitting electricity via wires and probes, they are employed as a resolution option by national and international law enforcement agencies against persons causing or threatening serious harm to themselves or others. CEDs have been in use by specialist areas within Victoria Police since 2004 (Special Operations Group [SOG], 2004, and the Critical Incident Response Teams [CIRT], 2005). With these specialist areas responding from their bases in Melbourne, a service delivery gap exists in regional and rural areas of Victoria. In February, 2010, Victoria Police commenced a pilot project to trial CEDs in the Bendigo and Morwell response zones. Analysis of Use of Force data identified these response zones as having a higher number of incidents involving the use of force, persons with a mental illness, sieges and instances where offenders have used weapons against police. Even though police effectively resolve a high volume of these incidents on a daily basis without recourse to the use of force, the aim of the project was to introduce CEDs to general duties and Highway Patrol police from these pilot sites and provide them with an enhanced less lethal capability to minimise the likelihood of recourse to lethal force when responding to incidents of this nature. The trial commenced on the 4th of July, 2010, and initially ran for a twelve month period before being extended pending the outcome of a formal evaluation process. In August 2011, Victoria Police's Deputy Commissioner for Regional and Road Policing, Mr Kieran Walshe APM, instigated an evaluation of the Conducted Energy Device Pilot Project. This evaluation examined and assessed the project that saw the equipping of front line police at the pilot sites with the Taser X26 CED. In order to ensure the evaluation was robust and objective, Victoria Police approached New South Wales Police seeking the assistance of an appropriately experienced senior officer. Assistant Commissioner Alan Clarke APM, the Chairperson of the NSW Police Force Taser Executive Committee, was subsequently engaged to lead the evaluation with assistance provided by staff from the Victoria Police Inspectorate. This final evaluation of the Victoria Police Conducted Energy Device Pilot Project builds upon the Interim Evaluation completed by the Conducted Energy Device Pilot Project team. The Evaluation Team, where appropriate, identified opportunities for improvement and made recommendations. The range of material examined during the evaluation supports the assertion that the CED is an effective weapon in assisting in the resolution of some incidents; this was further supported by the feedback supplied by the police attending the incidents where CED was used. Details: Melbourne: Victoria Police, 2011. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 24, 2014 at: http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=31234 Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=31234 Shelf Number: 132175 Keywords: Non-Lethal WeaponsPolice Use of ForceStun GunsTasers |
Author: Neuscheler, Jena Title: Report on Electronic Control Weapons (ECWs) Submitted to the City of Berkeley Summary: The SCJC report aims to help the City Council evaluate the potential benefits and consequences of equipping city police with ECWs. The Council's primary concern was the impact of ECW adoption on the safety of police officers and the citizens they protect. The Council also sought information on the acute health effects of ECWs, the legal framework that governs ECW use, and how adoption might impact the city's budget. To answer those questions, we have read and analyzed approximately 150 studies on the public safety impacts of ECW adoption, the physical effects of ECWs on the human body, and the legal ramifications of ECW adoption. We have attempted to rigorously assess each of these studies, critiquing their methodologies and assumptions, as well as considering possible critiques of those critiques. Our goal has been to help identify what is and what is not known about ECW as a law enforcement tool, and to separate well founded claims from those with a weak foundation. The City Council and the SCJC originally planned to survey several nearby jurisdictions in order to examine outcomes following ECW adoption. The goal was to extrapolate from the results of nearby cities, whose demographics and characteristics might be similar to those of Berkeley. As the Center's research continued, however, it became clear that a survey of nearby jurisdictions would not provide meaningful or accurate answers to the most important questions. Many of those questions had been addressed by a vast body of empirical research conducted by teams of medical and social scientists, often with the support of grants from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The best studies take years to gather, code, and analyze data, which are subject to statistical controls to help account for the characteristics that make each jurisdiction or subject unique. On the question of whether ECWs help reduce injuries to suspect and police officers, for instance, just one of the two leading datasets includes 24,000 use-of-force records from 12 cities, which were chosen from a nationally representative survey of 1,000 municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies. In short, attempting to reproduce those inquiries by simply surveying nearby cities would risk capturing information irrelevant to the demographics and dynamics of Berkeley. At the same time, the very familiarity of those nearby cities would make it even easier to draw misleading conclusions. Moreover, for some of the most important questions, even the most sophisticated research had yielded conflicting results. Ultimately, we determined that the best way to help the Berkeley City Council answer these questions was to effectively synthesize this vast literature into an overview of what is known, while setting aside specious or poorly supported claims. Throughout the course of this research, we have learned that some of the most important questions do not have an answer-in some cases, because research is still ongoing; in other cases, because the answers depend on underlying values and beliefs. We believe that identifying and explaining those questions that do not have clear answers is one of the more useful functions of this report. Details: Stanford, CA: Stanford Criminal Justice Center, Stanford law School, 2015. 73p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 26, 2015 at: https://2pe0o743k0s82lo5l6trs9j1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ECW-Final-Draft-2.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://2pe0o743k0s82lo5l6trs9j1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ECW-Final-Draft-2.pdf Shelf Number: 137058 Keywords: Electronic Control WeaponsNon-Lethal WeaponsPolice Use of ForceStun GunsTasers |
Author: Williams, Howard E. Title: Physiological Attributes of Arrest-Related Sudden Deaths Proximate to the Appllication of Taser Electronic Control Devices: An Evidence Based Study of the Theory of High-Risk Groups Summary: TASER electronic control devices (ECDs), manufactured by TASER International, Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona, have become a popular tool for law enforcement. TASER International has sold more than 710,000 devices to 16,880 agencies in 107 countries. Although other manufacturers produce comparable types of electro-shock weapons, TASER products are the most commonly used in the United States and worldwide. Unfortunately, more than 870 people worldwide have died unexpectedly following law enforcement officers' uses of TASER ECDs. Currently, there is no research definitively establishing a causal relationship between the use of an ECD and the death of a person exposed to it. However, some recent studies suggest that application of TASER technology is responsible for sudden unexpected deaths. The ever increasing number of deaths following application of TASER ECDs and the growing number of cases wherein a coroner or medical examiner attribute the use of an ECD as a cause of death or as a significant contributing factor to the death raise legitimate concerns about the safety threshold of the devices. Researchers have proposed and tested many theories of why people die following the application of ECDs, including direct electro-stimulation of cardiac muscle, interference with breathing, and metabolic changes resulting in acidosis. Thus far, human model experiments have produced no evidence to support these theories. Another theory, which has recently appeared in the literature, has received no empirical testing the theory of high-risk groups. High-risk group theory postulates that elderly people, young children, people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, people with pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, people under the influence of drugs (amphetamines, cocaine, lysergic acid diethylamide, marijuana, opiates, and/or phencyclidine) or with a history of drug abuse, people intoxicated from alcohol or with a history of chronic alcohol abuse, people under extreme psychological distress or who exhibit signs of excited delirium, people who are mentally ill or taking psychotropic medications, people subjected to repeated or multiple applications, and pregnant women are at a heightened risk of serious injury or death following application of a TASER ECD. What the current literature fails to consider is that the same physiological attributes that are presumed to render members of high-risk groups more vulnerable to serious injury or death following application of a TASER ECD might render these same people more vulnerable to serious injury or death regardless of the tactics or weapons that officers use to subdue them. If that hypothesis is correct, the use of TASER ECDs on people in high-risk groups might be irrelevant to arrest-related sudden deaths. The potential for fatal adverse effects on high-risk groups when using other less lethal tactics and methods versus the potential for fatal adverse effects on high-risk groups following the use of a TASER ECD is currently unknown. Thus far, research has not directly addressed the question. By examining autopsy and toxicology reports of the deceased and comparing differences in the physiological attributes of arrest-related sudden deaths, one can then estimate whether a difference exists in high-risk group attributes between deaths proximate to the use of a TASER ECD and deaths not involving the use of an ECD. An arrest-related sudden death is a death that occurs following a collapse within 24 hours after the initial arrest or detention. The death must be unexpected, must not be the result of trauma or injury that a layperson could readily discern needs medical attention, and must follow a sudden change in clinical condition or the beginning of symptoms from which the deceased does not recover. It does not include police shootings and suicides. Details: San Marcos: Texas State University, 2013. 305p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 2, 2016 at: https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/4855/WILLIAMS-DISSERTATION-2013.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/4855/WILLIAMS-DISSERTATION-2013.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 138016 Keywords: Arrest-Related DeathsNon-Lethal WeaponsStun GunsTasers |
Author: Fryer, Roland G., Jr. Title: An Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences in Police Use of Force Summary: This paper explores racial differences in police use of force. On non-lethal uses of force, blacks and Hispanics are more than fifty percent more likely to experience some form of force in interactions with police. Adding controls that account for important context and civilian behavior reduces, but cannot fully explain, these disparities. On the most extreme use of force - officer-involved shootings - we find no racial differences in either the raw data or when contextual factors are taken into account. We argue that the patterns in the data are consistent with a model in which police officers are utility maximizers, a fraction of which have a preference for discrimination, who incur relatively high expected costs of officer-involved shootings. Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2016. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper Series, no. 22399: Accessed July 11, 2016 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w22399.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w22399.pdf Shelf Number: 139612 Keywords: Non-Lethal WeaponsOfficer-Involved ShootingsPolice Deadly ForcePolice Use of ForceRacial DisparitiesStun Guns |
Author: Buchanan, Kim S. Title: Electronic Defense Weapon Analysis and Findings, 2015 Summary: In an effort to increase transparency and better understand taser 1 use, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Public Act 14-149, An Act Concerning the Use of Electronic Defense Weapons by Police Officers, in 2014. PA 14-149 directed the Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC) to draft and distribute a model policy for regulating the use of tasers. This law requires that every police department adopt and maintain a taser policy that meets or exceeds the standards set by the POSTC model policy. The new law also requires police officers to document each incident in which a taser was used and for law enforcement agencies authorizing such use to report all incidents to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division, by January 15 of the following year. The Institute of Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP), at Central Connecticut State University, was tasked by the Office of Policy and Managements Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division with compiling and analyzing the reported taser data for 2015. The findings and recommendations in this report are based on analysis of the data submitted by 79 police departments in 2015, including a review of policies governing the use of tasers. This was the first year in which data on taser use has been collected in Connecticut. Based on numerous factors, IMRP researchers believe the data collected is not indicative of the entirety of required incident reporting based on PA 14-149. Therefore, while the descriptive statistics presented in this report raise many questions as to how, when, why, and on whom reported taser usage occurs within law enforcement agencies, they cannot be taken to conclusively establish what is happening with respect to all law enforcement taser use in Connecticut. As such, this first year of taser findings should be interpreted with caution. Details: New Britain, CT: Central Connecticut State University, Institute for Municipal & Regional Policy, 2016. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2016 at: http://www.ccsu.edu/imrp/projects/files/EDW.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.ccsu.edu/imrp/projects/files/EDW.pdf Shelf Number: 145110 Keywords: Electronic Control Weapons Non-Lethal Weapons Police Use of Force Police Weapons Stun Guns Tasers |
Author: British Columbia. Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner Title: Taser Technology Review: Final Report Summary: Since the production of our Interim Report, the focus of the investigative team has been to provide suggested Course Training Standards in the areas of Conducted Energy Devices (CED) (i.e.: TASER), Excited Delirium (ED) and Restraint Protocols (RP). These are not intended to be endpoints; rather they reflect best practices based on research available at this time. This Course Training Standards package will be made available upon its completion and is intended to support several of our recommendations in the Interim Report. Since the Interim Report was released in September, 2004, several new studies relevant to this area have been published. The Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology Study (PACE), although criticized because of the participation of TASER medical and technical personnel, appears to demonstrate that adequate margins of safety exist with respect to the issue of ventricular fibrillation (VF). The Human Effects Centre of Excellence (HECOE) Study, produced by the U.S. Military, also confirmed that VF was unlikely to be a risk, although it identified the potential for serious unintended consequences, "albeit with estimated low probabilities of occurrence." Research done by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) confirmed several of the hypotheses present in our Interim Report, as it demonstrated that very lengthy TASER exposures (three minutes of five second on - five second off cycling) had significant impacts on blood levels of carbon dioxide, lactate, pH, and other markers. We believe this study provides support for the proposition that police should, where possible, be minimizing multiple TASER applications. The effect that TASER application has on respiration remains an area of concern. Muscular tetany that impairs respiration may be an operative factor that has been previously unrecognized. This concern also relates to the issue of multiple usages. Life preservation and retrieval in situations where an individual is at high risk of death proximal to restraint requires changes not just to police protocols and procedures but also the methods used by ambulance personnel and emergency room physicians. These changes require extensive research to ensure they are based on the best available information. There are now two international research initiatives that may provide definitive answers to many of the ongoing TASER debates. In the U.K, the Defence Sciences Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has carried out experiments designed to study the effects of stimulant drugs and electrical current on cardiac tissue, potentially providing some insight as to why stimulant drug abusers make up the overwhelming majority of people who die in police restraint. In the U.S., the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is funding a three year study at the University of Wisconsin to map TASER current in the body and to monitor changes to blood chemistry and respiration. In Canada, the Canadian Police Research Centre (CPRC) is proposing a cross-Canada epidemiological study that will focus on ED and gathering data from emergency room admissions. We believe this Canadian initiative, chosen to coordinate with other international studies, will provide previously unavailable insight into this condition and its medical management. The Amnesty International (AI) report on the TASER makes a number of recommendations we have considered in our Final Report. Although we feel some of those recommendations have merit, we believe that blanket prohibitions do not always obtain the desired outcome. The reasonableness of any use of force will always be determined by the situational factors. Our responsibility as a police community is to give officers the information to make the best possible decision. Details: Victoria, BC: Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, 2015. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: OPCC File No. 2474: Accessed November 17, 2016 at: http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs/376654/taser_finalrpt.pdf Year: 2005 Country: Canada URL: http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs/376654/taser_finalrpt.pdf Shelf Number: 140205 Keywords: Non-lethal WeaponsPolice Use of ForceStun GunsTasers |
Author: Ryan, Emma Title: Below the belt: police use of conducted energy weapons in Australia Summary: This thesis represents the first critical examination of the proliferation of sub-lethal weapons in Australian policing. It traces the introduction of such weapons in Australian policing, with an emphasis on Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs), in particular Tasers. Using a multi-method, phronetic approach it examines whether the rhetoric used to support the introduction of CEWs is reflected in the policies related to the use of such weapons and in evidence about their use in the field. Phronetic methodology aims to explain social phenomena via the piecing together of large and small details that form the context of events; in this case the introduction of CEWs in Australia, the resulting policies established to control the weapon's use (excluding Tasmania and South Australia where access to the policy documents was refused) and also evidence about its use in practice. This comparative analysis of CEW use in each Australian state and territory is directed at three specific sites: the rhetoric used in relation to the introduction and further justification of CEW use by police across Australia, the policies used to guide police in their use and the available evidence about how CEWs are used in practice. The analysis draws on a broad range of sources incorporating document, news media and interview material. The findings draw attention to the phenomenon of 'mission creep' occurring in Australia, where CEWs have come to be used well outside of their original intended purpose. The thesis shows that this pattern has already been observed in relation to Oleoresin Capsicum spray (OC Spray), which is the other type of sub-lethal weapon widely adopted by police in Western democracies. It is now being observed internationally in relation to CEWs. The thesis therefore adds an Australian perspective to a growing body of literature suggesting that sub-lethal weapons' use by police is likely to have a corrosive effect on police/ community relationships and, crucially, on the principle of minimum force. It further argues that the weapons may have a profound impact on the delicate balance of consensual versus coercive policing styles. The analysis is set against the broader history of CEWs, and especially events in North America, where electronic weaponry evolved. Experiences in Britain and New Zealand are also examined briefly. The findings also demonstrate that the reasons for CEW adoption by police across jurisdictions, nationally and internationally, are very similar. It is argued that this is the case because decisions (and policy making) have been based on a series of misconceptions about sublethal weapons' utility. The thesis argues that the problems arising in jurisdictions that use CEWs are so similar as to warrant a set of clear statements about the potential consequences of their inappropriate deployment in Australia. On this basis, this research concludes by making an argument for the importance of establishing strict national guidelines to control the use of CEWs and by offering a range of observations on what such guidelines could look like. Details: Clayton, Victoria, AUS: Monash University, 2012. 255p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 5, 2017 at: http://arrow.monash.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/monash:89033;jsessionid=E79AD5DD3381841D4B31D1125437E67C?exact=sm_subject%3A%22Accountablility%22 Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: http://arrow.monash.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/monash:89033;jsessionid=E79AD5DD3381841D4B31D1125437E67C?exact=sm_subject%3A%22Accountablility%22 Shelf Number: 145322 Keywords: Assault WeaponsNon-lethal WeaponsPolice AccountabilityPolice Use of ForceTasers |
Author: Delgado, Rolando A. Title: An Ideal Use of Force Model For Law Enforcement: An Assessment of the Austin Police Department Summary: Generally speaking, a law enforcement agency's objective consists of protecting life and property, at the same time providing excellent public service to its community. Among other things, police administrators must provide its officers with the best use-of-force policies and practices to achieve an agency's objective. The first purpose is to establish a practical ideal type model to assess use-of-force policies and practices in law enforcement. Second, using a case study method, current use-of-force policies and practices at the Austin Police Department will be examined. Finally, the project will provide recommendations for improving use-of-force policies and practices at the Austin Police Department. A review of the literature identified three key elements of effective guidelines, extensive training in all force options, and a thorough review of use-of-force incidents. Methodology: The elements of effective use-of-force policies and practices identified in the literature are used to construct the conceptual framework. This framework is used to create a practical ideal type model assessment tool for use-of-force policies and practices.The assessment tool is used to evaluate the Austin Police Department's use-of-force policies and practices. A case study method comprising structured interviews, direct observation, and document analysis is used to carry out the assessment. Findings: Overall, the Austin Police Department's use-of-force policies and practices are consistent with the practical ideal type model developed through the literature, meeting best practices standards. Use-of-force policies and practices could be improved, however, by incorporating training practices to decrease officer and subject injuries, further research the use-of-force training model in place to evaluate its effectiveness, implement a system of use-of-force reporting that is more comprehensive, and strengthen its early warning system. Details: Austin, TX: Texas State University, 2011. 104p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed September 26, 2018 at: https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/3472 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/3472 Shelf Number: 151691 Keywords: Non-Lethal WeaponsPolice Education and Training Police Use of Force Stun Guns Tasers |