Amnesty International USA
Press Release
December 16, 2008
Amnesty International Questions Taser Safety As Death Toll Hits 334
Ninety Percent Unarmed When Struck with Police Tasers
California and Florida Have Highest Death Count Per State;
Phoenix and Las Vegas the Highest Per City
(New York) - Industry claims that Taser stun guns are safe and non-lethal simply do not stand up to scrutiny, said Amnesty International today as the organization released one of the most detailed reports to date on the safety of stun guns. The report, which includes deaths that occurred between June 2001 and August 2008, showed that the number of people who died in the United States after being struck by police Tasers has reached 334. The human rights organization called on federal, state and local authorities to suspend the use of stun guns, known collectively as Conducted Energy Devices – or, at a minimum, limit their deployment to life-threatening situations.
Amnesty International’s report -- which includes a study of 98 autopsies that were independently reviewed by a forensic pathologist -- found that 90 percent of those who died after being struck with Tasers were unarmed and many did not appear to present a serious threat. Police officers used Tasers on schoolchildren, pregnant women and even an elderly person with dementia. More than 30 individuals died after being shocked in jails, where Tasers are also widely used, or in the booking area of police stations after they were already under police control.
“Thousands of police departments have purchased these weapons, and there is ample evidence of officers using them repeatedly and unnecessarily. Is it any surprise that the number of people who died after being shocked is steadily rising?” asked Larry Cox, executive director for Amnesty International USA. “Taser use should be suspended until the weapons’ impact has truly been proven. At minimum they should be used as weapons of last resort, and police departments should ensure that policies are consistent and controlled to prevent the death toll from rising precipitously.”
California and Florida are the states with the highest number of deaths -- 55 and 52 respectively. Phoenix and Las Vegas have the highest city counts with five deaths reported. Although most of the 334 deaths nationwide have been attributed to factors such as drug intoxication, medical examiners and coroners have concluded that Tasers shocks caused or contributed to at least 50 deaths. After reviewing 98 autopsy reports and other materials, Amnesty International found:
*Many of the people who died were subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks -- far more than the five-second “standard” cycle -- or by more than one officer at a time. Some people were even shocked for failing to comply with police commands after they had been incapacitated by a first shock.
*In most cases, the deceased are reported to have gone into cardio-respiratory arrest at the scene, shortly after being shocked.
*In some cases there was no indication that the deceased had taken drugs or had underlying health problems, and they collapsed shortly after being shocked, raising further concern about the role of the Tasers.
In 37 of the 98 autopsy reports plus two inquest transcripts reviewed by Amnesty International, medical examiners listed the use of a Taser as a cause or contributory factor in the death. Medical examiners or coroners reportedly made similar findings in at least 13 other cases where Amnesty International did not have the autopsy reports.
In at least six cases, Tasers were used on individuals suffering from medical conditions such as seizures -- including a doctor who had crashed his car when he suffered an epileptic seizure. He died after being repeatedly shocked at the side of the highway when, dazed and confused, he failed to comply with an officer’s commands.
In March 2008, an 11-year-old girl with a learning disability was shocked with a Taser after she punched a police officer in the face. The officer had been called to the school in Orange County, Florida, after the child had become disturbed, pushing desks and chairs and spitting at staff.
“It is disturbing than an officer would resort to such measures to control a child. It is clear that some police officers are running amok with these weapons,” said Dalia Hashad, director of Amnesty International USA's Domestic Human Rights Program. “Tasers are more dangerous than they are portrayed to be. By their very nature, they are easy to abuse. That fact that officers can inflict severe pain at the push of a button, without leaving substantial marks, remains a serious concern.”
Existing studies -- many of them funded by the industry -- have found the risk of these weapons to be generally low in healthy adults. However, these studies are limited in scope and have pointed to the need for more understanding of the effects of such devices on vulnerable people, including those under the influence of stimulant drugs or in poor health.
Independently-funded animal studies have found that the use of these kinds of electro-shock weapons can cause fatal arrhythmias in pigs, raising further questions about their safety on human subjects. It was also recently reported that nearly ten percent of 41 tasers tested in a study commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, delivered significantly more current than the manufacturer said was possible, underscoring the need for independent verification and testing of such devices.
Download Less Than Lethal: The Use of Stun Weapons in U.S. Law Enforcement
Contact: Wende Gozan, 212-633-4247, wgozan@aiusa.org or Dalia Hashad, 202-403-1287, dhashad@aiusa.org
Make a difference!
» (UA 01/10) Cipriana Jurado And Other Human Rights Defenders In Danger
» Ebrima B. Manneh
» Women of Atenco--Assaulted by the Police
