On Demand
Tasers: The Safer Alternative?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Are tasers a better option than firearms for the NYPD? Bernard Rostker , senior fellow at the RAND corporation says, "yes." He recently co-authored a study in the wake of the Sean Bell case on the NYPD's use of force, including the phenomenon of "reflexive shooting."
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Comments
Have the guest talk about the four levels that police are allowed to stop people, People v. DeBour.
If an officer has a tendancy to use a their gun in situations where it is questionable can these officers be transfered to public out reach or duty without a fire arm? ie. desk work.
I think what the NYPD need is disciplines and more training. Most of these nypd "officers" do not know the basics when it comes to an emergency and make stupid senseless decisions as a result.
how much was rand paid for this!
Are you crazy? Tasers safe? Tell that to the poor fellow they killed at the Vancouver airport because he was freaked out after his first flight from eastern europe and didn't speak the language - the film of it is on youtube. Disgusting, you big galoots. How about martial arts or something like that?
Blah, blah, blah, fact is the entire training program of police should be thrown out and rewritten as should the people who are accepted into the police force. I've said there here and elsewhere over and over again, I believe that many of out cops would be on the other side of the law if they were not cops. Maybe some of them are already that too! We don't need power freaks who like to wield that power and strong-arm tactics that many, MANY cops use which cause the good cop to almost disappear from the view of citizens.
To the extent the study was supposed to look at the effectiveness of tasers in the context of New York city police officer decisionmaking, the failure to look at race as a dynamic in these potential shooting situations cripples the report. They should do it over.
The police are still trying to explain away the Sean bell travesty...a man died for no reason...what should be done in the future is immaterial...tasers MAY have been a less lethal alternative in the Sean Bell case AS LONG AS THE DIDN'T DIE! tasers are the strengthing of the police state mentality...nothing to see here folks just keep moving...
The policeman caller just lost all of his credibility.
Are tasers a better option than firearms? Damn straight, I would rather be reflexively tasered, than reflexively shot.
poster #5: You've watched too many martial arts films.
"a taser is not 100% effective" - 100% = dead?
"officers face a life or death situation" - of their victims.
The whole interview and Rand study was a complete waste of time. Race is the primary issue involving New Yorkers of color and the NYC police department. And to conduct any kind of study that does not take that into consideration is pointless and a waste of taxpayer dollars. And as far as tasers and the Sean Bell case: they were unarmed, the police made a dumb mistake because they were probably all boozed up. Even if they had an armed tank to take out those three young men, the bottomline is that they had committed no crime and were victims of police over reaction. Lets face it most cops in this city are dishonest. And the few honest ones are afraid to step forward because of peer presssure to stick with the status quo. The only way we are going to end this current police culture is with a complete overhaul beginnng with enforcing the requirement that city cops live within the city limits. Then they need to bring in a outside group to vent every cop and dismiss or retire those where there is the slightest suspicion of racism, dishonesty, criminal activity.
Nonsense! Pointless! An insult! Public outrage commissioned this study. That every victim of one of these "oops-we-shot-an-innocent-person- multiple-times" shootings was black was the essence of this outrage. For the principal investigator of this study to say race was not examined because he failed to recognize the salience of race boggles the mind. It is Kafkaesque! The salience of race within the police department is evidenced by the fact that when it comes time to partner up hardly ever doese this choice result in bi-racial teams. Check it out.
If Banard didn't know the information regarding the Shawn Bell case, SHAME ON HIM....and I am so sick and tired how the police chief and department defends the cops when they are WRONG, racial profiling was definately a part of the Bell tradgedy and the police are pretending this didn't happen (and horrifically not taking responsibility). We need to wake up about this and yes, police obviously need a different training program, police have become DUMB THUGS! Who have no tolerence and bully people...Tasers are an option, but they should also be trained in negotiation and educated about our multi NYC cultures and social knowledge on how to deal with people. Instead of using force, learn to use their brains.
*yawn* to quote the departed: "they signed up to use their weapons". the police force will always be populated by brutes who enjoy pushing civilians around .. or shooting them
Policemen are supposed to serve and protect, not intimidate and destroy. This must be part of their training and indoctrination. As any martial arts expert will tell you the greatest weapon is the mind. The NYPD must do a better job in attracting and educating the kind of men and women this city needs before more senseless violence occurs.
Tazers are not a safer alternative. Recently, in Vancouver, BC a Polish immigrant that was displaying erratic but not violent behavior towards people was tazered to death by the RCMP. Other incidents of tazer related deaths in both the US and Canada have arisen from the concept that a tazer is relatively harmless and can therefore be used with less caution than a handgun. Speaking as a person with a heart condition that is not immediately visible to outsiders, being tazered so casually could result in my death, no matter how well-intentioned the officer may be.
In cases where the perpetrator or suspect is either resisting or behaving erratically, officers should be trained in the art of talking such a person down; this does not always work, and in some cases could be counter-productive, but given the number of persons killed by tazers each year, I think such weapons should be treated with grave respect and used only when other, more peaceful methods are not viable solutions to the problem at hand.
When listened to off the website, this program cuts off after about 75 seconds. Could someone please fix this? I would like to hear the full show.
Thanks
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