What do you think of police using Tasers?



Staff writer Dennis Yusko reports:








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Categories: General, Viral, Warren County
Mike Goodwin

13 Responses

  1. Mike Lieman says:

    “Of the 94 people fired at between 2004 and 2009, one, possibly two, were carrying a weapon”

    Yeah… That right there is all you need to know.

  2. tom baker says:

    As a closet activist I applaud the efforts of Chris to stand up for what he believes in.

    I don’t like the idea of using stun guns because of the inherent dangers of electrical shock. It could cause a stroke or heart attack, or trigger an epileptic episode.

    I also object to the euphemism “baton”. Let’s call a spade a spade. The officer didn’t “deploy his baton”, he beat the hell out of somebody with his billy club.

  3. AM says:

    I don’t quite understand how this guy knows anything about the use of Tasers? He was never Tasered. Why base an article off of some random guy who thinks he knows something when he obviously does not?

  4. Casey says:

    I have to agree with AM on this one. After reading the article, I have to disagree with Mr. Schmidt’s opinion.

    According to the article, “Schmidt is circulating a petition to suspend their use, or to allow officers to use them only when they are threatened by deadly force.”

    Really, only use them when they are threatened by deadly force? Isn’t that what police officers carry an actual gun for? Maybe we should replace their .40 caliber handguns with sling-shots too.

  5. Marianne says:

    They should only be used as a last resort. They could kill anyone with a health problem for a minor infraction.

    What happened to the training the police officers get at the academy? Aren’t they trained to take a man/women down with out deadly force?

    If they have a weapon such as a gun, that’s a different story. That’s when you would use a taser or deadly force IF necessary.

  6. DB Flynn says:

    I support the tasering of Chris Schmidt.

  7. There are quite a few myths used to justify the employment of tasers in policing. And because many of the people using these myths know, or should know, that they’re not true, that makes them into something must worse than a myth.

    One myth is that tasers are less-than-lethal. In fact, as one wag corrected this claim, they’re less-than-or-equal-to-lethal. This conclusion isn’t the random musings of a exaggerating blogger. The following have concluded that tasers can kill: RCMP, UN, AMA, CMA, Braidwood Inquiry, and many more. Even the Maryland Atty General determined that Taser International has been significantly understating the risks.

    Another fib is that they’re less-lethal than guns, but then they’re used about one-hundred times (roughly) as police ever used their guns. That makes their original justification that they’re “less lethal” into pure fraud. In fact, they’re widely suspected of being MORE lethal than many other options (below bullets).

    Taser International’s marketing approach has been, how can I put this?, aggressive. And that approach has led directly to overuse, misuse, and abuse of tasers.

    As the UN concluded, tasers are a form of torture that can kill.

    And to deny these risks only increases these risks.

  8. JG says:

    Should police be allowed to use tasers to subdue unruly people? Of course! While people have a right to their opinion, those who do not think tasers prevent injury are way off base.

    Without a taser, real physical confrontations can take place, and both police and suspects can get really hurt. While I really don’t care if a criminal gets banged up, I do care if the police officer is. If someone is out of control because they took too much drugs or alcohol and a taser hurts them? Too bad, so sad.

    We pay good money to invest in the safety of our police. Tasers are a great, low-cost insurance policy to protect the investment.

  9. FYI says:

    “I support the tasering of Chris Schmidt.

    Comment by DB Flynn — May 17th, 2010 @ 7:18 pm”

    I’ll second that motion

  10. Dave from Grafton says:

    I support the use of the taser by trained Peace/ Police Officers as a way of controlling people who will not obey the officers command to disburse.

    If someone is blocking the street in protest, running around a baseball field or will not leave privet property when told to do so, they need to be removed quickly.

    People don’t want to be stuck in their cars as a police officer is trying to negotiate with an unresponsive person nor do they want to see some fool running around when 50 K people are trying to watch a baseball game. If a person is engaged in an act of civil disobedience, they should move when told to do so, insist on an appearance ticket, then plead their case. If they resist they are a danger to themselves and others and should be willing to accept the consequences. Accepting the consequences is a foreign concept to some.

    If you don’t want to be tased leave. However if you are told to leave and you don’t, a taser is better then being hit over the head with a baton. It is not your Constitutional or God given right to be disruptive to others nor should you have a right to force a physical confrontation with police officers. If you have a medical condition where mace, a taser, a baton or .40 cal bullet may cause your suffering or death it would be wise not to persist in that activity when told to leave. Don’t complain if you or someone else engaged in the activities described above are injured.

    The police should not have to put their hands on people to physically remove them when they will not leave. The police are not necessarily the biggest people nor are they martial arts experts. They are not there to run around ball parks after faster younger people or physically struggle with any person. There is no amount of training that will convince a person to leave if he wishes to stay. Police can get hurt trying to pick some one up or in a physical confrontation even when they use a night stick. The taser is a stand off weapon where only the offender gets hurt. Tasers as opposed to bullets have a limited range, if the officer misses someone blocks away will not get hurt. Also it seems some have missed or are ignoring the point that the police officers who carry tasers have been shot themselves as part of their training.

    A final thought, the taser is as lethal or more so then being shot? On what planet? Are you willing to test your assumption? The police get tasered but not shot.

  11. Who cares says:

    As with any device tasers can be an effective tool in the right hands. As with any tool the misuse can cause serious physical injury or death. It caan also prevent death if used properly, take for example the Man shot by the deputy in Colonie. If he was equiped with a taser, I dont imagine it would of killed the man but a hollow point 40 caliber bullit will. So the argument that tasers kill is true but also the arguent that tasers can save lives is also true. So the argument can kind of go both ways. Train the right people,and prosicute abuse .

  12. Rob says:

    I am torn about the use of TASERs. To be totally honest I hate them. I think they make tough guys out of coward cops who don’t want to do their jobs and would rather shock somebody than risk a bruise or two the way cops used to (thank you police unions.)

    On the other hand I have also personally seen their effectiveness, at least when use has been threatened and using a .40 caliber pistol would have been devastating, like when children are present and possibly in the way.

    That being said, while the TASER MAY be a useful weapon, it is an often over used and too often ABUSED weapon. There needs to be a set of FEDERAL standards on use of force including the TASER if police are to keep using them.

    These are dangerous, often deadly, weapons, that too many police officers feel free to use when they are simply too lazy to do their jobs. This includes using a TASER on a 13 year old girl who skipped school and ran from a cop. Or a 5 year old who wanted to kill himself in a school office and was holding a piece of glass. (Both kids were TASERed.)

    We need a moratorium on these weapons. I applaud Mr. Schmidt for his efforts.

  13. Matthew Wagner says:

    i am a 12 year old boy. i always dreamed to become a police officer and draft to a swat team officer. i am afraid that when i get tasered it will hurt me or kill me. cvan it kill me. and how long do they usually do it for?