The recent slew of reports and controversy regarding Tasers has made me a bit reflective.

I have to confess that I do not come to this unbiased.  My father was a cop.

During the time he served I do not recall any hint he ever discharged his gun at a person, but I do recall a time he was restraining someone and when the guy broke loose, my dad’s ribs took part of the heat. 

So with that in mind, I admit my automatic impulse is to defend the police, but that does not mean I cannot see deeper into it and try to evaluate the situation objectively.

The argument about Tasers, when you nail it down, is essentially twofold:  Should they used and when should they be used.

The first is one I am not totally qualified to answer.  Anecdotally, the evidence supports the use of a Taser as a safe and effective non-lethal means of controlling an unruly subject.  There are other weapons in that category, such as nightsticks, batons or tonfas; pepper spray, Mace or CS gas; rubber or plastic bullets; bean bags;  and water cannons.

One thing they all share in common is that all are designed to be nonlethal, and all can have lethal consequences, as can simple hand to hand combat to quell a combative suspect.

In other words, whenever the police determine they need to detain someone, there is always a risk of injury and or death.  They are trained to minimize the danger, but sadly the worst case scenario happens.

But the main point I want to consider here is that even using nothing can result in an accidental death.  A recent case in Phoenix is testament to that.  A distraught woman was apprehended, and died in the holding cell.  no Tasers, no beatings, no nothing.  She apparently strangled herself on her shackles.  The jury is out on that one still.