Taser Use Inquiry – A Mother’s Grief

Robert Dziekanski’s mother testified at the inquiry today and called for a “moratorium” on Taser use. She says, “I know my son would not (have) died if he was not Tasered.” She also said that she wants “justice and accountability.”

I can understand that she must be going through unimaginable pain, having lost her son in a tragic accident which she perceives as preventable. The inquiry has yet to investigate what exactly happened during the situation and if the officers are at fault. But even if an officer was out of line when he Tasered her son, that is just not enough of a reason to suspend police use of Tasers, given that their success rate is much higher than the rate of occurrence of serious injury or fatality associated with their use.

I don’t mean to sound unfeeling, and as a parent I can certainly appreciate this woman’s line of thinking. She said, “no mother should have to experience what I have.” True, but the fact is that mothers and fathers alike frequently experience what she has–only these parents are those of law enforcement agents who die in the line of duty because a suspect became violent and out of control. Not that Tasers prevent that from happening completely, but the incapacitating effects of the stun provide valuable seconds for subduing uncooperative persons.

Even outside the law enforcement sector, Tasers provide private citizens with new levels of protection. This mother would likely not be calling for a moratorium on Tasers if her son had been in a situation where he was confronted by a violent attacker, and in the confusion of deciding what to do he opted to use a Taser and the attacker ended up dying for unexplained reasons. She would be grateful that the situation did not get worse.

And furthermore, what if her son had been trying to commit suicide, and the officer ended up using a Taser to save his life? I could list many more hypothetical situations, but the point is the same: the grief and anguish of one mother, while heartbreaking, is simply not a reason to eradicate all the good that Tasers can do in the hands of law-abiding and competent police officers and citizens. I believe all life has value, and I don’t mean to dismiss the importance of this man’s life or any others who have died following a Taser incident, but until there is solid proof that Tasers pose an immediate danger to everyone they are used on, I see no logic in suspending their use in our law enforcement agencies.