Canadians Limit Taser Gun Use

This week Nova Scotia provincial Justice Minister Cecil Clarke decreed that police must only use Taser guns “when they are threatened with violence or the public is put in danger.”

The province is becoming more strict about police use of the Tase gunr, but the minister did not place a moratorium on their use. The judgment call hinges on distinguishing “situations of violent or aggressive resistance or active threat which might cause injury to police, the public, or a suspect.”

The minister cautioned law enforcement officers to exercise restraint before using the non-lethal device. A seven-member advisory panel said guidelines used by municipal police were “unacceptably vague” and that they had reservations about using the weapon on “people who weren’t actively resisting.”

According to Mr. Clarke, Nova Scotia will hire a coordinator who will head up a full policy review on the use of force. The coordinator will establish new standards for use of force and who should use the devices, including how and when. Clarke said he believes his province is at the leading edge in terms of the safe use of non-lethal protection.

Former police officer Robert Percell, said the interim guidelines make it easier for officials to make judgment calls. "This is setting the point at which a Taser gun is to be deployed at the upper range of the active resistance, where there is both the element of aggression or violence."