The man involved was not only bigger than the officer, but he was also unstable and apparently unable to follow instructions issued by the officer. Instead of following directions and calming down, the man started whacking the officer with a poker, causing pain and injury. Even though police training instructs officers to aim for the largest mass to stop an attack, the officer aimed for – and hit – the assailant’s legs. Both participants in the fracas were treated for injuries at a local hospital.

Even though the officer acted appropriately, both he and the assailant both suffered emotional injuries in additional to the physical ones.
Emotional anguish for both parties was directly related to the use of deadly force – which could have ended in the loss of life.

Some of Grote’s objections lessened when he found that incidents of injury or death following the use of TASERs were “due to misuse of the tool and lack of policies restricting its use,” he said.

Grote went on to say, “It’s about using the least amount of force to facilitate an arrest and keeping the officers and assailants as safe as possible.”

Over the summer, the Yellow Springs “use of force continuum” was revised to include TASERs and the non lethal weapons were issued to officers beginning in August.

What that means in layman’s terms is that a regular bell pepper is rated at zero. .At the other end of the scale is a little baby called the Red Savina pepper. At 580,000 SHUs it is one of the hottest chile peppers around. There is only one pepper that is hotter: the Naga Jolokia. Its rating is 580,000.

Pepper spray weighs in at between two million and five million SHUs!

Whew!

About one hundred years ago a little, single action pistol was designed by a guy named Henry Deringer. He made quite a name for himself by making a “pocket pistol” which quickly became a favorite of women who could pack some protection discretely. The term now applies to a wide range of small firearms and is usually the smallest usable handgun of any given caliber.

These “stocking guns” made it possible for both men and women to conceal personal protection that could – and often did – do major damage when the situation called for it. From the .45 which provided only one or two shots, down to the .22 which offered seven or eight shots (which were far less effective), these babies provided – and still do – lethal protection.

Nevertheless, police forces across the United Kingdom are slowly adding stun guns to the utility belts of law enforcement officers and it seems to be working well for everyone concerned. As track records are amassed, evidence is showing that they are a dandy adjunct that provides a level of intervention short of deadly force. When used properly and according to strict guidelines, stun guns are bringing violent confrontations to a screeching halt before they escalate to the need for lethal force.

One day, while he was at work and his wife was home with their two young children, an escaped convict arrived on their property and began trying the doors in an attempt to enter the house. Fortunately, the wife habitually locked doors (more to keep the two-year old inside than to keep bad guys out). When the escapee shattered one of the door’s windows to gain entry, she heard the noise.

The young mother grabbed the stun gun from its hidey hole, as she herded the little ones into a bedroom. She dialed 911, reported a home invasion and left the phone off the hook. She settled the kids with some toys on the floor on the far side of the bed. Then, she hid behind the door and waited.

Eventually, the bad guy opened the door. That’s when she reached around and nailed his bare wrist with the stun gun. He screamed and went down. She calmly told him to stay down or she would stun him again.

The woman reported that he used some unpardonable language in front of her children, so she stunned him a second time. After explaining that he shouldn’t say those words in her house he repeated the offense. She stunned him a third time. He did not give her any more trouble.

The net result was that the authorities arrived, took him into custody, and ignored the bad guy’s protests about having received ill treatment at her hands.

You go girl!

“Tasers provide police with a less-than-lethal option and less than 24 hours after their rollout to general duties officers, they’ve played a major role in protecting the public from serious harm,” Deputy Commissioner Dave Owens stated.

A twenty-six year old resident of Blue Haven, who was heavily under the influence of alcohol, had worked himself up into a lather and armed himself. According to a statement issued by authorities, “The police officers saw the man pick up the knife and threaten self harm.”

The report stated that a mobile supervising officer drew his weapon and ordered the man to drop the knife. Fortunately, the Central Coast man followed directions and sustained no injuries. Afterward, he was taken to Wyong Hospital for psychiatric assessment.

“The man dropped the knife and the situation was defused quickly without the Taser being activated,” said police.

The Taser X-26 is fitted with a camera attached to the weapon. Standard operating procedure requires the video function to be activated in order to capture the entire incident for future review. After downloading and reviewing the footage from the incident, police said the weapon was “used appropriately.”

“This is all about saving lives and in this situation the Taser has acted as a very effective deterrent.”

In the case of TASER guns the shaped pulse uses its voltage first to penetrate clothing barriers, then to disrupt the brain’s ability to control skeletal muscles. Even if one of the TASERs isn’t your choice, take a moment to consider the advantages of higher voltage. Although that higher voltage does not pose a threat to life, in general, the higher the charge, the quicker the penetration and the faster the takedown capability.

Safety features are critical in that they provide extra protection for the user.

• Look for an easy to use safety or OFF/ON switch that is distinctive enough to avoid confusion, even when you are under the stress of a threat.

• Look for a way to carry the weapon that is difficult to detect. The element of surprise can give you a distinct advantage. That could be related to a small size (no big lumps under clothing, easy to carry in brief case or purse) and a good disguise, like a commonly used object (flashlight or cell phone).

• Look for a way to carry the weapon that is easy for you to reach, to retrieve and to maneuver into a usable position. If you are busy fumbling with an awkwardly placed unit you are losing time when seconds can make the difference between life or death.

Weigh the choices. Check out the price points. Then go for it.

One evening when entering her condo complex, the woman saw a man at the far end of the corridor. He was walking in her direction. Ordinarily that would not have been a concern, but on this occasion he was not a resident of the community and he was wearing dark clothing and had the hood up on his jacket – and dark glasses. She was instantly alarmed since 1) it was dark and 2) it was a warm evening.

She looked around and saw that she was too far from the entry to be able to get there before he could reach her. Also, to run for her own condo would have meant she had to run directly at him. That would not give her time to unlock and open the door then get inside before he could grab her.

She made sure she had a good grip on her keys with one hand and the stun gun with the other. She told him to stop and that she had a stun gun which she was fully prepared to use. He kept advancing. She told him a second time. He kept advancing. Then, she fired the test probes.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

She told him to take off his dark glasses and lower the hood then back up to the end of the corridor. When he didn’t immediately comply she fired the test probes again.

He followed her directions – all of them.

She went into her condo, locked the door, and then called the police.

Game over.

Whereas pepper spray has been the non lethal weapon of choice for the last twenty years, the noxious spray is being replaced by stun guns. Parents who are concerned for the safety of their children are now equipping them with stun guns.

The new generation of stun guns is characterized by smaller sizes and heftier voltage. There is a serious weapon available at virtually every price point. Happily, most of the better quality stun guns are disguised as cell phones, penlights or are so small as to be unnoticed. Powered by two or three Lithium batteries, they are capable of delivering enough of a shock to take down a grown man.

Stun guns work by shocking the subject to such a degree that it causes debilitating pain, but without inflicting any significant damage. Some of the newer, more sophisticated models deliver a “shaped pulse” on demand. It works by first penetrating any clothing and then interferes with the brain’s ability to control the skeletal muscles. The result is predictable: the target just falls down, usually howling in pain, providing an opening for evasive moves or for officials to take him/her into custody.

Because the units are petite, most of them can be carried in a small holster on the belt, making it easy to grab-and-go or to holster and keep close at hand.

Good move.

For those private citizens and watchdog agencies who oppose providing stun guns to law enforcement and other security professionals, it’s time to take a look at some alternatives. While there is no easy or effective way to prevent misuse of equipment – any kind of equipment – take a moment to look at the alternatives.

Firearms are classified as deadly force for several really good reasons; mainly because death often ensues following their use.

The use of billy clubs, batons, “brass knuckles.” and other old-school weapons virtually always result in broken bones, bruises or internal damage. In short: a bloody mess. A simple baseball bat or chain can do some very serious damage to the human body when applied with just about any degree of force.

Stun guns, on the other hand, cause temporary discomfort – severe discomfort – which prods some folks to comply with police directives. With the more advanced versions, like TASERs, leading edge technology makes it possible to interfere with the ability to control skeletal muscles. That means the target falls down and requires a bit of recovery time, which provides a window of opportunity for escape or to take him/her into custody – without damaging the body.

All in all, stun guns do far less damage than knives or clubs in terms of intermediate force than most other options.