Prison guards in Canada’s medium security in addition to their maximum security prisons will soon be provided with pepper spray on the job.
The guards who have direct contact with inmates will be equipped with the self defense spray; however at the end of each work day the guards will be required to return the canisters so that they become accessible to the next guard on shift.
Correctional Service Canada has made the choice of presenting its prison guards with the spray canisters which contain oleoresin capsicum, a substance that comes from the hot cayenne pepper, after requests were made from the guards.
The guards asked to be better equipped in a bid to effectively manage inmates properly, as well as contributing to public safety. Only in situations where an inmate can’t be restrained physically will pepper spray then be called into help.
As early as a few weeks ago Correctional Service Canada started to present its guards with the spraying device; however medium and maximum security prisons in Canada are expected to receive the containers within two months.
The guards who will be working with the spray canister won’t receive any formal training in regards to how to utilize it correctly, as knowing how to employ it is already part of the standard training that all prison guards receive.
An estimated cost for the new measures was not available, but the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers was extremely happy about the news; after all prison guards who have been provided with pepper spray consider it a great victory.
A lot of times we often forget that it’s not just police officers who require the assistance of a device that will protect them and others involved. Once a police officer has arrested a suspect that suspect is then transported somewhere else to be placed under the supervision of prison guards.
And just because the suspects are within the confines of a building under the watchful eye of guards, that’s not to say they won’t still attempt to cause trouble. As a result of this, prison guards need to be protected and ready to stop a disturbance that could quickly and easily break out of control. And the only way for them to achieve this is through the assistance of pepper spray.
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A machete-wielding man found himself subdued by a TASER device after police in Lower Hutt were called to a scene that saw the man advancing towards them with the weapon.
Police had initially been called to a suburb, where they found the 33-year-old man. According to officers at the scene he advanced towards them while swinging the machete over his head.
The 33-year-old man, who was known to mental health services, in addition to police, found himself confronted with a TASER weapon, before being arrested and charged with possession of an offensive weapon and assault with that same weapon.
A sergeant involved in the case remarked how officers were able to benefit by having a self defense device at their disposal during this particular circumstance. Of course if the device hadn’t been available to officers, they may have been forced to utilize a traditional firearm on the suspect which could have resulted in a death.
Before the stunning device can be removed from a patrol car and utilized by an officer, a threat needs to first be identified. Not only that, but only officers who have received the correct training can employ them when they are needed in hostile situations.
According to a newspaper, on average six police officers have been attacked every day of this year; while statistics have found that between January and June there were 1136 assaults on police officers.
Working as an officer is never an easy job, and the society that we are presented with in this day and age has shown that more criminals are becoming braver in their attempts to get what they want through whatever possible means.
As a result of this, an officer now needs to be protected while on duty. A traditional firearm was once considered the best option; however it didn’t always come with the guarantee that those targeted would be safe from harm.
Now though officers have been presented with a TASER device which aids them in dangerous situations by hindering a suspect, and allowing that officer to arrest an individual without causing them too much pain.
And because of the employment of this device, officers were successfully able to subdue the machete-wielding man even though he approached officers with a dangerous weapon.
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On Tuesday a Canadian judge discarded TASER International’s bid to invalidate findings regarding a government inquiry that stated stun gun devices had the potential to be lethal which urged law enforcement to limited their use.
The British Columbia Supreme Court dismissed arguments from the self defense manufacturing company relating to safety concerns expressed by the inquiry stating that they were unreasonable in addition to being treated unfairly in the inquiry.
The stun gun weapons have been created to hinder a person with a stunning jolt that reaches up to 50,000 volts of electricity. However, while the person targeted may not appreciate the experience of such a jolt they are promoted as a nonlethal device compared to traditional firearms.
Critics of the device however are saying that the shock involved could have the potential to produce heart failure in a human, while medical issues regarding the use of these tools have not been studied efficiently.
The British Columbia local government initially launched an inquiry after the death of a Polish immigrant who was targeted with the stunning device at Vancouver airport. When the inquiry was known TASER International argued that the inquiry had not taken into consideration safety studies provided by an Arizona headquartered company, which stated that the self defense devices created by TASER International had never caused any deaths.
A lawyer for the self defense company said that a decision would be made on whether or not to appeal the ruling of the court after it had been studied.
The judge presiding over the inquiry explained that TASER International was permitted to take part in the inquiry’s hearing, and that the inquiry commissioner had never accused the company of any misconduct.
With regards to the manufacturing company losing sales, the commissioner of the inquiry recommended that law enforcement continue to utilize their stun guns, while the ongoing independent medical studies were done.
He also recommended that police limit their use of the devices and only operate them in serious instances, for example when a target poses a clear threat to the general public, or in serious crimes. Not only that, but officers should avoid aiming the device near an individual’s heart.
Since the inquiry TASER International has adopted some of the recommendations the commissioner stated, and has made this clear in a product note to customers.
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Police officers chased a bank robber suspect through a shopping mall Tuesday morning which saw an officer subdue him with a TASER device after the suspect attempted to make an escape by running down an up escalator.
According to reports from police at the scene, the suspect robbed a KeyBank location in the morning. He initially waited in line, but when he approached a teller he handed over a note demanding money, in addition to threatening to utilize a weapon.
Once the man had the money he then used a cab to get him to a bus station where he bought a ticket. It was only because of a tip off from the same cab driver that was given to police that alerted law enforcement to the whereabouts of the bank robber suspect.
Police believe that the man had gone to the shopping mall because they believed he wanted to buy a change of clothes before leaving the area by bus to get to either Chicago or Buffalo.
When police arrived at the scene they spotted the suspect before he fled on foot. Even though one officer injured his ankle during the chase, he was still able to catch and subsequently arrest the suspect an hour after the robbery took place.
Of course a number of factors helped to bring this bank robber into police custody: the tip off from the cab driver; and the help from the officer’s TASER weapon. Apart from the officer who injured his ankle during the chase no one was seriously injured. Furthermore, an hour after the robbery took place, officers were able to successfully find the man they were after and arrest him before he got away.
Not only that, but the employment of a self defense device in this situation allowed the officers at the scene to avoid using brute force on their suspect. It also allowed them to bring the situation under control in a timely manner without harming anyone involved.
And it was all thanks to the help from a TASER device that made this happen. Without it, the officers may have found themselves in a different situation, especially as the bank robber may have had a concealed weapon on his body.
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In the Welsh countryside of Avon and Somerset police officers have seen the utilization of their stun gun devices quadruple in three years.
In 2009, officers fired the self defense devices on 153 occasions, whereas that figure is set to rise for 2010, while putting the figures into comparison with 117 deployments in 2008 and a mere 37 in 2007.
The police force however has said that the operation of the stunning devices has proven to be extremely effective when officers find themselves threatened, in addition to the tools helping to act as a deterrent without actually firing them.
The increase in stun gun deployment is a result of the rank and file officers in addition to firearms officers, who have received training to operate the devices as part of a government pilot project.
As a result the stunning devices are seeing a more frequent use as they follow the extension of the pilot scheme; but only saw a small number of police forces in England and Wales affected.
This means that officers who are assigned to operational departments within the police force, which also includes officers based at airports and road policing, they have received training and been given the authority to employ a stun gun when it is needed. Furthermore this shows that the number of officers who have the authority to employ the tools is much greater compared to other forces.
In 2009, firearms officers employed their stun guns 35 times in Bristol, four times in Gloucestershire, and three times in Bath, which are all situated in England. In the same years in Wales, the devices were deployed nine times in North Somerset, three times in North East Somerset and 22 times in the remaining force area.
Additionally in 2009, it was found that on 80 occasions the self defense devices were employed by officers who are not firearms experts, which included 12 times by officers of the road policing unit.
An incident in 2009 saw a man who was armed with a knife and axe stunned by a stun gun after he walked towards police, while in June of the same year a man who was brandishing a knife surrendered after police threatened to subdue him with a stunning device if he didn’t comply with their orders.
In many cases all it takes is for a suspect to see the device which can act as a deterrent to them, which often makes it possible for a situation to be resolved without any conflict.
In Avon and Somerset a total of 300 officers have been trained to utilize the stun guns; however that number rose by 150 last year after the police departments established how handy the tools has become for non-firearm officers when it comes to defusing situations that have the potential to turn violent.
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Last month security guards in a Louisiana hospital utilized a stun gun on an epileptic, suicidal nephew of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, triggering a seizure, in addition to a public outcry over the employment of the self defense devices in medical facilities.
While in Philadelphia sports fans are receiving a bad name, and city police are taking criticism, after a cop recently operated his stunning device on a teenager after he decided to leap onto the field during a Phillies game that took place in May.
As the utilization of stun guns becomes a hot debate, police officers from across the globe gathered in Philadelphia earlier this week that saw a two-day conference review the guidelines on how to correctly use the stunning devices.
The meeting, which was hosted by the Police Executive Research Forum, is a nonprofit, independent police think-tank based in Washington. The main questions that were asked at the meeting looked at ways in which an officer could effectively handle an individual in order to gain control of them, in addition to tackling a situation in the most peaceful manner in order reduce the possibility of injuries caused to that person and the police officers.
The group which already has 55 guidelines in existence from its development five years ago at the U.S. Department of Justice’s doing, will be undertaking a review of those guidelines and plans to have it completed by September.
Amnesty International has called for a suspension on stun guns, claiming that police employ them as devices of force instead of utilizing them as a non-lethal alternative to firearms. However, according to a study that was undertaken in September 2009, the Police Executive Research Forum has found that police departments who operate the stunning devices have lesser injuries to individuals in addition to officers compared to those who don’t.
Initially, before an officer is presented with a stun gun in Philadelphia they must first undertake complete crisis-intervention training, a five-day session on mental-health awareness, in addition to other issues. Only then can they carry one of these tools around with them while on the job.
While many officers have expressed their views over the stunning equipment they use as being great, it’s important that they apply the training they have received in the correct manner in order to avoid receiving outcries from the public about the abuse and misuse of these tools.
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According to statistics released by the Independent Police Review Authority, Chicago Police have almost quadrupled the utilization of TASER devices since the department implemented each police vehicle with the stunning tools earlier in the year.
The agency, which looks into complaints of police abuse, keeps track of each device in use. In the second quarter of 2010, it was found that the self defense tools had been fired 285 times by Chicago police, pushing that number up from 74 in the first quarter of 2010 and 39 in the fourth quarter of 2009.
It was also found that only a small number of those TASER weapon discharges were the result of alleged police abuse.
As a result of the increase in the employment of the tools they are helping to prevent a lot of injuries, in addition to protecting the officers while on duty.
In March of 2010, the police department declared that 380 additional TASER devices would be implemented and would further add to the 280 that are already in operation by field training officers and sergeants. Roughly 3,000 officers have also been provided with the mandatory eight-hour training session which ultimately presents the officers with the necessary protection required while working the streets.
Even though police officers consider these self defense tools to be a non-lethal option compared to traditional firearms, they have unfortunately created controversy. With many reports in the media about the use of the devices many people believe that they have been the cause of death for many individuals who were targeted with the stunning device.
Officers in Chicago are undergoing training to apply the stunning devices, which provide an electric shock, in short bursts of five seconds. This is intended to reduce the possibility of affecting a person’s heart. Furthermore officers have also been instructed that if it is possible, they should aim at a person’s back. However if they are not able to do this and they have to aim at the front, then they should do so below the chest.
Of course when it comes to utilizing a traditional firearm and a TASER weapon in most cases an officer is going to pick the non-lethal device, which is why many police departments across the United States will sooner or later be incorporating more of these tools into their departments in a bid to present their officers with an effective device to employ on duty when they are required to subdue a suspect without brute force needed.
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The recent use of a TASER device on the nephew of a Supreme Court Justice is seeing questions being asked with regards to the appropriateness of the tools inside a hospital.
In this day and age the self defense tools are familiarly employed by law enforcement officials to subdue individuals who resist arrest without having to resort to traditional firearms. And yet, these same devices are now seeing an increase in use in mental health care in addition to hospital settings across the United States.
The nephew of a Supreme Court Justice found himself the target of a TASER weapon when the 25-year-old man tried to leave a hospital in Louisiana against doctor’s orders. The day of the incident the 25-year-old was admitted to the hospital after a claimed suicide attempt. When he was told to put on a gown he refused, and when he tried to leave security guards attempted to subdue him.
According to the man’s sister one of the guards punched him, pulled out some of his hair before applying his TASER device to him. The 25-year-old man, who is epileptic, suffered a seizure as a result.
According to statistics there are 151 hospitals across the United States that allow their security personnel to employ the self defense devices. However there are many experts who differ when it relates to the use of these tools in a hospital setting.
A Dr. Jeffrey Ho who wrote a paper in 2009 came to the conclusion that TASER weapons can be employed on a patient to control them when they become violent, thus defusing a dangerous situation and preventing any unnecessary injury.
On the other hand, a Robert Philibert, who is a psychiatry, genetics and neurosciences professor, said that the use of these tools in a health care setting is extremely troubling. However he did go on to say that they should only be employed in severe situations where there is an extreme threat of death or severe injury.
TASER International however is standing behind the safety of their weapons. Even though there have been a number of reports regarding the devices and their association with deaths, the manufacturer maintains that the stun released by the tools is not life threatening.
Of course when it comes to hospitals and the use of TASER devices being employed in their setting, each person will differ with regards to the issue. While the tools have been implemented for safety reasons, those that are using them should only do so in extreme situations.
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Police officers who were charged with accusations relating to TASER devices have recently been cleared thanks to the inbuilt recording machines on the self defense tools.
Three videos from the devices were seen that exonerated the officers involved of mistreating suspects during the arresting process when the subduing tools were employed.
The videos showed that one individual who was targeted by the stunning device was not actually taken down by it as the tool had not been fired which the device showed when it automatically filmed the scene.
Once the red dots were focused on the man he was seen surrendering, which ultimately meant that the use of the device was not necessary.
The evidence provided from the video recorders had become an unexpected benefit since they were first introduced on the tools. There are many people who think that now police officers have been given a new device to play with they will further abuse their power against crime.
As a result of this the implementation of the video recordings on the TASER devices now makes it easier for those involved to maintain a balance and to limit any abuse of power.
Furthermore, it also provides peace of mind for the officers involved as they can now rely on the video recordings as vital evidence to prove their innocence when they find themselves questioned.
Even though TASER weapons have been designed to protect and defend innocent lives, there are many people who will quickly point a finger at something to blame when they feel it is easy to do so; and in most cases the finger pointing generally ends up with these tools.
It’s never an easy job for an officer and with the introduction of the self defense devices they have to carry on duty they are never sure of the implications that could arise from their actions. But with the introduction of the inbuilt recording machines it will make it simpler to maintain their innocence when they do have to utilize the devices for the safety of those involved.
It will also mean that they can do their jobs effectively without having to worry about any finger pointing.
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A woman who had fenced herself in her Riverside Home in Ottawa, Canada was subdued by pepper spray after police utilized the self defense spray to end a stand-off.
Police were called to the area after they had received a 911 call from a resident explaining that the woman was threatening neighbors with a stick. When paramedics and police arrived at the scene they found a woman who was clearly agitated, in addition to displaying signs of mental illness.
When the woman noticed the police she said that they were there to shoot her, which subsequently led to her barricading herself in her home. Looking through the window police saw her holding a large kitchen knife while she warned them about her storage of gasoline that she would employ if they tried to enter her home.
Negotiators at the scene were unable to persuade the woman to leave her home in a peaceful manner. As a result oleoresin capsicum, also known as pepper spray was employed which saw the woman effectively surrender, where she was taken to hospital for treatment.
Luckily no harm came to the woman or her neighbors, and with the help from paramedics at the scene they were able to assess the woman in an effective manner. Not only that, but as the police weren’t sure how efficient another self defense tool would have been, they found that by spraying the canister into the woman’s home it would prove more effective in a short amount of time.
In cases such as these where an individual is displaying signs of mental illness, it is important that police and paramedics perform correctly in order to achieve a good outcome for all those involved. All it takes is a little consideration and the matter at hand can easily be resolved.
However, if no consideration has been taken then matters can become difficult and could potentially end differently. This is where police training with self defense devices such as pepper spray come into play. With the proper training police are able to look at each situation in a new light in order to see how they can effectively tackle the issue at hand, thus bringing a situation to an end in a peaceful way, which is ultimately what they were able to achieve in this case.
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