Reporter/investigator Rick Sallinger made a surprise visit to a warehouse, owned by the City of Denver. It has been readied for usage as a holding cell during the Democratic National Convention. Since Denver’s jails are already bursting at the seams, the city had to figure out alternatives to traditional holding cells and then train additional officers. The city planned to keep the facility secret until just before the DNC.

In anticipation of arresting protestors en masse, as in past conventions, the warehouse has been outfitted with dozens of metal cages constructed of chain link fencing with rolls of barbed wire for crown molding. The areas are about fifteen feet square and each has a lockable door. There are also signs stating that stun guns are used in this facility.

According to Captain Frank Gale of the Denver Sheriff’s Department, “This is a secured environment. We’re concerned about how that’s going to be utilized by people who will be potentially disruptive.”

Although he was questioned about plans for the care and feeding of those arrested, Gale would not discuss the facility. He said, “We want to make sure we got our game plan set. We want to make sure the entire procedure is laid out and all the personnel know what they are supposed to do.”

In Westport, New Zealand, Senior Constable Denis Bergman has added his voice to that of other officers who want Tasers. In the magazine Police News he described an incident with about 60 youths during which he was knocked to the ground and stabbed. He credits his stab-proof vest with saving his life even though he was kicked repeatedly while he was down.

Bergman states officers need Tasers and they need them now. His fear is that delays in having Tasers issued could easily lead to the death of one or more police officers.

Bergman states, “I was very lucky but someone else may not be.” He, along with other officers, say Tasers are desperately needed so officers would be able to stop offenders without killing them.

The 50,000-volt Taser provides an intermediate intervention that can stop violent suspects, thus shortening confrontation times. The result is a drastic reduction in exposure time which limits danger.

Bergman stated that a segment of the population appears to be intent upon limiting or removing the ability of law enforcement officers to protect themselves and the public they are sworn to defend.

In the same issue of Police News Sergeant Jim Currie stated he was “dismayed with the bureaucracy of the police as the number of violent incidents increased.”

He added that administrative levels in law enforcement were “sitting and twiddling their thumbs” while maintaining that the ever growing numbers of knife-carrying youths in the United States and England “won’t happen here.”

Officers expressed their concern about tight finances limiting potentially life-saving uniforms and equipment. Body armor is good, as far as it goes, but there is still a lot of unprotected area which could be targeted with knives, guns, and syringes loaded with any manner of nasty substances.

Police believe Tasers would greatly enhance their level of safety.

After finding out about Denver’s secret plans for handling demonstrators which are arrested en masse, investigative reporter Rick Sallinger blew the whistle. He took an “unauthorized” tour of the warehouse-turned-holding-cell facility and videotaped the guts of the secret operation.

Captain Frank Gale of the Denver Sheriff’s Department was civil but nonplussed by the surprise visit and was not inclined to discuss any of the city’s contingency plans regarding their special plans for crowd control.

Following the taping, Sallinger showed the video of his tour to leaders of various groups who have announced plans to stage demonstrations during the Democratic National Convention.

Code Pink leader Zoe Williams was one of many demonstrators who were arrested at the Republican National Convention in New York in 2004. She said, “Very bare bones and very reminiscent of a political prisoner camp or a concentration camp.

Adam Jung heads up the group Tent State University. He expressed serious concern regarding stun guns readied for use on prisoners. “That’s how you treat cattle,” he said. “You showed the sign where it said stun gun in use and you just change the word gun for bolt and it’s a meat processing plant.”

Sallinger’s thirteen-year-old son, Marc, was named Ambassador to the Republican National Convention.

Following a year long trial period during which Tasers, their usage and the results are drawing fire from several quarters.

Beverly Wakem, Chief ombudsman, is among those who believe law enforcement was not forthcoming about the Taser trials.

Marie Dyhrberg, Campaign Against the Taser (CATT) spokeswoman is busy demanding that the police disclose “large amounts” of material which she claims were not included in the reports.

The year-long trial in Auckland and Wellington was followed by the Police Association’s request for Tasers. They “desperately” need Tasers because they could “stop offenders without killing them.”

Meanwhile, Taser opponents claim that the weapons had been implicated in the deaths of several people in the United States. However, Tasers used during the trial and those being considered are not as powerful as the ones used in the United States.

Wakem wrote a letter to the Human Rights Foundation, which is the umbrella organization for CATT. In it she stated that she had received feedback “from the commissioner but not from the police.” Wakem said that after details identifying officers, witnesses, and subjects of Taser usage “it is not necessary to withhold the residual information under any of the withholding grounds raised by police during the course of this investigation.” She objects to the “sanitizing” of the original reports when they were summarized. “I have read the summaries and compared them with the tactical options report accounts.” She said the summaries were extremely brief.

Wakem is also waiting for feedback from Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff.

Maybe he should have thought things through a little better.

On an evening in June, unemployed Charles Orr, age twenty, entered the Surf In Superette in Mt. Maunganui, New Zealand. He looked around the store for a few minutes, then exited the way he had come in.

A few minutes later, Mr. Orr returned carrying a Taser. This time he approached the store owner who was working near the back of the store. While threatening the owner, Orr brandished a Taser. Whether or not intended, Orr triggered the stun capability of the Taser. The owner said he could see and hear the sound of electrical arcing.

Orr then demanded money from the fifty year-old-owner who did not take kindly to the order. Instead, when Orr grabbed him, the dairy owner took exception to the situation and fought back. During the fracas the Taser nailed the owner on the arm resulting in a laceration.

At that point, the owner’s wife rushed in and tried to help her husband. Orr shoved her out of the way then rammed the owner so hard that he ricocheted off the store shelving and landed on the floor.

At that point, Orr headed out of the store only to find he was being chased by both the shopkeeper and his teenage son. Then, two local citizens joined in the chase and cornered him in the rail yards which were nearby. There, the police captured him.

Orr’s ineptitude resulted in minor injuries for both the store owners.

Later, in the Tauranga District Court, he pled guilty to one charge each of assault with intent to rob and assaulting a female.

During the 2004 Republican National Convention, held in New York City, over a thousand people were held at a concrete pier: Pier 57. It was modified to function as a detention center for groups of demonstrators police expected to arrest. The city installed razor-wire fencing all around the perimeter.

Fast forward to present day Denver, Colorado, site of the 2008 DNC. The city has prepared its own facility: a modified warehouse with interiors broken up into 15’ by 15’ areas surrounded and topped by chain link fencing. Signs clearly state that electric stun guns will be in use.

Already, civil rights organizations are fretting over conditions anticipated detainees will experience, including food and restroom facilities, and the ability to contact attorneys.

Following a year long trial period, Commissioner Howard Broad issued a statement backing the Police Association’s request for Tasers. The Association maintained that the trial was a rousing success. As a result, law enforcement agencies have adopted the Taser stun gun.

The Taser trial period started in September 2006 in Auckland, Wellington, and Wairarapa. The trial concluded in August 2007. In December staff members reported the results directly to Mr. Broad who had the power to make the decision on his own. However, officials anticipate a ministerial statement by Police Minister Annette King to be made shortly. The statement would then provide the opportunity for comments on the decision to be made by all parties.

Commissioner Howard Broad expressed his support for the “less lethal” weapon after examining the results of the twelve-month trial period. He looks forward to improved capabilities of law enforcement officers as a result of adding Tasers to their arsenal.

The Police Association has been inundated by civilian and officials who are opposed to issuing Tasers to its officers are “ignoring the realities of modern policing.” Law enforcement’s position is that they add power to the arsenal without adding lethal consequences. The non lethal weapons are expected to improve officers’ ability to subdue violent suspects without inflicting physical injury.

The Herald reports that the United Nations Committee Against Torture has expressed concern about Tasers being used by law enforcement agencies worldwide. The Committee states that the 50,000-volt stun guns are capable of causing “extreme pain, constituted a form of torture, and … in certain cases could also cause death.”

Women around the world are taking more responsibility for their own safety. For many of them taking responsibility means purchasing personal protection in the form of a non lethal weapon. A huge percentage of personal weapons purchased in recent months are in the Mace and pepper spray category.

Each canister carries from ¾ of an ounce to a serious one pound of pepper spray. The 17% solution of OC spray creates an extremely unpleasant situation for the target. His eyes slam shut and produce tears as if he were crying. The pain is excruciating and some people experience temporary blindness.

Some units have a triple action spray like the police model made by Mace. With regular pepper spray you have to hit the target in the eyes,
nose, or mouth. This version also contains CN tear gas. What that means to the user is that the target area is anywhere from the shoulders on up, a real boon in a dangerous situation. Furthermore, this model even has a UV dye which marks the bad guy for at least a week. That makes it easier for the authorities to nab him and take him out of circulation.

So make your choice and make the bad guys a run for a change.

Many men are able to withstand fairly high levels of pain, especially in the heat of an attack. Stun guns that only rely on pain don’t provide the kind of protection needed for any real security. More is needed and more is available – a lot more.

The new technology packs leading edge circuitry into stun guns as small as your cell phone. The kind of shock these jolts provides makes it impossible for the target to control his own skeletal muscles – the ones used for standing, walking and grabbing someone.

The voltage requires the body’s muscles to work very, very quickly – so much so that the body’s blood sugar gets changed into lactic acid and uses up energy that would ordinarily be devoted to voluntary muscle activities. Imagine how tired you would be if you were pushed to doing 150 jumping jacks in sixty seconds. Your legs would be rubbery and you couldn’t grab and hold onto much during the recovery time your body would need.

The other bonus in high voltage stun guns is that while the attacker is responding to the kind of power being pumped through him, the neuromuscular system can’t stand up. Typically, he will fall over in something like a fetal position and be completely incapacitated long enough for you to escape. Do so.

Last week a small town in Texas passed a city ordinance allowing teachers to carry guns in school. Of course, many Texans grew up with good steel: knives, guns and cars. After all, the precision required for crafting a firearm is as close as producing a beautiful piece of fine jewelry. Applying the same logic to a school campus is a bit different.

Many have advocated hazardous duty pay for teachers in high crime areas and in divisions of special education dealing with the most dangerous (or potentially dangerous) students in the entire school district (emotionally handicapped and severely emotionally handicapped).

All too often the parents and other relatives of emotionally unstable students are in no better shape, themselves. Many teachers have been threatened or found that their personal vehicles have been damaged or sabotaged on or near school property.

Beyond that, teachers are routinely assaulted, not to mention insulted, by students and parents. In such dangerous situations, slightly built faculty or staff members may well need additional power to provide safety for themselves and other students.

However, doesn’t it make more sense to arm teachers with non lethal weapons like stun guns which wouldn’t be lethal if stolen and used against other students or staff? The addition of power could make a life or death difference. Non lethal power keeps it safer for everyone involved.