NYPD Orders Cops Not to Aim Tasers At Chest

Don't Tase my chest, bro! (Kough/AP)

Hey, whaddaya know—shooting 5,000 volts of electricity at somebody's chest could adversely affect the heart! Manufacturer Taser International Inc. has issued a warning about Taser chest-shots, suggesting that law enforcement officers aim their Tasers at perpetrators' backs, arms, or abdomens. In response to the warning, the NYPD brass has formally ordered officers not to shoot Tasers at suspects' chests.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne tells the Daily News, "Until the NYPD can more fully evaluate the implications of the manufacturer's newly advanced recommendation, we are temporarily adopting Taser International's suggestion." Last year an NYPD officer fired his Taser at an emotionally disturbed man waving a long florescent light bulb atop a first story awning; the man fell to his death and the officer who gave the order to Tase subsequently committed suicide.

A source also tells the News that Taser International did not actually notify the NYPD about the warning. The company has been vigorously defending their product despite repeated deaths and controversy, and some communities have banned officers from using them entirely. Earlier this month, a Florida teenager died after being Tased and falling off bicycle, and at Coachella in April, a naked wizard was Tased multiple times.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on October 18, 2009 5:10 PM

Comments [rss]

grizzzly

Go for something less dangerous, like the eyes

TheCowman

This also just in, bullets that hit you in the chest might kill you.

Wza

Well this is dumb.

Cops shoot with bullets, not tasers.

Durr.

tnturner

TnTurner orders Cops to aim tasers at each other.

Mr Mel

I think you meant Simon Says.

Snoopy

"officers aim their Tasers at perpetrators' backs, arms, or abdomens." Pitty the poor perp where the officer aims a bit low in the last mentioned area.

hoodlum

You can't trust the system. They always tase my butthole.

NannyState

You're both wrong. Standard police procedure is to always aim for the taint.

Rocknrope

Now that's some tight grouping.

Mr Mel

You're close. I heard they went for the genitalia.

Excited-Delirium.com

Hello from Canada. These new Taser Targeting Guidelines advising officer to avoid the chest were reportedly issued at the end of September. In Canada and Australia, it's been all over the news since early-October. You're about the very first US-based media to report it.

There are many angles to the overall taser issue. But the primary issue is the connection from being tasered to occasionally being dead. Taser International, for obvious reasons, denies that there is any connection between being tasered and being dead. There are behind the promotion of "excited delirium" as a handy-dandy excuse for death. Seriously, their lawyer (Micheal Brave) has registered many websites with "excited delirium" in the URL. And there are some pretty sleezy connections.

Bernie Kerik was on the Taser International board of directors for a couple of years. I'm sure his unique approach to ethics left their mark.

Did you know that the X26 taser emits 160mA RMS? They've expunged the info and highlight only the misleading "average" value.

Did you know that the new X3 emits about 40% less charge then the X26?

Did you know that the older (1999) M26 was touted as safe BECAUSE it had a waveform with high frequency and low duty cycle. The newer (2003) X26 has a waveform with the opposite characteristics. Guess when the monthly "taser-associated" death rate shows a step function increase?

Did you know that government of British Columbia just spent about $4M on the Braidwood Inquiry that concluded that taser can cause death, through a variety of mechanisms, even in healthy adults. The US AMA already noted that taser can cause death, directly of indirectly.

Lots more on the blog at Excited-Delirium.com (do not forget the dash!).