[Zhang Fei]

I am unsure how close an officer must get to a suspect to use a taser? If it is relatively close... couldn’t that have risked the officer more than shooting this guy? My point is that from the article... it seems like the suspect was very mobile. If one officer, for example, tried to move in closer to taze him.. he would then be in the “line of fire” from the other officers. (thus, risking his own life in attempting to taze).

The range is 35 feet. Pepper spray maxes out at 20 feet, but the effect at maximum range is severely attenuated for the same reason that spray deodorant isn't generally applied from yards away. Tasers are just as effective at maximum range, since the juice has to go through all those wires anyway. If you're close enough to pepper spray someone, you're close enough to taser him.

[E.Allen]

The maximum range is 35 ft, those are the red cartriges. They also come in 15, 21, 25, ft versions. Which do you think are more likely to be bought by the city purchasing dept (price goes up with range)?

[MonicaG]

Good to know; somehow I thought you had to actually touch someone with a taser.