Posted on 05/10/2005 1:51:41 AM PDT by Stoat
Wednesday, 1 August, 2001, 13:37 GMT 14:37 UK How the stun gun works
BBC News Online examines the technology behind the electric stun guns which police in London are considering as a non-lethal way of dealing with violent suspects. The air taser gun looks like a pistol but uses compressed air to fire two darts that trail electric cable back to the handset. When the darts strike, a five-second 50,000-volt charge is released down the cable, causing the suspect's muscles to contract uncontrollably.
A laser helps target the suspect and the taser works at ranges up to 21ft. Positive feedback Electrical signals - taser waves or T-Waves -overpower the body's normal electrical signals, temporarily confusing the nervous system. Mike McBride, editor of Jane's Police and Security Equipment, told BBC News Online that feedback from police forces in the US, where the taser guns are used, had been positive. "They are extremely useful in dealing with certain situations where a firearm would be inappropriate, say where a suspect is armed with a broken bottle," he said. Mr McBride, whose publication provides a guide to the latest police and security equipment available, has shadowed US police carrying the weapons. "Officers do favour them as a useful tool to do the job of protecting the public," he said. He has also seen the weapon on trial in Germany. Advanced taser guns have the advantage of being able to get through thick clothing, he continued. Most people will automatically curl up to protect themselves against the taser gun, allowing officers to move in safely. Technologically advanced The guns are so technologically advanced that it will be possible to determine how and when the weapon was used.
Mr McBride said every time the taser is fired it also releases up to 40 confetti-like ID tags which would identify which officer had used the weapon. And he said the weapons have a microchip which allows data to be downloaded onto a computer. "You can verify when it was used and how long it was used for. "This improves the accountability of police," he said. The taser, which runs off eight batteries, automatically checks that the equipment is fully charged. No deaths attributed Research seems to suggest that the health risks are small. The advanced taser has been used by police in the US without causing death. But according to the Guardian newspaper, a pregnant woman in the US miscarried after being hit by a taser. This prompted health experts to warn that they may "encounter complications from the taser more often" as its use becomes more widespread. The Los Angeles sheriff's department cut short a six-month trial after four months and issued the gun to officers in June. Research by the University of Southern California Medical Centre suggests the taser shot produces no long-term damage. It found there was no lasting damage to nerve or heart tissue. Should the Metropolitan Police decide to introduce the weapons, each taser gun is likely to cost £200 and officers may only require a day's training to use them.
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First rule is:...argue with a policeman...expect adverse consequences....
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Tasering an eight month pregnant woman is way over the line!
that a simple traffic stop could result in her arrest.
LOL
I don't get the "signing the ticket" bit. Here they write a ticket, which the officer signs. You take it and pay fine/appear in court etc.
However, she really made trouble for herself by being obstinate. If she read the ticket before signing I'm sure she see why they asked for signature, i.e. "by signing this...etc".
Sometimes cops use poor judgement in dealing with people. Instead of trying to find a reasonable solution, they stick to whatever "protocol" with no concern for extenuating/special circumstances.
True. Arguing with a cop is an excercise in futility, and furthermore might get one into real trouble. The most prudent course of action would be to keep mum and take one's complaints to court. Trying to wag one's tongue at a police officer is walking on a mine-field, and it really doesn't accomplish anything (I've seen people go ballistic over a PARKING TICKET and get themselves written up all the worse).
However with that said 'tasering' a pregnant woman is absolutely dumb. Not only does it endanger the fetus (what is the PC word for an unborn baby these days ....I can't keep up with the Lib dictionary), but it also exposes the police officer/police department/city to legal ramifications. IT was quite the imprudent action, and you can rest assured that the lady in question will take some legal action (and that the city will settle instead of letting it go to court).
They in essence paid the woman.
Anyways, arguing with a police officer is never a prudent thing to do. Neither is it for a police officer to 'taser' an openly pregnant woman. I'd say both individuals in this case were asking for it ....the woman for mouthing off a cop, and the cop for giving the woman a blank check on the city's dime.
Both individuals were dumb. Really really dumb.
Thus, to paraphrase your rule. The first rule is as you put it: 'argue with a policeman...expect adverse consequences.' However i would add an addendum to that rule, specifically targeted at law enforcement, and it would go something like this: "Strive to ascertain absolute professionalism, legal propriety and adequate sagacity in all actions to ensure that you do not in essence start drafting blank checks to people on the citys dime."
"Tasering an eight month pregnant woman is way over the line!"
Yeah, but using your pregnancy to try to shield yourself from a speeding ticket and subsequent arrest is way over the line too. The mother should be the first person to think about the safety of her unborn child.
32 mph - WHEW ! - good thing weve got that scofflaw off the street........(while pedophiles prey on our children) (sarcasm)
nobody should have to sign anything under duress or threat of imprisonment
Whats the big deal about signing a traffic ticket. You have the ticket, you have the vehicle registration , you have the drivers picture on the permit, the ticket itself is an affadavit that the cop gave it to you. I have never understood the big deal about refusing to sign for it.Hand the thing to the driver if the driver refuses to sign and they dont show up for court get a warrant and have them arrested.
That having been said. This woman wasnt attacking the cops she was ressisting arrest by hanging onto the steering wheel. she was resisting an arrest that didnt need to be made in the first place in my opinion./If you get a ticket from a camera you dont sign it, but you pay it.Many time angry people refuse to sign a ticket , so the police use their authority to make it a big deal by arresting someone.I personally think its an abuse of authority.Politely tip the hat ,say see you in court and get back in the police car and look for the next victim.
Reading this one could get the impression that she was going at 100 mph through the zone.
I noticed the same line, but mostly because I cannot imagine the sort of person that still thinks of their baby at this stage of development as a 'fetus'.
32 mph is hardly endangering her fetus.
Agreed, agreed.
Her unborn fetus?
"32 mph is hardly endangering her fetus."
I wasn't talking about her speed. I was talking about her resisting arrest. Regardless of whether she was right or wrong, it's a stupid thing to do. A couple viewings of the nightly news should demonstrate that resisting arrest usually leads to ugliness.
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