Could you expand? Are you in fear for your life? Of course, in that case you would use your service weapon. Are you afraid the perp would escape? What exactly is the reason to use a taser? And have you been ‘tazed’ to know what its effects are?
Good morning. Gladly. Lets break it down.
Are you in fear for your life? Of course, in that case you would use your service weapon.
Pretty much amswered that yourself if it's a situation where death or serious bodily injury is imminent. Of course there could be situations where the firearm may not be an option and other deadly force alternatives may need to be utilized.
Are you afraid the perp would escape?
Not necessarily. Not that we want perps to get away but if it's a matter where the "perp" has an obvious tactical advantage or mulitple perps then maybe it's best to back off and pick a different battle. That can be hard to do when one's mindset is to catch the bad guy. I've learned some hard lessons over the years...LOL. Taser isn't a good choice when alone with more than one suspect.
What exactly is the reason to use a taser?
I can only speak to the policies that are part of my employment. In my case taser use is a use of force option as a compliance technique for actively resistant "perps." Does that mean the taser has to be used in every situation a active resistant situation is encountered? No. It is an option that can be considered depending on the situation at hand. If you want me to expand on active resistant just say so. I have had many situations immediately deescalate just by holding the taser at my side. I've had situations where I fully expected the taser to do it's job and nothing happened. Go figure.
And have you been ‘tazed’ to know what its effects are?
Yes in training. In my case it was a big cramp that hurt like a sunofabitch. The fully cycle was five seconds with a probe in my pec and another in my thigh. I dropped like a sack of bricks. I've also been pepper sprayed and hit with tear gas. I'll take the five seconds of pain any day since once the taser is turned off or cycled completely, the effects are immediately gone. Who would have thought 2 miliamps could be so effective?
Heres an interesting article if interested http://www.officer.com/web/online/Technology/Why-TASERs-Dont-Work/20$38245