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Journalist experiences the shocking truth about Tasers
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Published: April 5, 2009
The Winston-Salem police officer pulled the trigger on the Taser gun and the electric current roared into my nervous system, causing the most intense pain I've ever experienced.
"StopGodstopGodstopGodstop!!!!!" I yelled.
But I'd asked for it. Literally.
As a member of the Journal's editorial board, I've written one editorial on Chief Scott Cunningham's proposal to equip his officers with stun guns. We'll probably write more on this topic as the city council considers Cunningham's request.
Researchers armed with nationwide studies argue over the efficacy of Taser guns. They have reduced injuries for police and the civilians they apprehend, but they have also contributed to the deaths of some civilians. About two-thirds of the country's police departments use Taser guns.
In the latest controversial case, officials are investigating the case of a 15-year-old boy who died after a Taser gun was used on him by Bay City, Mich., police trying to break up a fight. Amnesty International tracked more than 340 American cases between 2001 and August 2008 in which a person died after being shocked, and said that Taser use was among the causes of death in at least 50 of those cases.
Studies put the issue in the abstract. The figures and the analysis are needed. But so, at least for me, is an understanding of what a blast from one of these guns feels like.
The shocks have been cited as a contributing factor of death for people with heart problems and people on drugs who've struggled with police. My heart is good. And I'm not on drugs, even if my willingness to be a guinea pig might suggest otherwise.
So I asked Chief Cunningham if I could get "Tasered." It happened at the police department Tuesday morning. Cunningham, Assistant Chief Kevin Leonard, and Cpls. Katie Paterson and Steve Sigmon explained the procedure to me. The Taser blast is 50,000 volts-strong as the tethered darts leave the barrel, but by the time it travels through the air and penetrates your clothing and skin , it's down to about 1,200 volts.
The electric current from the gun attacks the sensory nervous system (causing pain) and the motor nervous system (immobilizing the target). The officers offered me a blast of from three to five seconds. They could cut it off when I asked them to. I asked the officers how long a blast they'd endured in test sessions. Five seconds, they said. I'll take that, too, I said.
Using alligator clips, the officers attached two wires that emanated from the gun to my shirt. That's the training mode. On the street, two tiny steel darts, basically akin to straightened fish hooks, are attached to the wires and fired from the gun at a range of up to about 20 feet. The gun can also be pressed directly against the flesh and fired, but that's not as effective because it only impacts the one area the gun is pressed on.
Once they had me hooked up, the officers braced me and asked if I was ready. Yep, I said.
The Taser gun roared with an ugly, computerized staccato sound. From the first second, I started yelling for the officers to stop. By the time I got the words out, two seconds had probably passed. By the time they turned it off, three seconds had passed. I have no doubt the officers ended the charge as soon as possible. But it was the longest three seconds of my life. It's like getting hit with an electric sledgehammer, as one of the officers said. If the officers hadn't been holding me up, I would have been writhing in pain on the floor.
But seconds after it was over, I was good to go, if a little shaky.
"It (a stun gun) does the job immediately, and then it's over," Cunningham said.
These guns are no substitute for deadly force. You can't battle a firearm with a stun gun.
But Taser guns could be beneficial in close-quarter scuffles. Perhaps these guns could, as Chief Cunningham argues, reduce injuries for police officers and civilians and thereby save taxpayers money. As it is now, officers can use their fists, batons or pepper-spray, or if worse comes to worst, their firearms, all of which leave much more room for error than Taser guns.
Another advantage to Taser guns, as Cunningham pointed out, is that the weapons record the time, duration and number of shots. He said that if the city council approves Tasers for his department, officers will receive extensive training in their use. He has said he will give the council's public-safety committee updates on the number of times the stun guns are used, the circumstances and whether there were injuries. Officers will have to give warnings before firing.
And no more than three blasts of five seconds each will be allowed, he said, unless special circumstances can be argued that merit additional blasts. In contrast, Cunningham said Taser is now making a civilian model that can emit a jolt of up to 30 seconds.
That's 10 times as long as the blast that I'll never forget.
Some criminals could soon have similar memories, if the council approves Cunningham's Taser request. Officers might just be a little safer on the street. In measured doses, and with careful oversight, Taser guns could prove beneficial.
■ John Railey writes local editorials for the Journal. He can be reached at 727-7357 or at jrailey@wsjournal.com.
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