Mission Statement - De-Spinning the Pro-Taser Propaganda

Yeah right, 'Excited Delirium' my ass...

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The primary purpose of this blog is to provide an outlet for my observations and analysis about tasers, taser "associated" deaths, and the behaviour exhibited by the management, employees and minions of Taser International. In general, everything is linked back to external sources, often via previous posts on the same topic, so that readers can fact-check to their heart's content. This blog was started in late-2007 when Canadians were enraged by the taser death of Robert Dziekanski and four others in a short three month period. The cocky attitude exhibited by the Taser International spokespuppet, and his preposterous proposal that Mr. Dziekanski coincidentally died of "excited delirium" at the time of his taser-death, led me to choose the blog name I did and provides my motivation. I have zero financial ties to this issue.



Friday, July 17, 2009

Conceptual design problems with the Taser X3

Stupid stupid stupid.

1) Obviously - and I mean OBVIOUSLY - there will be incidents where the officer will shoot more than one set of darts into the same victim. In fact, there will eventually be incidents where two or more officers empty their X3s into the same victim. The victim is going to look like a pin cushion.

2) The original design mandate for the taser was to disable the subject so that they could be controlled. "Get in there and handcuff them..." Now you've got three subjects to try to restrain in five seconds. Make that ten, or 15, or maybe two minutes... The third subject will be at significant risk of the Blood pH issue, or perhaps the risk of respiration diaphragm exhaustion, by the time they get the first two subjects under control.

3) Constitutional violations are inherent in the design concept. For example, the first of three subjects continues to struggle and fight (let's assume this is true), even while the other two have expressed their willingness to give up. But the other two will be subjected to ILLEGAL and Constitution-Violating extra shocks (TORTURE) simply because they're wired up to the same taser as the first? WTF? Do these people think? What moron thought that would be a good idea?


Note - if the taser X3 contains design features that preclude these seemingly-obvious design issues, then please contact the blog and I'll be happy to correct (if necessary).

3 comments:

Critical Mass said...

I see that you mention "the risk of respiration diaphragm exhaustion" in this critique of the Taser X3.

Are you leaning towards adopting that "taser death mechanism", as a separate medical path to death following the use of a taser ECD?

That would make 4 paths to death, following taser ECD uses:

1.) A deadly injury from a fall after a taser ECD deployment

2.) Heart VF, after taser ECD use

3.) Blood PH rise to induced "acidosis" levels, from muscle exhaustion following taser ECD use

4.) Respiration diaphragm exhaustion, or as I called it -"taser-ECD-Induced Asphyxia"

Excited-Delirium.com said...

Taser International gets a 'pass' from me on the "deadly injury from a fall". They've warned of that for a while. Being that they're so stupid, I presume that they only figured it out after the fact.

In my books, heart VF is lumped in with non-VF cardiac effects leading to death as described in the work by by Prof Savard et al. These sorts of taser associated deaths would be indicated by a pattern of taser dart placement.

Blood pH is well established and is applicable to exhausted and/or long duration multiple taser hits.

Taser-induced Asphyxia is a good suggestion. I need to go and double check Charly D. Miller's site to ensure that she's considered this mechanism.

Excited-Delirium.com said...

For those that still have faith in the Church of Taser, please explain the 'Curious Temporal Asymmetry'.

Taser International had better make some serious coin with their new products. The victims of the X26 are going to get most of it.

TASR investors are to be thanked for providing the cash donations that will eventually flow to the victims.