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.



Saturday, October 17, 2009

Taser International, Inc (TASR) - 3rd Quarter results

Taser International, Inc. (TASR), a leading manufacturer of stun guns that can - occasionally and almost-randomly - "cause death", has achieved the following results during the 3rd quarter of 2009 (July [LINK], August [LINK], and September [LINK] of 2009 [LINK]).

A total of fifteen (15) people have reportedly died in taser-associated incidents during this three-month period. [LINK]

Their average age was about 35 years.

#434 - July 2, 2009: Rory McKenzie, 25, Bakersfield, California
#435 - July 30, 2009: Jonathan Michael Nelson, 27, Riverside County, California
#436 - August 9, 2009: Terrace Clifton Smith, 52, Moreno Valley, California
#437 - August 12, 2009: Ernest Owen Ridlehuber III, 53, Greenwood, South Carolina
#438 - August 14, 2009: Hakim Jackson, 31, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#439 - August 18, 2009: Ronald Eugene Cobbs, 38, Greensboro, North Carolina
#440 - August 20, 2009: Francisco P. Sesate, 36, Mesa, Arizona
#441 - August 22, 2009: T.J. Nance, 37, Arizona City, Arizona
#442 - August 26, 2009: Miguel Molina, 27, Los Angeles, California
#443 - August 27, 2009: Manuel Dante Dent, 27, Modesto, California
#444 - September 7, 2009: Shane Ledbetter, 38, Aurora, Colorado
#445 - September 16, 2009: Alton Warren Ham, 45, Modesto, California
#446 - September 19, 2009: Yuceff W. Young II, Brooklyn, Ohio
#447 - September 21, 2009: Richard Battistata, 44, Laredo, Texas
#448 - September 28, 2009: Derrick Humbert, 38, Bradenton, Florida


The recent five-per-month average is down slightly from the long-term running average of seven-per-month [LINK], and this reduction can almost certainly be attributed to the slow realization of the real-world facts about taser safety (*). Most police officers have very good moral judgment; suspecting that the device can "cause death" will tend to eliminate some of the overuse.

(* An alternate explanation for the downturn in the monthly rate of taser-associated deaths is that perhaps excited delirium is carried by a virus, and the recent emphasis on hand-washing because of H1N1 influenza has reduced the number of excited delirium deaths. Right? Hey? Makes sense, eh? Right? {rolls-eyes})

During this reporting period, it was noted that some jurisdictions are equipping their taser-equipped police cruisers with Automatic Defibrillators. [LINK] Unlike the market for built-in taser cameras to capture the direct results of obviously-defective training [LINK], company management is, ah, ...ahem..., not considering entry into the Automatic Defibrillator market.

During this reporting period the X3 [LINK] was introduced. The new X3 emits approximately 40% less electrical charge than the X26 (~63 vs. 100+ uC), but there's nothing to see here... move along now. Nobody wants to discuss the shape of Bell Curves and the real-world impact of a 40% reduction in output. The output waveform shape (duty cycle?) and resultant spectrum (dangerous low frequency, safer high frequency?) is apparently being kept under wraps. Nothing to see here, move along now.

During this reporting period, the $3.7M Braidwood Inquiry into tasers and the killing of Mr. Dziekanski made some conclusions about how taser can "cause death" [LINK], "through a variety of mechanisms" [LINK] [LINK], "even with healthy adults". They also concluded that blaming deaths on excited delirium was "unhelpful" (legal terminology that it is a crock of sh_t). And that using tasers on agitated individuals was "the worst possible response." [LINK]

See also [LINK] about other organizations' views on taser and risk of death.

During this reporting period, the Boise "Mounted" Police sodomized a man with their taser. [LINK] [LINK] But that's enough about that...

During this reporting period, police used a taser to take down an extremely-dangerous 14-year-old little girl before she hurt herself. [LINK] [LINK]

During this reporting period, it was reported that Michael Patrick Jacobs Jr., 24, primary cause of death was "sudden death during neuromuscular incapacitation due to application of a conducted energy device." [LINK] Perfectly healthy, 24 years old, tasered-and-died. You do the math.

During this reporting period, it was reported that Derek Jones, 17, died Jan. 8 of "acute cardiac dysrhythmia of uncertain etiology (cause)..." [LINK] 17-years-old, possibly slightly drunk, tasered-and-died. You do the math.

During this reporting period, there were report-after-report of five or six-figure settlements for stupid taser abuse (a.k.a. defective training, flawed policy). [LINK][LINK][LINK][LINK][LINK][LINK]

It just goes on and on and on...


Forward-looking statements (October...) can be found here:
  • Taser XREP Projectile violates their new taser Targeting Guidelines [LINK]
  • New taser Targeting Guidelines include "avoiding chest" [LINK]

1 comment:

Excited-Delirium.com said...

Critical Mass commented (edited):

You indicate that your interest in Taser International and their products began roughly 2 to 3 years ago.

With that in mind, I wonder if you know the history of this "product" and the people who acquired the Patents from a [snip] and broken human being named Jack Cover?

Do you know what role "Icer Corporation" played?

Do you know whom "Monkey Boy" is? Do you know where his current house is located and whom the prior owner is?

Do you know what made Rodney King twitch and scream, before the "Los Angeles Riots" broke out in 1992, which are still the most costly riots on record? Did you know it was Jack Cover's stun gun made by his company Tasertron?

[snip]

Did you know that Jack Cover's Tasertron product was listed on multiple Death Certificates as the "cause of death" in the early 1990's?

The "Taser Story" is very complicated and full of multiple crimes, mostly committed by the current principals of the company behind the hundreds of taser homicides.

As the saying goes ~ "Only in America can a convicted murderer like Don King, with really bad hair, become a millionaire, and only in America can a family of [snip], achieve what the family behind Taser International has been able achieve and put in the bank, based on their homicides."

It BOGGLES the mind.

October 18, 2009 8:08 PM

[Critical Mass - please contact me by e-mail. It's difficult to only have a choice to publish or reject your comments.]