There was a time when the citizenry actually respected the law, and for cops, verbal compliance was pretty much the order of the day. Sadly, society and attitudes have changed — some for the better but many, especially for law enforcement, for the worse. When I grew up in South Africa, formerly a colony of the British Empire, police weren’t even armed with handguns. The common weapon was a long wooden baton, a pair of handcuffs coupled with a really sour disposition (PC for shitty attitude) and a propensity to wield the baton at the least sign of “lip” or resistance. It was no wonder they consistently received compliance from the locals by using verbal commands.

The options regarding force available to officers are regulated far more stringently due to the current onslaught of political correctness and attendant lawsuits. This “escalation” criterion in the use of force or deadly force has given rise to some interesting new technology in the “Less Than Lethal/Non Lethal” market. Holding the current top slot is incapacitation technology and the leader is unquestionably TASER, a name now synonymous with this type of equipment.

My first inclination when starting on this article was to get into the technical nuts and bolts of how it works and all the attendant techno-babble, but this company and its products are really interesting from a less technical perspective. Besides, I don’t really know my Amps from my Volt-hole so, if you’re a Techie, and want to know all about the Watta-Volta-Amp thingies, TASER has a great Web site that’s worth visiting.

TASER is an acronym for Thomas A Swift’s Electronic Rifle. Tom Swift, the brilliant young adventurer/inventor and star of this juvenile book series, was a hero of Jack Cover the inventor of the original TASER. Cover has since retired and the Smith brothers, Rick and Tom, now run the company.

TASER’s offices and manufacturing facility are located in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a new and very space-age looking building. It’s a stunning eye catcher and security is right out of the Starship Enterprise, with stainless steel doors, video security, retinal scanners everywhere, TV screens all over the place and ante rooms for isolation. One really neat feature is a frosted floor to ceiling wall of glass. With the click of a button, the glass becomes totally clear and you’re looking into the production facility — awesome. I suspect Kirk, Scott and crew are on the facility development panel.

Not So Techie Stuff

So what does it do and simply how does it work? The mission of the TASER is “to incapacitate a subject for at least five seconds thereby allowing you to take control of a potentially dangerous situation.”

Essentially the unit looks like a plastic gun. At the front (muzzle end) is a detachable, replaceable cartridge housing two probes attached to long, thin copper wire coils. The probes are propelled by compressed air, similar to an air rifle. They embed into the bad guy’s skin. The original system was powered with propellant and was at one time designated a firearm by BATFE. The wires uncoil with deployment of the probes, maintaining an electronic connection with the gun. A high voltage charge passes through the copper wires and imbedded probes into the target causing underlying muscle to contract. In most cases this charge is high enough and of long enough duration to incapacitate the subject for an appropriate period allowing the officer to secure the situation.

When the electric charge ceases, the resulting string of language spouting forth from the recipient of this “electro-therapy” regarding the officer’s heritage, relationship with his mother and deviant homosexual behavior is pretty standard. (Never have figured out what sucking on a cork has to do with anything, must be an American thing.)

Seriously though, the efficiency of this technology is borne out by the numbers. According to TASER, Phoenix PD had, as of this writing, a 54 percent drop in Use of Force/Officer Involved Shootings. Think of how much that would have cost in legal fees, time filling out reports, after action debriefs, hearings and Use of Force Boards to name a few.

Impressive Numbers

Other statistics for this new technology are pretty impressive too. With almost 10,000 agencies using 225,000 units in the field some reasonably accurate data is coming out. The successful “stop-rate” is currently 95 percent with no further level of force required. Considering the fact there have been 127,000 deployments in the field under actual conditions and another 210,000 “voluntary” deployments, the stop-rate figures are quite staggering. The system works most of the time; some subjects on drugs, drunk, tough or just plain stupid require a second “ride.” Provided the wires have not been broken or the probes dislodged, the officer has the ability to “recharge” the subject multiple times if necessary until compliance or physical control is achieved. When the situation is under control, the fired cartridge is replaced virtually in seconds and the unit is ready to go back to work.

The gun looking portion of the system houses the electronics and the battery power module. The battery is located in the “magazine well” portion of the unit and is really more than just a battery. It also stores the warranty information and any upgrades if applicable, which are uploaded when installing a new or replacement battery — how cool is that? When TASER claims their product is state-of-the-art they’re not kidding. Like any battery powered device it needs to be recharged regularly and the battery replaced after the requisite number of recharges.

Smile — Say Cheese

The newest addition to the base unit is a video camera which is ?housed in an integral part of the battery component. The TASERCAM protrudes below the firing hand so when reviewed on a TV you have a clear unobstructed view from the shooter’s gun hand. The wide angle lens renders great clarity so identification and peripheral factors are not in contention. When you activate the unit by depressing the safety, audio and video are automatically switched on. So far the camera is mono-chromatic but given the strides being made in video chips, power and data storage, I’ll bet there’ll be a full color, HD, with Surround Sound available soon.

Interestingly the camera has met with opposition from some street cops but many embrace this new technology. The biggest plus is you have a clear video/audio record of the actual incident. On the negative side you now have a clear video/audio record of the actual incident. It negates the “he said, I said” part of the incident. The technology has been used successfully in a number of recent cases and, when shown to the suspect and his attorney, results in a very quiet settlement or plea bargain. The camera data is only downloadable on specific equipment supplied by TASER negating any unauthorized attempt to erase or alter recorded and stored information.

If you’re issued a TASER, here is some free advice. Trust me, I’ve seen the tapes. If the unit you deploy has the TASERCAM, be careful with your language and specifically the adjectives. The audio is really clear and every word can be heard.

TASER is here to stay. While there’ve been some legal issues and controversy concerning TASER, most of the suits have been dismissed and the future looks excellent for this young company. In keeping with their progressive stance is a new product, the XREP (Xtended Range Electronic Projectile) which is in final development. It’s fired from a shotgun, has no wires and will go over 100'.
I knew it! “Phasers (or is that Tasers?) to stun.”