Tasers , Police Officer , Policing
Tasers, also called stun guns, are equipment that immobilize victims by interfering with the nerve impulses and therefore immobilizing the muscles of a victim (O'Toole, 2013). In recent times, their range of application has grown to include law enforcement. Many places are commencing police usage of Tasers because of their potential efficiency in immobilizing resisting suspect (Siegel, 2011). However, Tasers have many limitations that make them unsuitable for practical application by the police force or any other public law enforcement agency.
Policing is very dangerous. Therefore, there is need to increase their armory if the increase translates in to a decreasing number of policyfatalities. Police officers are often armed with standard issue hand guns (Sanders, 2010). These guns are often issued as a last resort and should never be used where the suspect is unarmed (Siegel, 2011). Therefore, police officers need weaponry to disable their adversaries when they are not sufficiently armed to require the use of a firearm (Sanders, 2010). Most people try to resist arrest, especially when they perceive a good chance of escape (Sanders, 2010). Therefore, apprehension of even the poorest armed criminal is often tricky and requires application of special skills. For example, in the event an adversary is better in armed combat than the arresting officer but is unarmed, arrest may prove tricky (Nazario&Borchers, 2010). Therefore advocates of the Tasers propose that they are applicable to police service because of their ability to immobilize criminal with no permanent damage in most cases.
[...] In addition, in the event where an officer fails to hit the target, the lack of retraction or slow retraction in Tasers is inconvenient. Despite these weaknesses, Tasers have a better range than most of the tool used to immobilize people who resist arrest. For example, capsicum spray requires a shorter range and batons have the potential to cause everlasting damage on the victims (O'Toole, 2013). Therefore, in some cases, Tasers are better than the rest of the tool, with the exclusion of firearms, used to immobilize criminals in the process of arrest. [...]
[...] They have the potential to eliminate the usage of violence in the process of arrest by immobilizing a suspect and giving an officer ample time to cuff them. However, despite the potential of the Tasers, they are limited by their potential to result in fatality and their impractical applications in law enforcement, especially in dangerous situations. Therefore, police officers should not be given Tasers. References Nazario, L., &Borchers, D. (2010). Bridges to better writing. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Siegel, L. (2011). Essentials of criminal justice (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning . [...]
[...] Since they are used to disable relatively less dangerous criminals where handguns cannot be used, it is unethical to place the potential victim in danger. Therefore, the potential for fatality is sufficient to disqualify the usage of Tasers by police officers. Tasers are impractical in the field of policing. Though some elements of the Tasers make them ideal for immobilizing petty criminals provided they are unarmed, there is an element of risk associated with using the Tasers. For example, though they require a relatively bigger distance compared to firearms, their range requires the criminal to be a short distance from the arresting officer. [...]
[...] Where a person is fully covered, the Taser is not applicable. There is also the issue of reusability. Police officers need weapons that can be reused multiple times, especially if they serve the purpose for which the Tasers are designed. Tasers are designed to immobilize petty criminals who are not armed when they resist arrest. Such criminals are usually in a large number. Tasers use a pair of wires that are attached to the Taser because these wires need an electric current to immobilize a person. [...]
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