ABUSE OF THE TASER

Using A Taser To Shock A Suspect Into Giving Evidence Was Way Over The Line

The Orlando police policy on Taser use is specific. The weapon is not
to be used to force suspects to spit out illegal drugs.

Yet last week an OPD officer used two electrical jolts from a Taser to
force a drug suspect to give a urine sample for a medical examination.
That suspect was handcuffed to a hospital gurney and strapped down
when he was shocked with the Taser.

The officer's action was clearly over the line and contrary to OPD's
policy. That officer should face a tough punishment if the ongoing
internal investigation confirms the troubling details in this incident.

This case is particularly disturbing because last year OPD and other
municipal police departments in Orange County tightened rules
governing Tasers to prevent abuse.

The revision of the rules was warranted because throughout the country
there have been complaints that Tasers are being used unnecessarily by
police.

Under those revised rules, officers are prohibited from using a Taser
unless a suspect is trying to escape or prevent an arrest. In the
situation last week, the suspect was already under arrest, and was
locked down. He wasn't going anywhere. The officer should have left it
to the hospital's staff to get the urine sample needed for medical
tests.

The Taser, which uses electrical current to momentarily incapacitate
suspects so they can be arrested, is clearly a valuable tool. It has
reduced shootings and injuries to officers. Yet public confidence in
police is undermined when officers break the rules and resort to
unnecessary force.