Advancements in technology have allowed police agencies to acquire new devices that make their job more efficient and safe. The Taser gun also known as the stun-gun is one of the devices that many law enforcement agencies have introduced over the past several years. According to Michael D. White and Justine Ready from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, there are over 8,000 law enforcement agencies that have adopted the stun-gun (pg. 1, 2007). The main purpose of the stung-gun is to stop suspects who resist arrest or act violently towards police officers. Over the past several years there has been lots of controversy on weather police officers should be allowed to use this device to subdue incompliant suspects. Individuals who are against
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There are various situation were a suspect has died after being tased by a stun-gun. Another reason is that there is no strict protocol on when the stun-gun should be used by police officers. There have been instances were children and even grandparents have been tased by stun-guns. Lastly, stun-guns can create weapon confusion in a situation where police officers have to react within a matter of seconds. There has been occasion where police officers have mistaken their firearms for their stun-guns and have shot a suspect. On the other hand, there are those individuals who argue that stun-guns have many benefits. One of the major arguments is that stun-guns give police officers an option to use a weapon of less lethal force. Stun-guns allow police officers to control situations where the use of a firearm would have been applicable. A second argument is that the stun-gun is far more effective and less harmful than previously used methods of less lethal force. Lastly, research has shown that stun-guns have saved far more lives than they have taken. There have not been many deaths directly related to the use of …show more content…
Just recently in Tulsa Oklahoma suspect Erick Harris was killed by 73-year old reserve deputy Robert Bates. The deputy claims that he mistakenly pulled out his fire-arm instead of his stun-gun. In the video that was presented for the case; you can hear Robert Bates apologizing for shooting the suspect. Weapon confusion can be caused by several different factors. Muscle memory can be one of the major factors that contribute to weapon confusion. The journal Muscle Memory and the Somaesthetic Pathologies of everyday life found that “Much of the memory we productively employ in everyday life is implicit memory that results from habit” (Richard Shusterman, Pg. 1, 2011). The research done by Richard Shusterman is able to explain why muscle memory plays a role in weapon confusion incidents. Police officers draw out their weapons on the day to day basis and this becomes a habit. Therefore, when a police officer engages in a high intensity situation with a suspect and they have to react within a matter of seconds; it is plausible that muscle memory will play a role. Individuals who are against stun-guns recommend that law enforcement agencies provide the proper training to their officers. Also it is advised that governing laws related to stun-guns be revised and made
There are various situation were a suspect has died after being tased by a stun-gun. Another reason is that there is no strict protocol on when the stun-gun should be used by police officers. There have been instances were children and even grandparents have been tased by stun-guns. Lastly, stun-guns can create weapon confusion in a situation where police officers have to react within a matter of seconds. There has been occasion where police officers have mistaken their firearms for their stun-guns and have shot a suspect. On the other hand, there are those individuals who argue that stun-guns have many benefits. One of the major arguments is that stun-guns give police officers an option to use a weapon of less lethal force. Stun-guns allow police officers to control situations where the use of a firearm would have been applicable. A second argument is that the stun-gun is far more effective and less harmful than previously used methods of less lethal force. Lastly, research has shown that stun-guns have saved far more lives than they have taken. There have not been many deaths directly related to the use of …show more content…
Just recently in Tulsa Oklahoma suspect Erick Harris was killed by 73-year old reserve deputy Robert Bates. The deputy claims that he mistakenly pulled out his fire-arm instead of his stun-gun. In the video that was presented for the case; you can hear Robert Bates apologizing for shooting the suspect. Weapon confusion can be caused by several different factors. Muscle memory can be one of the major factors that contribute to weapon confusion. The journal Muscle Memory and the Somaesthetic Pathologies of everyday life found that “Much of the memory we productively employ in everyday life is implicit memory that results from habit” (Richard Shusterman, Pg. 1, 2011). The research done by Richard Shusterman is able to explain why muscle memory plays a role in weapon confusion incidents. Police officers draw out their weapons on the day to day basis and this becomes a habit. Therefore, when a police officer engages in a high intensity situation with a suspect and they have to react within a matter of seconds; it is plausible that muscle memory will play a role. Individuals who are against stun-guns recommend that law enforcement agencies provide the proper training to their officers. Also it is advised that governing laws related to stun-guns be revised and made