Merry Christmas

I'm taking a break for a couple of weeks, travelling around the country visiting family, so I'd like to wish you all a great xmas and new year. Stay safe and look after yourselves.

Avoid those tasers!

FBI probes cop's use of taser during argument

A retired corrections officer is at the heart of a new federal investigation of alleged police brutality in Westchester after he claims he was victim of excessive force that include repeated use of a taser.

"He was kicked in the head when he was handcuffed. He was tased about his body. This is a man who came down here just to speak to somebody," said Francis Young, Gomez's attorney.

Sources say the FBI investigation is open-ended and is directed toward a possible violation of suspects' civil rights.

Be careful if your daughter is dating a cop. Don't piss him off, or you just might be tortured and assaulted by the fine, upstanding officer...

http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/

Police fired taser into head of innocent man

Police fired a 50,000-volt Taser into the head of a 45-year-old company director who later proved to be unarmed and innocent. Daniel Sylvester, the owner of an east London security firm employing 65 staff to guard council offices, pubs and nightclubs, was driving home on October 20 when he was stopped by armed police because of "firearms related intelligence".

According to Sylvester, he got out of his car and was surrounded by officers, at least two of whom were carrying automatic weapons. Without warning, one officer fired a Taser into the back of his head which made him drop to his knees, he said. A second shock caused him to fall on his face, breaking a front tooth. A further six shocks made him wet himself and left him lying in the road in pain while the officers and sniffer dogs searched the car and found nothing.

But wait...

Tasers have been used 47 times in London this year, with black people accounting for almost two-thirds of those stunned.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Tasers don't reduce shootings

Despite claims by politicians and some police officers that Tasers would save lives by preventing shootings, the devices that are being used by a growing number of police forces were never meant as an alternative to guns, experts say.

Numbers in many other jurisdictions are hard to come by. The RCMP, whose members have fired Tasers more than 3,000 times since 2001, said it doesn't keep track of how often firearms are used across the country.

Let me get this straight... They keep track of how many times they use a 'non-lethal' device, but they don't keep track of how many times they use guns? Either they're incompetent or they're lying.

"In 99.7 per cent of Taser uses, there are no injuries. When you compare that to a baton use, the statistical likelihood of injuries from a Taser deployment are much less."

But there's a big difference between injuries and deaths. How many people died due to baton use, compared to how many die due to taser use? That's what should be looked at.

Which self-defence product is best for you?

When it comes to a self-defense product, some women have a difficult time deciding which one to purchase. A lot has to due with how you plan to use the product and which is more convenient for you. If you are in a controlled environment or if you are outdoors, if you want something as small as a ring or if you don't mind carrying a product that is as large as perhaps a phone receiver. Of course, price is a factor too, but so is your life when confronted with danger! To make this decision easier for you, we have built a chart below that compares 4 products.

http://womenonguard.blogspot.com/

Taser death sparks march

About 100 people marched through St. Michel yesterday to protest against what they called the abusive use of Taser guns by police, and to demand justice for a man who died in October after he was tasered by police.

http://www.canada.com/

Man bursts into flames after being shot by a taser

Man pours petrol over himself.
Police shoot himi with a taser.
Man bursts into flames and dies.
Police say they don't know what ignited the petrol

Well, gee, maybe it was 50,000 volts of electricity being discharged into him.

What fucking morons. Seriously.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

It's not a party til someone gets tasered

The Brandon police department is investigating allegations that some of its officers agreed to Taser people at a party, simply because they were curious about what it would feel like.

Some officers don't consider the incident a big deal, noting a member of the Brandon media was Tasered as part of an organized demonstration when the force introduced the devices in June 2006.

There's only one thing to say about this. And it's said in what I've categorised it as.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Taser trial cops broke rules 40% of time

Police breached procedures for Tasers on 40 per cent of occasions when they were used in the first six months of their trial, a group opposed to use of the stun-guns claims.

Campaign Against the Taser, headed by prominent Auckland barrister Marie Dyhrberg, said police regularly presented or fired the weapons at people below the authorised threat threshold.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4324451a6160.html

NZ police commissioner to consider taser report

Milford was still holding a 15cm carving knife when he was stunned by the taser.

He had stabbed his eight-week-old son in the stomach, causing the infant's entrails to hang out, his 18-month-old daughter had abdominal, chest and neck wounds and his three-year-old daughter had wounds to her chest, abdomen and face.

I think tasers can be good for what they were intended for. As long as they're used for only that purpose.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/