Saturday, November 7, 2009

New York Family of Officer Who Committed Suicide Sues City

John Eligon at the NY Times reports that the family of a police lieutenant who committed suicide last year is suing the city, claiming that police officials drove him to kill himself. The suit maintains that the officials vilified the officer, Lt. Michael W. Pigott, after a confrontation in Brooklyn in which the lieutenant’s order to shoot an emotionally disturbed man with a Taser gun led to the man’s death.

Susan Pigott, the wife of Lieutenant Pigott, who worked for the Emergency Services Unit, maintains in the lawsuit filed in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn that her husband “suffered severe and excruciating humiliation, mental anguish, fear, depression and shame,” after department officials took away his gun and badge, assigned him to desk duty and told the news media that he had acted improperly when he ordered an officer to fire a Taser at Iman Morales.

In September 2008, Mr. Morales, naked, ranting and swinging an eight-foot-long fluorescent light bulb at officers, tumbled to his death from a roughly 10-foot-high ledge atop a storefront security gate outside his building at 489 Tompkins Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, after Officer Nicholas Marchesona, on orders from Lieutenant Pigott, fired a Taser that immobilized him. Mr. Morales hit the pavement and suffered a fatal head injury. More HERE

The Fort Worth Police Department will soon be facing a second taser lawsuit

FORT WORTH, TX - According to Channel 33 News, The Fort Worth Police Department will soon be facing a second lawsuit related to the use of taser devices by officers. An attorney for 29-year old Marcus Swiat is prepared to file a civil lawsuit in the next few days.

A bystander captured video of Swiat being tased up to eight times by several officers outside a downtown bar last year. On the tape, the disc jockey can be heard screaming and others asking police to stop. Officers are also seen kicking Swiat, who has since moved from the North Texas area.

Swiat's attorney, Brian Eberstein says Swiat was later acquitted of the charges against him, including public intoxication. Eberstein says the tape is disturbing. "The only word I could attribute to the attack was savage". He says Swiat is still suffering. "I think when any human being is brutally beaten the scars can be physical, but I think the emotional residue can be equally significant".

The lawsuit comes on the heels of another by the family of Michael Jacobs, whose death was ruled a homicide. Corporal Stephanie Phillips used a taser on the mentally ill man last April. Jacobs died in his yard. Both lawsuits allege the department has failed to properly train and supervise officers in using tasers. Eberstein says officers who misuse the device aren't disciplined. "Phillips is still on patrol and that tells others that you can do what you wish and the department will support you". More HERE

SCLC calls for Gov. Crist To Ban Tasers

As reported by Creative Loafing The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) calls it “electrocution without prosecution,” and in the wake of the two most recent Taser-related deaths in Florida, the civil rights group wants the governor to temporarily ban Tasers until a stricter, more uniform policy can be put in place.

The so called “non-lethal” devices, manufactured by Taser International, have killed over 400 U.S. citizens since 2001. According to the website Electronic Village, which diligently tracks the numbers, over 40 percent of the victims are black men. Charles Smith, president of the Manatee Chapter of the SCLC, sees Tasers as the biggest threat to the people of Florida. “You don’t have to break the law for them to use it on you. We cannot allow the local authorities to arbitrarily decide when a person can use a Taser and when they can’t. This is not a black and white issue; this is a right and wrong issue.”

The October 27 meeting with Governor Crist came after weeks of protest over the Pensacola killing of 17-year-old Victor Steen, who police say was fleeing on his bicycle from a construction site the night of Oct. 3. Officers tried to tase him from inside their patrol car but missed. Steen then lost control of his bike and fell into the path of the vehicle and was dragged 25 feet to his death. After that incident the Pensacola Police Dept. revised their policy to prohibit the shooting of Tasers into or from a moving vehicle.

A week before Steen was killed in Pensacola, 38-year-old Derrick Humbert died within a half hour of being tased in the back for not stopping when ordered to by Bradenton Police Officer Del Shiflett. Humbert’s only crime was operating a bicycle without a headlight.

When asked if it was legal to tase a suspect in the back, Bradenton Police Deputy Chief William Tokajer said Shiflett’s actions were well within department guidelines. “You can tase the back of the person, you can tase the front of the person, the Taser policy basically states that it can be utilized when the person who you want to arrest starts to evade you or starts to fight the officer or resists in any manner. This gentleman ran from the officers and basically the facts are the facts, if you don’t want to get tased, don’t run from the police.” More HERE

Tasered While Black Publisher says: My friend Francis L. Hollands recently asked, How Many Blog Posts Does it Take to Stop One Death By Summary Electrocution? My answer, "As many blog post as it takes" to get civil rights and progressive organizations to take the conversation of banning tasers to every Governor, mayor, city council, police department, and Congressional decision maker. If it were not for bloggers like:
African American Opinion - A Day of Blogging for Justice …

African American Political Opinion – “A Day of Blogging for Justice …
African American Political Pundit – A Day of Blogging for Justice – Blogging Against Extra-Judicial Electrocution via Tasers
All About Race – A Day of Blogging for Justice
Ancestralenergies – Day-of-Blogging-For-Justice
Black Perspective.com - Taser Awareness – Blogging Against Extrea Judicial Electrocution
Christina Springer Blog- Wish-I-Had-More-Time
Eddie G. Griffin (BASG) - Officer may be indicted for Tasing Death of Scooter
Electronic Village -Electronic Village: End Police Pre-Trial, Extra Judicial
Electrocuted While black – Electrocuted While Black: “A Day of Blogging for Justice
InkogNegro – Day of Blogging for Justice – Don’t Tase the Bros to death
Jack and Jill Politics - Extra-Judicial Electrocution – Jack & Jill Politics
Jena 6 Blog - Barron-pikes-tasered-while-handcuffed.html
Police Brutality Blog - “A Day of Blogging for Justice
Purple Zoe -A Day-of-blogging-opposing-pre-trial Electrocution
Regina’s Family Seasons - “A Day Of Blogging For Justice” – Tasers.\
Republic of T – Held Suspect
A Slant Truth – Blogging For Justice – Police Abuse (Tasers)
Tasered While Black - Tasered While Black: A Day of Blogging For Justice
Ultra Violet Underground - Day Of Blogging Opposing Pre-Trial Electrocution aka Tasering
What Tami Said – A day of blogging for justice
Wonderland or Not - Taser-lets-get-a-clue
The Black Snob – A Fight Against Taser Abuse and Other News
The Super Spade – A Day of Blogging for Justice – Against – Extra – Judicial Electrocution

Groups like the SCLC would not have the level of understanding about tasers or to call it “electrocution without prosecution,” and " extra-judicial, pretrial electrocution" the words coined by Francis L. holland and used by the afrospear bloggers in it's most recent blogging for justice effort. We should not take our blogging effort lightly, even the highly rated blog boingboing.net is now covering the taser abuse issue.

Now it’s less than one month away from the “Stop Taser Torture, blogging for Justice Day scheduled for December 4, 2009. Our goal is to unite the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day – Taser Torture in America, Canada and throughout the world. I would like to urge every American concerns about taser use and abuse to join us on December 4th as we blog to “Stop Taser Torture, blogging for Justice.” and we raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. I urge you to contact us at: StopTaserTorture@gmail.com to register your blog. Don’t forget to support the petition to the United States Congress calling for public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring with Federal funding for the use of Tasers® against American citizens. The United Nation’s Committee against Torture has declared that Taser use can constitute a form of torture, while USA: Amnesty International has an on-going concern about the use of tasers on American citizens.

Here is the link: http://www.petition2congress.com/2/1822/taser-torture-in-america-call-congressional-hearings/ Have a question? Need additional information? Want to participate? Register via email: StopTaserTorture@gmail.com Also, don’t forget, please make a $10 or 20 dollar secure Pay Pal donation to this cause: http://aapp.chipin.com/stop-taser-torture. If we don't address this tasering issue, no one else will.

Suit charging excessive force with Taser settled out of court

According to RCG.com, a Reno man who charged excessive force against law enforcement officers at a local concert will receive a settlement of $108,000 from Lyon County and the City of Yerington as an agreed settlement of a lawsuit the man filed.

However, local law enforcement representatives aren't happy with the system that makes it cheaper to settle a lawsuit than to fight it, as they disagree with the allegations in the suit.

The suit was filed in federal court by Cody Herbst, 25, and charged two Lyon County Sheriff's Office deputies with using excessive force in arresting him at the 2006 Night in the Country concert, a fundraiser of the Boys & Girls Club of Mason Valley.

As part of the settlement agreement, Lyon County is paying $100,000 ,while the City of Yerington, which had two off-duty officers providing security listed in the suit, is paying $8,000.

The Boys & Girls Club of Mason Valley was initially included in the lawsuit but was later dropped, reported Chief Professional Officer Travis Crowder, who expressed surprise with the settlement, but pleasure the situation is over.

"I'm glad it's behind us," Crowder said. "It's time to move forward."

However, he said the BGCMV still plans to use sheriff's office personnel for security for its annual concerts.

Herbst, who has local family members, charged that LCSO deputies grabbed him from behind, threw him down, used pepper spray on him and tasered him several times.

Represented by Terry Keyser-Cooper and Diane Vaillancourt, Herbst also charged he wasn't given proper medical care after being arrested on trespassing charges, as he is an epileptic.

Lyon County Sheriff Allen Veil said any time there is a charge of excessive force, his department conducts a thorough investigation, and no wrong-doing was found in this case.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

New Haven Police Chief James Lewis wants his entire force to have Tasers.

According to the Yale Daily News, Lewis said so at Wednesday’s Aldermanic Public Safety Committee meeting, where Aldermen discussed the use of Tasers by the New Haven Police Department. He added that if the board approved funding for more Tasers, city officials should purchase ones that, unlike the ones police use now, don’t have cameras.

Also at the meeting, the committee passed a resolution to accept a federal grant for what committee vice-chair and Ward 22 Alderman Greg Morehead called the first undercover vehicle for the NHPD.

The NHPD began using Tasers, which disrupt voluntary control of muscles, after a series of police shootings in 2004, which prompted the Board of Aldermen to form a task force to explore less-than-lethal weaponry. The Yale Police Department, meanwhile, does not carry Tasers.

Lewis, flanked by two fellow officers, said New Haven has been the only place he has worked where the distribution of Tasers has been delayed by public scrutiny. He emphasized the importance of outfitting the entire police force with Tasers.

Lewis argued that Tasers are easier to carry and less dangerous than the heavy clubs that police now carry. Using more Tasers, Lewis said, would reduce the number of broken fingers, dislocated shoulders and other contact-related injuries that could cost the force in manpower and workers’ compensation. He cited surveys conducted by other police departments that have shown up to a 70 percent reduction in injuries after the addition of Tasers.

If Aldermen approve more Tasers, Lewis said, they should consider Tasers without cameras. Out of the roughly 100 Tasers acquired by the police force in spring 2007, five are now in need of $250 battery replacements. If police used Tasers without cameras, however, NHPD officials would only pay $29.95 per unit whenever the battery dies, he said.

Taser cameras only activate when police turn on the gun, Lewis said. He added that in-car cameras take better quality video and are more cost effective. Lewis proposed putting such cameras in 40 cars for $200,000.

At the meeting, Ward 17 Alderman Alphonse Paolillo Jr. agreed with Lewis, saying that Taser cameras failed to record clear images.

“I hope we can push this program and get every officer a Taser,” Paolillo said. More HERE

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Pentagon Contracts with Taser International under a $2.5 million contract

Testing Military Weapons on Civilians?

Discover Magazine reports how your tax dollar is being used. They note, If you’ve caught an episode of COPS lately, then you’ve probably noticed that so-called less-lethal weapons have caught on with police departments across the country as a way to force unruly suspects into compliance. Tasers, which delivers an electrical current to the suspect via two dart-like electrodes, are often the weapon of choice. Now, the Pentagon wants to use beefed up Taser technology on the battlefield.

The puny little electrodes that the police weapons use just won’t do for the military. That’s why the U.S. Department of Defense has been developing a long-range electric shock device that fires from a 40-millimeter grenade launcher and can subdue an enemy from just under 200 feet away. The new Human Electro-Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) projectile is being developed for the Pentagon by Taser International under a $2.5 million contract and should be ready for prototype testing some time after the new year [Popular Science]. HEMI’s range is three times longer than Taser International’s XREP shotgun-style projectile, which has generated controversy because of concerns that the projectile could be deadly in untrained hands. Read More HERE

TWB publisher says: One has to wonder if Taser International is testing these weapons on civilian populations?

This is just another reason to support the day of blogging against taser torture. Go to the website, Stop Taser Torture. Please register for the Stop Taser Torture Blogging for Justice Day – 12.4.09

81-year-old Tasered by Eielson Air Force Base police

I guess your never too young or never too old to be Tasered in America! Get this, newsminer.com reports An 81-year-old man was Tasered during a traffic stop last week.

It is the second time since 1998 that police have had to make a show of force during a traffic stop to arrest Glen M. Wilcox, a Fairbanks-based Episcopalian priest and real estate agent.

Court documents allege that officers with Eielson Air Force Base’s 354th Security Forces Squadron pulled Wilcox over just after 1 p.m. Wednesday for going 11 miles over the speed limit on the Richardson Highway.

An officer, identified as a senior airman in court documents, took Wilcox’s license, registration and proof of insurance and wrote him a traffic citation. When he returned to Wilcox’s car, Wilcox refused to accept the documents and sped down the highway, according to a criminal complaint filed in court.

Wilcox disputes that version of events.

“They waved to me and I thought that meant I could go on,” Wilcox said. “They stopped me again and told me to get out of my car.”

Alaska State Troopers were notified of the incident, and the 354th “initiated a high-risk traffic stop” near 336 Mile Richardson Highway. When Wilcox, a former commander of the Civil Air Patrol, again stopped, he initially refused to roll down his window.

He eventually got out of his vehicle and was told to put his hands behind his back, something he claims is physically impossible for him.

“I showed them I could barely touch my fingertips and they insisted,” he said.

Charging documents allege Wilcox used profanity with the airmen. When they tried to handcuff him, Wilcox, described in court documents as being 6 feet 1 inch tall and 250 pounds, allegedly tried to jerk away from the airmen and used his body to push them around, a claim he also disputes.

After several warnings, one of the airmen used a Taser on Wilcox to take him into custody.

“It hurts like hell,” Wilcox said. “I’m laying on the ground when they Tasered me. It’s painful and very sharp.” More at: newsminer.com

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Another reason to Join us on December 4th. “Stop Taser Torture, blogging for Justice.” as we raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

Don’t forget to support the petition to the United States Congress calling for public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring with Federal funding for the use of Tasers® against American citizens. The United Nation’s Committee against Torture has declared that Taser use can constitute a form of torture, while USA: Amnesty International has an on-going concern about the use of tasers on American citizens. More HERE

Man slits his own throat after officer Tasers him

According to AZ Central News, Surprise police deployed a Taser on a man early Tuesday as he held a knife on a Surprise street. The man then slit his own throat and died, authorities said.

An officer had stopped the 43-year-old man as he drove in a neighborhood near 163rd Avenue and Jomax Road hours after he was reportedly involved in a domestic-violence incident, said Sgt. Mark Ortega.

When the man displayed a large kitchen knife, the officer asked him to drop his weapon. When he did not, the officer used the Taser, Ortega said.

At the same time, the man was holding a knife to his throat. He cut himself across the neck, Ortega said.

Other officers responded to the scene just after 2:40 a.m. and police attempted to provide care before firefighters arrived.

The Surprise man was airlifted to John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital where he was soon pronounced dead. Read More HERE

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Black man with his hands on a squad car when an officer uses a Taser on his neck.

The Minneapolis Police Department is again defending itself against accusations that an officer went too far during an arrest.

Video given to WCCO-TV late Monday night shows a man with his hands on a squad car when an officer uses a Taser on his neck.

Attorney Albert Goins is suing the City of Minneapolis on behalf of his client, Rolando Ruiz. They're asking for $75,000 and that the officer involved be reprimanded.

The video given to WCCO starts only seconds before the Taser is used on Ruiz, not what led up to the incident. But in that time, no struggle can be seen before the officer used his Taser on Ruiz. What is seen is Ruiz with his hands on the hood of the officer's car.

The dash camera of the squad car was rolling when the officer approached Ruiz with Taser in hand. see Video HERE

“I hope we can push this program and get every officer a Taser,” Paolillo said. More HERE

Saturday, October 31, 2009

17 Year Old Tasered For Running From Michigan State Trooper

Trooper uses Taser on fleeing teen

TRAVERSE CITY -- according to the record-eagle.com a Michigan State Police trooper used a Taser to stop a teen girl who ran away from a traffic stop.

Troopers from the Traverse City post attempted to stop a vehicle for erratic driving shortly after 2 a.m. Friday on Milliken Drive near Front Street in Traverse City. The driver refused to stop, and allegedly intentionally sideswiped a state police patrol vehicle that pulled up beside it, police said.

Troopers eventually used a patrol vehicle to force the suspect vehicle against the curb, causing it to stop. The female driver, 17, was arrested for fleeing and eluding and operating while intoxicated. A female passenger, also 17, ran away from police while they conducted sobriety tests on the driver.

A trooper chased, used a Taser on, and subdued the girl, post commander Lt. Bill Elliott said.

"She got a little bit of a head start, (the trooper) was able to close the gap on her but couldn't catch her," Elliott said. "He decided the best way to effect the arrest was to use the Taser."

Elliott said the girl, who is expected to be charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer, wasn't injured.

Elliott contends the officer made the right decision to use the Taser.

"He made the decision to use the Taser, and I support the decision," Elliott said. More HERE

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Join us on December 4th. “Stop Taser Torture, blogging for Justice.” as we raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

Columbia Missouri - Ban Tasers - Coalition to Control Tasers wants to get the issue on next year's ballot.

Columbia Missouri - According to connect mid missouri.com A Columbia group is trying to end the use of Tasers by police.

The Coalition to Control Tasers wants to get the issue on next year's ballot. They want to ban Columbia police officers from using Tasers by Jan. 1, 2011.

Tasers are "much more complexly dangerous weapons than people understand," said Catherine Parke, a Moberly professor and member of the Coalition to Control Tasers.

The group, which wants to take the Taser issue to the voters, says 500 people across the U.S. have been killed by Tasers.

Among those working toward a ban in Columbia is Athena Bashtel, the mother of Stanley Harlan. Harlan was killed in August 2008 when a Moberly police officer Tased him. More HERE

They should join us on December 4th to “Stop Taser Torture, blogging for Justice.” as we raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Stop Taser Torture – Blogging For Justice Day” on Dec 4 2009.

Source: correntewire.com
The stats only tell part of the story. I'm glad to note that there will be a annual December 4th blogging event called, “Stop Taser Torture, blogging for Justice.”

The goal is to unite the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day – Taser Torture in America, Canada and throughout the world.

Amnesty International says that between 2001 and August 2008, 334 Americans died after Taser shocks. The stun gun was deemed to have caused or contributed to at least 50 of those deaths, Amnesty says, citing medical examiners and coroners. Most suspects were unarmed, and many were subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks, according to Amnesty. The human rights group has called for governments to limit the use of stun guns or suspend their use. In November 2007, the UN Committee Against Torture released a statement saying “use of Taser X26 weapons, provoking extreme pain, constituted a form of torture, and… in certain cases, it could also cause death.”

Join in on December 4th. “Stop Taser Torture, blogging for Justice.” as we raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

Contact us at: StopTaserTorture@gmail.com to register your blog.

Visit: Stop Taser Torture

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Tasers, Taser International and messages of the Heart

Well it looks like Taser International has said Uncle. The Makers of TASER devices say don't aim at chest. As reported by many bloggers, including the Electronic Village, news outlets and internet sources, Taser maker Taser International is advising police agencies across the nation to avoid aiming the devices at a suspect’s chest. The Arizona-based company says such action poses an “extremely low” risk of an “adverse cardiac event.” The Atlanta Journal reports that Law enforcement in Atlanta, Gwinnett and Clayton County said they are in the process of scheduling training for their officers who carry Tasers.

“It won’t be a huge change. It’s a difference of a few inches,” said Sgt. Tony Kessler, a training officer for the Clayton County Sheriff. “We still have the back and other parts of the body.”

Gwinnett Police spokesman Cpl. David Schiralli said the Taser manufacturer only “recommended aiming lower towards the abdominal region,” but said the 279 officers who have Tasers will be retrained.

Cobb County Police are already ahead of the game, spokesman Officer Joe Hernandez said. Cobb’s 100 Tasers are carried by only veteran patrol officers, the Tactical Team, Burglary Apprehension Team and robbery interdiction squad. More HERE

The advisory, issued in an Oct. 12 training bulletin, marks the first time that Taser has suggested any risk of ill effects on the heart from the use of its 50,000-volt stun guns. More HERE

Electronic Village reports, Taser International, the maker of taser guns is advising police officers to avoid shooting suspects in the chest with the 50,000-volt weapon, saying that it could pose an extremely low risk of an "adverse cardiac event."

The advisory, issued in an Oct. 12 training bulletin, marks the first time that Taser has suggested any risk of ill effects on the heart from the use of its 50,000-volt taser guns.

Electronic Village goes on to report that critics, including civil-rights lawyers and human-rights advocates, called the training bulletin an admission by Taser that its guns could cause cardiac arrest. For years, Taser officials have said in interviews, court cases and government hearings that the stun gun is incapable of inducing ventricular fibrillation, the chaotic heart rhythm characteristic of a heart attack. More HERE There have been more than 400 deaths in the U.S. and 26 in Canada since 2001, according to a study by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Tasers have contributed to more than 30 of those deaths, according to medical examiners.

Three of those occurred in the Gwinnett County jail after deputies used a Taser on combative inmates. Autopsies showed two of those deaths were the result of heart attacks, but did not cite what caused the cardiac arrest. The other death was ruled the result of “excited delirium” – a combination of cocaine, alcohol and physical exertion that excited his heart too much, according to the medical examiner.

A spokeswoman for the Gwinnett sheriff said Taser International's training bulletin has already been sent out to all of the deputies who carry Tasers. More HERE

"All future training will have it incorporated too," sheriff's spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais said Thursday.

Tasered While Black Publisher: Well it looks like this announcement by Taser International is having major impact on law enforcement standard operating procedures. Let's see if it make any difference on the streets of Amderica, or will cops actually aim at the chest in the future, as a way of killing people?

Boulder, Colorado ACLU wants Tasers holstered

New Guidelines For APD On Taser Gun Use - Albuquerque News Story

Metro Police Change Taser Policy

Police rethink stun-gun policy

Read more on tasering at the following blogs.

Tasered While Black

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

NYPD Orders Cops Not to Aim Tasers At Chest

Yes, NYPD Orders Cops Not to Aim Tasers At the Chest.

Get this, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne tells the Daily News, "Until the NYPD can more fully evaluate the implications of the manufacturer's newly advanced recommendation, we are temporarily adopting Taser International's suggestion." Last year an NYPD officer fired his Taser at an emotionally disturbed man waving a long florescent light bulb atop a first story awning; the man fell to his death and the officer who gave the order to Tase subsequently committed suicide.

A source also tells the News that Taser International did not actually notify the NYPD about the warning. The company has been vigorously defending their product despite repeated deaths and controversy, and some communities have banned officers from using them entirely. Earlier this month, a Florida teenager died after being Tased and falling off bicycle, and at Coachella in April, a naked wizard was Tased multiple times

H/T to Gothamist.com
for the report.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Another black man killed By TASERING

One of my favorite bloggers, Villager, Publisher of the Blog "Electronic Village" has been tracking the tasering issue for some time. His blog has documented 42 taser-related deaths in the United States since the beginning of the year:

Jan 9, 2009: Derrick Jones, 17, Black, Martinsville, Virginia

Jan 11, 2009: Rodolfo Lepe, 31, Hispanic, Bakersfield, California

Jan 22, 2009: Roger Redden, 52, Caucasian, Soddy Daisy, Tennessee

Feb 2, 2009: Garrett Jones, 45, Caucasian, Stockton, California

Feb 11, 2009: Richard Lua, 28, Hispanic, San Jose, California

Feb 13, 2009: Rudolph Byrd, 37, Black, Thomasville, Georgia

Feb 13, 2009: Michael Jones, 43, Black, Iberia, Louisiana

Feb 14, 2009: Chenard Kierre Winfield, 32, Black, Los Angeles, California

Feb 28, 2009: Robert Lee Welch, 40, Caucasian, Conroe, Texas

Mar 22, 2009: Brett Elder, 15, Caucasian, Bay City, Michigan

Mar 26, 2009: Marcus D. Moore, 40, Black, Freeport, Illinois

Apr 1, 2009: John J. Meier Jr., 48, Caucasian, Tamarac, Florida

Apr 6, 2009: Ricardo Varela, 41, Hispanic, Fresno, California

Apr 10, 2009: Robert Mitchell, 16, Black, Detroit, Michigan

Apr 13, 2009: Craig Prescott, 38, Black, Modesto, California

Apr 16, 2009: Gary A. Decker, 50, Black, Tuscon, Arizona

Apr 18, 2009: Michael Jacobs Jr., 24, Black, Fort Worth, Texas

Apr 30, 2009: Kevin LaDay, 35, Black, Lumberton, Texas

May 4, 2009: Gilbert Tafoya, 53, Caucasian, Holbrook, Arizona

May 17, 2009: Jamaal Valentine, 27, Black, La Marque, Texas

May 23, 2009: Gregory Rold, 37, Black, Salem, Oregon

Jun 9, 2009: Brian Cardall, 32, Caucasian, Hurricane, Utah

Jun 13, 2009: Dwight Madison, 48, Black, Bel Air, Maryland

Jun 20, 2009 Derrek Kairney, 36, Race: Unknown, South Windsor, Connecticut

Jun 30, 2009, Shawn Iinuma, 37, Race: Unknown, Fontana, California

Jul 2, 2009, Rory McKenzie, 25, Black, Bakersfield, California

Jul 20, 2009, Charles Anthony Torrence, 35, Caucasion, Simi Valley, California

Jul 30, 2009, Johnathan Michael Nelson, 27, Caucasion, Riverside County, California

Aug 9, 2009, Terrace Clifton Smith, 52, Race: Unknown, Moreno Valley, California

Aug 12, 2009, Ernest Ridlehuber, 53, Race: Unknown, Greenville, South Carolina

Aug 14, 2009, Hakim Jackson, 31, Black, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Aug 18, 2009, Ronald Eugene Cobbs, 38, Black, Greensboro, North Carolina

Aug 20, 2009, Francisco Sesate, 36, Hispanic, Mesa, Arizona

Aug 22, 2009, T.J. Nance, 37, Race: Unknown, Arizona City, Arizona

Aug 26, 2009, Miguel Molina, 27, Hispanic, Los Angeles, California

Aug 27, 2009, Manuel Dante Dent, 27, Hispanic, Modesto, California

Sep 3, 2009, Shane Ledbetter, 38, Caucasian, Aurora, Colorado

Sep 16, 2009, Alton Warren Ham, 45, Caucasian, Modesto, California

Sep 19, 2009, Yuceff W. Young II, 21, Black, Brooklyn, Ohio

Sep 21, 2009, Richard Battistata, 44, Hispanic, Laredo, Texas

Sep 28, 2009, Derrick Humbert, 38, Black, Bradenton, Florida

Oct 2, 2009, Name Not Released, Age: Unknown, Black, Panama City, Florida

One of the greatest bloggers on the planet, Pam of Pam's House Blend has also been leading the fight against taser abuse. I and many other bloggers want congressional hearings on the issue. It's time to stop this 21st century Klan Justice.

Check out what you can do to stop the maddness.

As many black men have been saying... This nothing more than 21st Century Lynching.

What We Think About Taser Abuse

We are not totally against taser use as an alternative to deadly force. We are however against taser abuse by police who would use a taser on the young, elderly, pregnant or physically frail; people offering passive, rather than active resistance; and restrained prisoners. The publisher of this blog is available to conduct presentations on the issue of taser use for police agencies, governmental bodies, and groups in the U.S. and abroad. Contact him via email at: TasedWhileBlack@gmail.com

Two differing views

TWB publisher says: Now that the maker of the TASER is advising police officers to avoid shooting suspects in the chest with the 50,000-volt weapon, saying that it could pose an extremely low risk of an "adverse cardiac event." There will probably be more Taser Torture victims being shot in the back and in the head."

- TWB Publisher Email me: TasedWhileBlack@gmail.com

The blue highlighted area in the adjacent target man represents the preferred target area. TASER has lowered the recommended point of aim from center of mass to lower-center of mass for front shots. (TASER Photo) TASER's New Training Targets More on TASER's new aiming guidelines

Factoid About Tasers

What's In A Name

The name stands for the Thomas A Swift Electric Rifle, an allusion to the weapon carried by the hero of early 20th century science fiction young adult novels.

Tasers fire two barbs (with quarter-inch fishhooks on the end) capable of producing 50,000-volt pulses into the targets' central nervous system.

The shock frazzles the body's electric signals, contracting muscles and incapacitating the target.

Each individual shock lasts up to five seconds, at the discretion of the shooter, allowing police to gain control of chaotic situations.

Aimed by a laser sight, the two probes have a range of 21 feet and are tethered to the gun by lightly insulated wire. Both need to strike skin or clothing to be effective.

Fabric two inches thick or more, though, can render the jolt ineffective.

Tasers can also be used without the probes, by placing the guns end directly onto a suspect's skin, and firing.

The weapons also have small microprocessors inside them that record every time an office shoots them, and how long the shocks lasted.

As the manufacturer has produced lighter and smaller pistol-shaped stun guns in recent years, police departments have purchased Tasers with increased frequency.

--H/T Bill D'Agostino

Tased While Black

Our plan, to track all incidents of taser torture against black folks....