PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

The Tasers are coming! The Tasers are coming!
by stephen donahue Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004 at 8:08 AM

Just in time for Spring some of our city's finest will be armed with the life saving weapon.

Seems that the tasers ordered for our Pittsburgh city police are arriving. Soon 150 Pittsburgh police will be equipped with these. The chief of police would like to have ordered more but as we all know the city is in fiscal turmoil these days. Still the police department was able to find $120,000.00 for 150 tasers. Yes, these are the devices that shoot fine wires with a barb that allows these wires to affix themselvs to you. Then comes the charge. Down you go.

These tasers are being sold as life savers. Hmmm, how many in Miami who were victims of police tasers were a threat to anybody's life or well being? None. No these tasers will be used on peaceful demonstrators who just don't get off the street quickly enough for the bulls. They will be a new (for this city) and frightening instrument of state repression.

I want to know just what is the protocol for using these things. Do we get a verbal warning? If I simply ignore a police command does that warrant getting shot with a taser? Can we hold the police accountable for their taser use?

Supposedly the police do not use their guns except in certain circumstances. Now that they will have a gun that does not kill but only renders a person immobile they will be much more inclined to use it. That is the issue. That is the rub.

The good news is that these taser things are only good at 20 feet or closer.

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