You may remember that last week (on June 30th to be exact) I posted a story regarding an ACLU report on the abuse and misuse of tasers by Arizona law enforcement agencies: AZ Cops & Tasers. Maricopa Cty: Most Taser Deaths (the link to my Daily Kos Diary, with a slightly different title, but the same information, can be found here). The report by the ACLU came as no surprise to anyone who has been following the number of incidents reported in local news media and on various blogs regarding inappropriate use of tasers by law enforcement personnel across the country.
Yet today, when I checked my email account (the one I use for blogging purposes) I saw I had received the following email from Steve Tuttle, Vice President of Communications at Taser International. Here it is in it’s entirety:
From: “Steve Tuttle”
To:”‘stevendbt@yahoo.com'”I just read your TASER / ACLU AZ posting. Are you open to a conversation about?
Is there a number I can call you at?
Sincerely,
STEVE TUTTLE
Vice President of CommunicationsTASER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
17800 N 85th St · Scottsdale, AZ 85255Media Hotline: 480.444.4000 | ph. 800.978.2737 ext. 2006 | f. 480.515.6306
I thought about why Mr. Tuttle would want to have a conversation with me, when it is the ACLU who prepared the report that documented taser abuse in Arizona. It seems to me that the ACLU is the proper party to discuss any concerns Taser International has regarding the contents of their report, not a lowly blogger such as myself. I’ve certainly posted frequently regarding a great number of stories in which tasers were used to torture, subdue and in some cases even kill individuals when the use of a taser was not appropriate (Google “Steven D” and taser to find many of the blog posts I’ve written regarding tasers), but no one from the company that dominated the market for these weapons ever thought I was important enough to seek out before.
I wonder why now? Could it be that I cited a report that was critical of Taser International? Especially this particular finding that was published in the ACLU’s report:
Finding #5 > Agencies Over-Rely on TASER International for Training
The ACLU found that agencies’ training on Tasers generally fell into three categories: six agencies
supplemented the TASER International training with their own materials; five agencies created their own training materials; and nine agencies reported relying solely on TASER International’s training or provided materials that were nearly identical to the TASER International training.While TASER International’s latest training materials address some of the concerns that the ACLU and other civil and human rights organizations have expressed over the years, it is clear that the company’s own claims are fluid and evolving, and law enforcement agencies cannot depend on TASER International to always present the facts about Tasers.
That same report “A Force to be Reckoned With” also made the following recommendation regarding law enforcement agencies reliance upon instruction and training in the use of Taser International’s products:
Recommendation #3
Mandate Regular Training That Meaningfully Incorporates Agency Rules and Philosophies Regarding Taser UseAgencies should not rely exclusively on TASER International, a profit-driven company, to prepare their officers to use this potentially lethal weapon in the field. TASER International’s materials have focused primarily on technical proficiency, while exaggerating the weapon’s safety and downplaying the potential physiological risks associated with their use.
Reliance on TASER International’s materials will also not shield an agency for liability in the case of a serious injury or death. Agencies with strapped budgets can hardly afford additional lawsuits, not to mention high-dollar judgments. As a matter of fiscal as well as professional and ethical responsibility, agencies should invest in training that inculcates officers with the agency’s own policies on Taser use. Such training should educate officers on the potentially serious consequences of Taser exposure (including death) and how use of the Taser relates to other force options
It’s just a guess, but I’m thinking that those parts of the ACLU’s report were likely Mr. Tuttle’s reason for contacting me. After all, the ACLU’s findings and recommendations are, to say the least, quite damning regarding the manner in which Taser International markets its products and provides training assistance with respect to their use. Findings that might prove damaging in various lawsuits like this one that have been brought against Taser International over the past decade. Indeed, according to this news article, Taser International had 51 pending lawsuits against it as of this March.
Still, I don’t think Tuttle’s concern over how his employer is portrayed in the ACLU report is going to resolved by discussions with yours truly. I merely reported what the ACLU said about Taser International’s training materials. So, after some thought, I replied to Mr. Tuttle, in his capacity as a representative of Taser International, as follows:
Dear Mr. Tuttle
I think the proper people with whom to discuss this matter are the ACLU. I hope you are in contact with them.
What I wrote was based on their report and those newspaper reports about incidents in which tasers have been misused by law enforcement for which I provided links.
Sincerely,
Steve
I sure hope that Taser International is talking to the ACLU, or takes my advice and contacts them directly. Taser International has made a lot of money off the promotion and sale of tasers to law enforcement agencies all across this country. It seems to me that if Taser International has a concern that the ACLU misrepresented any of the facts about the use and abuse of their product, they ought to take it up with the organization that studied and then reported its findings regarding the use of tasers in Arizona, don’t you?
Then again, maybe they’ve already contacted the ACLU and were disappointed with the result of their discussions regarding “A Force to be Reckoned With.” Who knows? I sure don’t. Maybe Mr. Tuttle will let me know.