Stun guns get second look after deaths
Published: Sun, Jul. 20, 2008 12:30AM
Modified Sun, Jul. 20, 2008 01:41AM
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closeA North Carolina advocacy group pushing for more restrictions on the use of stun guns is contacting police departments across the state to share a study on the device's risks.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg department, which is reviewing its policy after the death of a 17-year-old stunned by an officer, is one of the departments contacted by the Taser Safety Project. The group's officials say they're especially worried about the department's use of the stun guns on minors.
The project released a study in April that reviewed use of the devices by sheriff's offices in the state and found that improper use of stun guns contributed to 11 deaths in the past four years. The project was a coalition of the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arc of North Carolina, the NAACP and others.
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"No one in the coalition is trying to ban the use of Tasers by law enforcement. It's better than a bullet," said Jennifer Rudinger, the executive director of the ACLU's Raleigh office. "But there's definitely a feeling that there needs to be more awareness of the risks Tasers pose and better training to educate law enforcement about those risks."
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