Chicago Study Calls Taser's Safety Claims Into Question

According to Taser International's website, "independent medical and scientific experts have determined Taser devices to be among the safest use-of-force options available." Taser director Mark Kroll has also published a paper called Safety of Taser Electronic Devices, in which he says when electricity kills, it is an immediate death that occurs within four seconds because electricity can't linger in a living being's body "like a poison." But Bob Walker, one of the lead researchers on the Chicago study, said the fact that one of the pigs died three minutes after being stunned is significant. "It says that the effect of the Taser shot can last beyond the time when it's being delivered," he said. "So, after the Taser shock ends, there can still be effects that can be evoked and you can still see cardiac effects." Thomas Smith, the co-founder of Taser International, is set to testify before the parliamentary committee on public safety and national security in Ottawa on Wednesday, where he'll face questions on the safety and use of the weapons. More: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/01/30/taser-study.html

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