Tazer

[rdenman26]

We just had a protocol for tased patients. Says threat the barbs as impailed objects.

[shuttledude]

At our local E.D. we had a tazeree brought in as a 911 since the darts were considered "penetrating wounds to the abdomen." How silly was that. He was numbed with lido and the darts were yanked straight out. Upon close examination, I found that the darts had grooves on them aligned exactly with the barbs at the tip. Has anyone else noted this? It could make removal much easier if one knew where the barbs were inside the skin.

At this E.D. it's the doc's preference if he wants to numb before yanking the darts out, or not. Interesting process.

[Nate]

I know this sounds kind of f*cked up...but I saw a guy who just wouldn't listen and he kept getting shocked...it was kind of funny because he kept trying to punch the cop and kept getting shocked.

I went to put the pulse ox on him and he started screaming after he finally gave up.

[DT4EMS]

I have been Tased three times. Two were drive stuns and the third was a short ride. Not the full five.

We (at the PD) remove the "barbs" unless a sensivitve area is involved.

[strippel]

I'd gladly offer to be tased, if I could carry one on duty.

Our Po just ordered them, so we will soon see them used quite a bit.

Where I work part time, the police have had them for about 2 years. For being a nice suburban area, they get used....a lot.

[rdenman26]

And to think if they had just shot him in the head the British wouldn't have to pay for a trial and imprisonment.

They tried that, and shot a suspect serveral times in the head but he turned out to be an inocent electrician from brazil (I think). They followed hime from a residence, through the streets on a bus and finally shot him on a tube train. Really dodgy thing was the officers accounts did not match the CCTV footage.

[Ace844]

Hello Everyone,

I saw this recent study and tought it may be helpful to all of you who 'practice' in this arena. I hope this helps,

ACE844

Objectives: The TASER is a conducted electrical weapon (CEW) that has been used on people in custody. Individuals occasionally die unexpectedly while in custody, proximal to the application of a CEW. In this study, the authors sought to examine the effects of CEW application in resting adult volunteers to determine if there was evidence of induced electrical dysrhythmia or direct cellular damage that would indicate a causal relationship between application of the device and in-custody death.

Methods: Human subjects (N = 66) underwent 24-hour monitoring after a standard CEW application. Blood samples were collected before and after exposure and again at 16 and 24 hours after exposure. A subpopulation (n = 32) had 12-lead electrocardiography performed at similar time intervals. Blood samples were analyzed for markers of skeletal and cardiac muscle injury and renal impairment. The electrocardiograms were read by a cardiologist blinded to the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: There was no significant change from baseline at any of the four time points for serum electrolyte levels and the blood urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio. An increase in serum bicarbonate and creatine kinase levels was noted at 16 and 24 hours. An increase in serum lactate level was noted immediately after exposure that decreased at 16 and 24 hours. Serum myoglobin level was increased from baseline at all three time points. All troponin levels measured were < 0.3 ng/mL, except for a single value of 0.6 ng/mL in a single subject. This subject was evaluated, and no evidence of acute myocardial infarction or disability was identified. At baseline, 30 of 32 electrocardiograms were interpreted as normal. The two abnormal electrocardiograms were abnormal at baseline and remained the same at all four time points.

Conclusions: In this resting adult population, the TASER X26 CEW did not affect the recordable cardiac electrical activity within a 24-hour period following a standard five-second application. The authors were unable to detect any induced electrical dysrhythmias or significant direct cardiac cellular damage that may be related to sudden and unexpected death proximal to CEW exposure. Additionally, no evidence of dangerous hyperkalemia or induced acidosis was found. Further study in the area of the in-custody death phenomenon to better understand its causes is recommended.

[PCB]

A friend sent this concerning TASERS.....

Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. This was submitted by a guy who purchased his lovely wife a "pocket Taser" for their anniversary.

Last weekend I saw something at Ski's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 36th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife, Toni. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser are supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety.... WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two triple-a batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. Awesome! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Toni what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-a batteries, right?

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh- and blood-moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; (pretty cute really and loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-a batteries) thinking to myself, "no possible way!"

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best. I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say "Don't do it, idiot.". Reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad, I decided to give myself a one-second burst just for the heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and HOLY MOTHER, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION @!@$$!%!@$!!@~$%^&**&%$$##@!!~~^!@+*!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs. The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking, "Do it again, do it again!".

Note: If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three-second burst would be considered conservative.

SON-OF-A-...!! That hurt like hell!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they up get there? My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I'm still looking for my testicles? I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return.

Still in shock,

Art

[*** CDN BACON ***]

I have had the gas, OC'd and Tazered...they all suck....Tazer is great piece of kit....tactical and supervisors only in this neck of the woods...just need a couple big lawsuits where the SGT. was not avl and the the officers shot the dirtbag....."Why oh why wasn't little Joey Tazed"...then presto everyone will have them

[windsong]

I have the flu and my nephew and niece show up, nothing out of the ordinary then I hear some swearing and I ask what the heck is going on here? My 20 yr old nephew owns the same thing Art owned which by the way ART TY for the funny bio I enjoyed that and TY again for not hurting your cat as I am a cat lover I own 2.

My nephew says let me try this on you, I'm like hell you are, the flu is bad enough I dont need you zapping me, so he goes back and zaps his 13 yr old sister. I dont think he realizes the conquences on this, it's not a toy, 100,000 volts sounds like the chair you'd get if it were death row but probably 10 times worse.

WARNING: DONT TRY THIS ON YOUR LOVED ONES/HAS BAD SIDE EFFECTS!! WORSE CASE SCENARIO