Larry Dighera wrote:
On Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:13:37 -0400, "Mortimer Schnerd, RN"
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote in
:

Larry Dighera wrote:
Is airline passenger abuse on the rise as a result of passenger
reaction to airline delays?


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...r.html?ref=rss

What passenger abuse? The man was out of control until the cops zapped him.

It sounds like the passenger was maniacal well after that. Have you
any idea how long a Taser is capable of sustained high-voltage output?

Yes

Is it controllable by the LEO?

In a fashion. Their only control with regards to this is to pull the
trigger. On or off.

Until a dart is removed, I would think the LEO could continue to apply
high-voltage until the battery was
exhausted.

The ones in use in my locale (the 5 county area surrounding Houston,
Texas, by numerous city and county LEO's) have a 5 second burst per
trigger pull. They also have recording capability from a data standpoint.

I asked one officer I work with on a regular basis if he'd ever deployed
his for cause (not training or test) and he answered twice. Once for one
shock, and once for 7 shocks. The suspect in the 7 shock event didn't
understand that it was unnacceptable to keep lashing, lunging, kicking
or biting the police officers during apprehension, nor was it acceptable
to kick out the rear window of the transporting patrol car despite
repeated warnings. This event was deemed justified on review.






He must have had a weak heart... maybe helped along by some chemical recreational
aids.

Perhaps. I doubt the coroner will find the passenger to have expired
as a result of the Mounties arresting the passenger. It would be
interesting to know where the darts hit the passenger.

If it was across the chest, I can see how the Taser may have
precipitated a heart attack.

I cant. A taser is not a defibrillator, nor a cardioverter. All use
electricity, but in different manners. The energy involved is much
different. The capacitors involved in medical devices such as external
defibrillators are larger than the entire taser device, and the energy
involved is orders of magnitude larger.

The energy flows from dart to dart and the path of least resistance is
across the skin and skeletal muscles. Lungs, bone and other tissues have
increased resistance, which is why so much more energy is used for
medical purposes such as defibrillation. You AIM a taser at the center
of mass.. so by definition you are aiming at the chest and back.



You consider controlling a berserk person abuse? What should the cops have
tried first? Time out?

Mace? Wrestle him to the floor? A net? Something with less lethal
potential than 100,000 volts?

Maybe they should try asking the suspect nicely and offer him a hug.