From Deseret News archives:
Are Tasers good tools for police — or deadly force?
After five seconds, her body went limp. It was over.
"I've never felt pain like that before," said Michelle Frampton, after an instructor pulled two Taser barbs out of her back. "I was trying to curl up into a ball. It hurt a lot."
During a recent Taser-training exercise at the Utah County Jail, Frampton was the only Utah County sheriff's deputy who volunteered to get struck with the Taser probes and shocked for the full five-second charge to experience the tool she'll be carrying on her belt. Others had probes taped on for a two-second exposure.
"It's a very good weapon, absolutely," the new deputy said. "(Now) I'll understand what (people shocked with the Taser are) going through. You don't want to hold (the trigger) longer than you have to."
Tasers continue to gain popularity both as an effective tool for police officers and a lighting rod for medical controversy.
YouTube is full of videos showing officers using Tasers and civilians screaming about police brutality. Utah Highway Patrol trooper Jon Gardner made national news when he used his Taser on Jared Massey on the side of the road in eastern Utah. Massey had refused to cooperate and walked away, putting his hands in his pockets.
Andrew Meyer, a student at the University of Florida, has forever immortalized the phrase, "Don't Tase me, bro," after he peppered Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry with questions during a speech and refused to obey officers' requests to calm down.
So how often are these weapons being used in Utah? And how are they being monitored?
The Deseret News requested records through the Government Records Access Management Act from several Utah police agencies to see just how often officers are using Tasers on residents.
From 2003 to 2007 in Utah County alone, Tasers were deployed 162 times. Add in Salt Lake City, West Valley City and St. George and the number of Taser incidents rises to 428.
What is a Taser?
A Taser, which is actually an acronym for the weapon used by its inventor's favorite book hero, the Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle, looks nothing like a rifle. In fact, the weapon uses compressed air so it isn't considered a gun. Instead of shooting bullets, a Taser deploys barb-filled cartridges.
When it's deployed, the barbs fly out of the cartridge and stick in clothing or skin.
The X26, the most common Taser, has a potential maximum of 50,000 volts when it's not hitting a human. When it makes contact it's around 1,500 to 3,000 volts.
