Cheryl Chan, The Province October 8, 2009 2:11 PM
The company that manufactures Tasers has issued a new “targeting guide” to police who use the weapons. In a Sept. 30 training bulletin, TASER International instructed users to avoid targeting the chest area in order to avoid impact to the heart. “When possible, avoiding chest shots with ECDs [electronic control devices] avoids the controversy about whether ECDs do or do not affect the human heart,” said the bulletin, which is posted on the company’s website. While maintaining the safety of the weapons, the company recommends users aim for the abdomen, legs or back. The website also includes a diagram highlighting the recommended target areas on a suspect’s body.
Vancouver police spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton said their members have been issued the new directive. “We are training to aim at lower centre mass as of yesterday,” said Houghton. Previously, officers were trained to aim at the upper chest and upper back area, he said. B.C. RCMP have not yet returned Province calls whether they are implementing the new guidelines.
TASER International said the new directive improves the safety of the weapons and enhances officers' ability to defend themselves against post-event lawsuits. Should a suspect die of sudden cardiac arrest after being hit by a Taser in the chest area, it would place the officer, the law enforcement agency, and TASER International in the “difficult situation of trying to ascertain what role, if any, the Taser ECD could have played.”
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