Are there ways of ensuring that a TASER energy device deployment is captured on body-worn video (BWV) camera for greater transparency? Can you track TASER energy device usage?

Q: Ok so voltage isn’t as dangerous as current, but still, how many volts of electricity does a TASER energy device deliver?

Although the FBI supported both systems for many years, the bureau discontinued accepting data through Uniform Crime Reports as of Jan. 1, 2021 and began encouraging law enforcement agencies to switch to NIBRS.

A: TASER energy devices are designed to incapacitate a subject long enough for law enforcement to secure the subject or for civilians to begin to move away from aggressors. However, TASER energy devices can be used on a single subject for longer than the initial 5-second cycle where justified. A user can deploy a back-up cartridge to maximise probe spread and improve NMI effectiveness, or re-energise probes that have already made a successful connection when compliance is not yet achieved. Either scenario would incapacitate a subject for another electrical cycle or for as long as probes are re-energised. It is therefore imperative for both public safety and civilians to be trained on TASER best practices and follow any agency or state policies and laws that that guide TASER energy device use.

“Overall, in 84% of the cases, the NIBRS data matched that of the law enforcement agencies,” said co-author Theodore P. Cross, a professor of social work and senior research specialist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “But there were some factors that led to errors – one being delays in arrests and another being the use of a single data field to enter both arrests and summonses.”

“We think that NIBRS really could improve the quality of crime data in the U.S., especially now that the FBI is committing wholeheartedly to it and recruiting more and more police agencies to participate,” Cross said. “Attention to the human processes behind the data is going to pay off in understanding the information we’re collecting and improving the collection process.”

Some of the other false negatives the team found resulted from a design flaw in NIBRS. While the user manual instructs staff to enter both summonses and arrests in the “arrests” data field, some users were unaware of that. Thus, more than half of the summonses issued for crimes in the sample were not recorded in NIBRS.

A: Pepper spray, or OC spray, works by spraying a chemical compound, causing temporary blindness. This spray effects the eyes, ears, nose, and throat and can cause burning and itchy eyes for a full 24 hours after exposure. In contrast, TASER energy device exposures are typically over in about 5 seconds and are not designed to result in lingering immobility or pain. However, exposure to a TASER energy device can be painful for individuals during that brief electrical cycle, so an exposure to a TASER energy device should be treated seriously. After exposure to a TASER energy device, it is recommended a subject be monitored for 20 minutes to ensure they are feeling well.

How doesaTaser workon the body

“This is a human process in which a sophisticated data collection task is put on the shoulders of law enforcement professionals who have a million different responsibilities,” Cross said. “There were factors that detracted from the data’s accuracy that can be identified and addressed through support, training and resources.”

A: Most TASER energy devices have a 5-year recommended useful life. When a TASER energy device is deployed, the used cartridge is discarded, but the TASER energy device can be reloaded with a new cartridge and deployed again.

Although police departments can update cases when arrests or summonses occur after the initial data entry, staff members may fail to make these updates because they have competing responsibilities or they are unaware that arrests have been made, Cross said. Thus, the department’s arrests may be underrepresented in NIBRS.

TASER energy devices use electrical current to induce neuromuscular incapacitation. When a TASER energy device is deployed at a distance, 2 probes are released from the weapon. When both of these probes enter a subject, a circuit is created. Basically, we send a signal to all the muscles in between the 2 probes telling them to flex. For these few seconds, the subject is not controlling these muscles, and thus they become immobilised. This is the same technology you see in off-the-shelf muscle stimulators used for rehab and muscle therapy.

A team of researchers led by Theodore P. Cross examined the accuracy of arrest data in the FBI’s National Incident-Based Report System for crimes that occurred in Massachusetts. Cross is a professor of social work and senior research specialist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Unlike all other force options, the TASER energy device records event logs for every user action, including safety activation and trigger event duration with times and dates. Pulse logs also display an objective pulse-by-pulse record of delivered electrical output. This information is recorded for safety and objective accountability. TASER logs can be ingested into Axon Evidence and linked to evidence files and BWV footage to create a more comprehensive view of an incident for investigation purposes.

Howdo tasersworkdiagram

TASER energy devices are designed for safety, effectiveness, objective accountability and performance. As deploying a TASER energy device constitutes a use of force, documentation is important to assess proper usage. With Signal technology enabled, drawing a TASER energy device sends an alert to an Axon body-worn video camera to start recording to ensure the incident is captured.

TASERself defense

In fact, a single Christmas tree light bulb outputs more than 100 times more current than TASER energy devices. (Light bulb = 156mA, X2/X26P = 1.2 mA, TASER 7 = 1.4 mA)

A: No, TASER energy devices do not electrocute subjects. TASER energy devices use electrical current to temporarily incapacitate subjects by inducing neuromuscular incapacitation, or NMI. NMI is simple. Basically, TASER energy devices send a signal to your muscles telling them to flex. This is the same technology you see in off-the-shelf muscle stimulators used for rehab and muscle therapy. The amount of current actually delivered in this signal is extremely low, far below the amount needed to electrocute someone.

Stun gun vsTaser

Cross said NIBRS’ designers created a single data field for reporting arrests and summonses to streamline an otherwise rigorous data entry task. However, this can lead to underreporting of summonses because users typically differentiate arrests – i.e., taking a suspect into physical custody – from summoning someone to appear in court.

Likewise, TASER energy devices result in safer outcomes for subjects as well. Seattle Police Department in the United States reported a 48% reduction in suspect injury in use of force incidents following the introduction of TASER energy devices [4]. In France, there was a 15% decrease in lethal force firearm usage against suspects in volatile situations [5].

A: TASER energy devices work by circulating electrical current through a subject, causing temporary immobility. However, the level of current delivered is actually quite low, well below the level necessary to interfere with a pacemaker. In fact, pacemakers are required by regulation to withstand an AED shock, which has thousands of times more energy than a TASER energy devices. So no, TASER energy devices will not stop a pacemaker.*

A: When a TASER energy device is deployed, 2 probes are released from the weapon at a pre-determined angle. When these probes make contact with a subject, the area between the 2 probes will receive the signal to flex.

A: Less than 2,000 volts of electricity typically flow into a subject when a TASER energy device makes a connection. And this electricity flows at a very low current, in a precise waveform, which is why TASER energy devices are tested and proven to have a reliable cardiac safety profile.

Can ataserkill you

About 85% of the Massachusetts law enforcement agencies that voluntarily report crime statistics utilize NIBRS, while the remaining agencies use a different system called Uniform Crime Reports, according to the study.

TASER, TASER 7, X2, X26P, Bolt 2, Pulse and Pulse+ are trademarks of Axon Enterprise, Inc., some of which are registered in the United States and other countries. For more information, visit axon.com/legal. All rights reserved. © 2023 Axon Enterprise, Inc

For example, in the sexual assault cases, 40% of the arrests were made a day or more after the crimes happened, according to the study.

Taserprice

“TASER [energy devices] undoubtedly provid[e] safer outcomes for police, the public – and the subject,” comments Superintendent Chris Scahill, National Manager of Police Response and Operation, New Zealand [6]. In fact, zero subject injuries were recorded from 212 uses of TASER energy devices in a New Zealand study [7].

*Kroll, M.W., Brave, M.A., Pratt, H.M.O. et al. Benefits, Risks and Myths of TASER Handheld Electrical Weapons. Hum Factors Mech Eng Def Saf 3, 7 (2019).

NIBRS is considered one of the most important resources for crime statistics in the U.S., and data from it have been used in a number of groundbreaking studies. However, the team cautioned that crime trends based on NIBRS data may not be representative of the U.S. as a whole since the police agencies currently utilizing it cover just 29% of the U.S. population.

Cross conducted the research with Alex Wagner, the director of research analytics at Emory University, and Daniel Bibel, of Criminal Justice Consultation and Research.

However, slightly more than 13% of the cases in the sample were false negatives that incorrectly recorded in NIBRS that they had not been resolved by an arrest or summons. The researchers’ analysis showed that the majority of these false negatives occurred in cases where a summons was issued rather than an arrest made.

No, in many cases, drawing and displaying a TASER energy device without an actual deployment is sufficient to safely resolve a situation. A UK police study showed that in 81% of cases, simply displaying a TASER energy device was enough to gain compliance from a subject and de-escalate the incident [8]. The figures rose to 88% of subjects surrendering after a TASER was displayed in Finland [9] and 93% in Ontario, Canada [10]. This intervening step helps offer a layer of protection in dangerous situations to de-escalate. “It can be seen that the use of the TASER [energy device] prevented police officers from having to use more force on dozens of occasions,” noted a report on pilot deployments in Central, East, and North Netherlands, as well as Rotterdam, the Netherlands [11].

Note that some TASER energy devices can be used in both drive-stun and probe mode, but probe mode is preferred because it is much more effective in stopping a threat.

The data sample included two of Massachusetts’ most frequent violent crimes – aggravated assault and sexual assault – along with simple assault and intimidation cases.

A: No, TASER energy devices and stun guns are not the same. With the average stun gun, the weapon works by inflicting localized pain to discourage a particular behavior. The weapon is turned on and driven into an attacker (drive-stun), allowing electricity to travel through their outer layer of skin and deliver a sharp pain for as long as the weapon is held in contact with the exposed area.

How doesaTaserfeel

NIBRS collects greater detail about crimes, and more widespread use by police agencies could be a boon for crime researchers, Cross said.

A: TASER energy devices are designed to temporarily incapacitate a subject only as long as the electrical cycle, meaning the subject can recover immediately and most feel no residual side-effects. There are no known long-term effects from being exposed to a TASER energy device. This is significant given that there are more than 850 reports, abstracts, studies and reference materials on TASER energy devices, in addition to approximately 5 million field deployments over 25 years.

When the authors of the current study compared the statuses of a statewide sample of 480 cases in NIBRS with data they collected directly from the Massachusetts jurisdictions where the crimes occurred, they found that about 16% of the cases incorrectly indicated in NIBRS whether arrests were made or summonses were issued.

The paper “The accuracy of arrest data in the National Incident-Based Reporting Systems (NIBRS)” is available online or from the News Bureau.

Some of the most populous U.S. cities, including Boston and Chicago, currently do not use NIBRS because they have their own data systems. In Illinois, just 1% of the state’s law enforcement agencies report statistics using NIBRS, Wagner said.

An NIBRS expert who managed the Massachusetts State Police Crime Reporting Unit for 27 years, Bibel helped the team obtain a random sample of cases for the study, which was funded by the National Institute of Justice and published in the journal Crime and Delinquency.

False negatives were significantly associated with delayed arrests, Cross said. “If an arrest was made a day or more after the crime occurred, the accuracy of the NIBRS data was significantly lower.”

So, the closer you deploy a TASER energy device to a subject, the less distance there will be between the probes. This means there is less muscle mass to stimulate, generally resulting in lower NMI. It is recommended that the probes be at least 12 inches apart to have the greatest potential for NMI. Different TASER energy devices deploy probes at different angles.

A: Contrary to popular belief, what makes electricity dangerous to humans doesn’t have much to do with voltage, but rather with current. When voltage passes through an object or subject at a very high current, that can be dangerous. TASER energy devices use a relatively low current, which provides a reliable safety profile and allows them to be classified as less-lethal weapons.

According to the study, suspects were arrested in more than 33% of the cases, and a summons was issued in slightly more than 18% of them.

Taserfor women

“Officers deserve the protection it [TASER] affords them,” says Simon Chesterman, the Armed Policing Lead for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in the UK [3].

The team also found a small proportion of cases that were false positives – probable data entry errors, they hypothesized – that incorrectly indicated in NIBRS that suspects were arrested or summoned to court.

TASER technology is one of the most studied, safe and effective means of quickly stopping a threat. So, why are there so many misconceptions and myths around TASER energy devices? As with most topics shrouded in mystery, the misconceptions stem from a lack of understanding.

TASER energy devices offer a less-lethal, intermediate force option in dangerous situations. Proven to be safer than other uses of force, including firearms, baton strikes, punches, and kicks [see graph below], TASER energy devices give officers a reliable tool on their belt. In Orlando, Florida, police found a 50% decrease in attacks on officers after the introduction of TASER energy devices [1], and Queensland Police Service in Australia found a 40% reduction in officer assaults following the introduction of TASER energy devices [2].

Furthermore, law enforcement and professional TASER energy device models released after 2011 are designed on an all-digital platform, allowing the energy weapon to provide objective analytics of use.

Nearly 41% of the sexual assault cases in the sample were false negatives, as were 32% of the intimidation cases, more than 19% of the aggravated assault cases and nearly 16% of the simple assaults, the researchers found.

Let’s look at some of the most frequently asked questions related to TASER energy devices and better understand a less-lethal technology that has been integral in saving more than 275,000 lives from death or serious bodily injury.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As more police agencies transition to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System for crime reporting, a study of one state’s data found that a design flaw in NIBRS, the timings of arrests and human factors can lead to discrepancies.

Front-line police deserve to be protected by equipment that not only protects them, but the public too. This was the vision behind TASER energy devices, less-lethal devices that were designed and created to make the world a safer place. With over 850 reports, abstracts, letters, studies, and resource materials, and more than 5 million field deployments in nearly 30 years, TASER energy devices are proven to be the most safe and effective less-lethal tool on an officer’s belt.