Personal Injury Law

Detroit Police Change Taser Standards After Death

By Michael

A year after a 16-yer-old boy died shortly after he was shocked by a Taser weapon, Detroit-area police departments are changing policies on the weapon?s use.

In October 2009, Taser International, the Arizona-based company who manufacturers the 50,000 volt stunning weapons, sent out an advisory to law enforcement agencies around the country, recommending that officers using Tasers should not fire at a person?s chest, according to the Detroit News.

The company now recommends firing below the chest when shooting at a person facing forward. The suggestion should lessen risks of striking the head, face, neck and chest areas, in order to reduce legal claims and personal injury lawsuits.

Robert Mitchell, 16, died on April 10, 2009 after a Warren Police officer shot him with a Taser, according to the Detroit News. A medical examiner ruled at the time that he died from a heart condition that was likely aggravated by the shock from the Taser.

Mitchell?s family has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Warren Police Department and the city.

A spokesman for Taser International said the new target zone was decided upon after research, risk management knowledge and feedback from their customers. Taser Spokesman Steve Tuttle also said the new target area was not related to Taser incidents in Michigan.

?When used properly, medical and law enforcement experts have concluded that Taser technology is among the most effective response to resistance interventions,? Tuttle said.

But many opponents to the use of Tasers interpret the new firing area as a sign that the weapons can cause death.

?This potential has been known a long time,? attorney William H. Goldman said. ?Now they [Taser] basically admitted it, and what they?ve done is admit the obvious.?

Goldman is the personal injury attorney representing Mitchell?s family in the wrongful death lawsuit.

Within the lawsuit, Mitchell?s family has claimed that the use of a Taser was an act of excessive force that led to Robert Mitchell?s death. Mitchell was a sophomore at Detroit Kettering High School.

Groups that protest police brutality, as well as Mitchell?s relatives, have called for a ban on Tasers as well as a change to Warren Police rules on use of force, according to the Detroit News.

Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer also said the department?s change in Taser use police was not influenced by what he described as the ?tragic? incident. Dwyer also pointed out that officers involved in the tasing of Mitchell were cleared of any wrongdoing.

?The Taser continues to be a very effective tool for us, as far as preventing injuries to police officers,? Dwyer said. ?The target area was modified and that’s all.?

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on May 07, 2010 (boomark / email).