Calls for Restrictions on Taser Gun Use

As local law enforcement agencies follow a national trend in arming officers with Taser stun guns, civil rights groups are expressing alarm that some departments allow the liberal use of the weapons instead of limiting their use to situations where a life is in danger. Warning that more than 70 suspects nationwide have died after being shocked by Tasers in the past five years -- including 10 in August alone -- the American Civil Liberties Union urged San Francisco police commissioners last week to restrict their use to confrontations where "there is an imminent threat to human life."  Critics and medical experts question the thoroughness of safety research sponsored by the stun gun manufacturer and say more independent studies are needed to resolve concerns that Tasers pose a risk to suspects who are agitated mental patients, intoxicated or have pre-existing heart ailments. [more ]