Ottawa Sun: Shockingly effective

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Thursday, May 24, 2001

Shockingly effective
By ANDREW SEYMOUR, Ottawa Sun

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PRAISING Tasers as a stunning success, Ottawa police are recommending
every front-line officer in Ontario should have access to the high-powered
but non-lethal weapons.

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"We're highly recommending that it has been an effective, less-lethal
option," said tactical team Staff Sgt. Mike Ryan yesterday.

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The Ottawa police recommendation follows a 12-month test period where
the incapacitating Taser technology was used 17 times in subduing
emotionally disturbed or combative suspects in the capital.

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The recommendation will be outlined in a report submitted to the Ministry of
the Solicitor General and the Ottawa Police Services Board at the end of

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Ottawa Sun: Shockingly effective

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the Solicitor General and the Ottawa Police Services Board at the end of
May. "We've found it's been much more effective than the other less-lethal
options we have available to us," said Ryan.
'HUMANE'
"This has been found to be more effective than pepper spray and it is
certainly more humane than the use of an asp (baton)," he said.
The Ottawa police currently have 15 Tasers, which are capable of sending a
50,000-volt electrical current to an unco-operative suspect. The number of
Tasers could soon grow, though, as Ottawa Police Chief Vince Bevan
recently said he hoped to have the weapon in every supervisor's vehicle. In
April, the Ministry of the Solicitor General extended Ottawa's trial period
indefinitely.
Ryan said one of the most successful uses of the Taser was when tactical
officers stopped a suicidal woman who was threatening to throw her sevenyear-old son off a Queensway overpass before jumping off herself.
"I don't think we have any other weapon in our arsenal that could have dealt
with that," said Ryan, adding only once did the Taser fail to initially subdue
its intended target.
Ryan said in the majority of cases where the weapon was used, police were
dealing with emotionally disturbed people who suffered from mental illness.
In nearly half the cases, the person was armed with a sharp-edged weapon
and threatened to hurt themselves or others.
PARALYZING BURST

FYI NETWORK

fyicalgary
f i d
t

fyiottawa
f it
t

"(The Taser) actually overpowers the neuromuscular reaction, which is why
it works on people who are psychotic or in a chemically induced state " said

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Ottawa Sun: Shockingly effective

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fyiedmonton
fyilondon

fyitoronto
fyiwinnipeg

it works on people who are psychotic or in a chemically induced state, said
Ryan.

icimontreal

iciquebec

NEWSPAPERS / MAGAZINES

The Tasers deliver a pulsating and paralyzing burst of electricity from two
tiny probes. The probes, which look like tiny darts, are connected to wires
that lead back to the Taser. They can be fired from as far as 21 feet away and
deliver a powerful shock through as much as two inches of clothing.

Sun Media Newspapers

The incapacitating pain from the electrical jolt goes away almost as soon as
the current is turned off.
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