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April 28, 2008
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Ohio department stands by Tasers
By John Futty
The Columbus Dispatch COLUMBUS, Ohio — The death of a 24-year-old man who was subdued with a stun gun last week by police in Oxford won't deter Columbus officers from continuing to use the weapon. "The division is absolutely interested in making sure the weapon is considered safe," said Cmdr. Kim Jacobs of the police-training bureau. "We've got medical examiners and doctors saying that it's generally safe." The safety of Tasers, the brand of stun gun used by Columbus police, was an issue April 14, when City Council members approved additional funding for the weapons. Councilwoman Charleta B. Tavares voted against the funding, saying there isn't enough research into the long-term health effects on those stunned by police. Dr. David Keseg, medical director for the Columbus Fire Division, told council members that an organization of medical directors from the nation's 25 largest cities is preparing to release a position paper on the issue. Taser use "appears relatively safe, particularly when compared to other law-enforcement weapons," he said, quoting from a draft of the group's position. Keseg cited a national study, funded by a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, that reviewed 1,000 cases and found 99.7 percent of individuals subjected to a Taser received minor injuries such as scrapes and bruises, or no injuries. The medical directors are encouraging additional research, he said. Citizen complaints, along with injuries to officers and suspects, have declined in Columbus since officers began using Tasers in 2003, according to a 2006 study by Sgt. Brian Bruce of the division's defensive-tactics unit. Serious injuries to suspects fell from 79 in 2004 to 65 in 2006, the study found. "Twenty years ago, we were taking people to the hospital with lacerations on the head from getting hit with a baton or a flashlight," Jacobs said. "That's not happening anymore, or very rarely." With Tasers, "there's pain for five seconds, and that's about it," she said. A Taser fires barbs that deliver an electric shock designed to incapacitate briefly a dangerous or uncooperative suspect. Officers also can use the Taser in "drive" mode by pressing it directly against a suspect. Keseg said there is some evidence to suggest that suspects with heart disease or who are having psychotic episodes related to drug use or psychological problems could face an increased risk of harm from Tasers, "but that has not been proven scientifically." Two men have died during the past two years in Franklin County after struggles with officers using Tasers: Patrick D. Hagans, 42, died May 14 last year, three days after a Franklin County deputy shocked him during a confrontation that also involved officers from Valleyview and Franklin Township. Briant Parks, 39, died Dec. 3, 2006, after Columbus officers used Tasers in "drive" mode while wrestling with him in the lobby of a Downtown hotel. In both cases, Franklin County Coroner Brad Lewis said autopsies were unable to determine whether the Tasers played a role in the deaths. Both men had heart disease, he found. Hagans also had cocaine in his system and pneumonia. Lewis said schizophrenia and heart disease contributed to Parks' death. Investigators are awaiting autopsy results in the case of Kevin Piskura, who died Thursday, five days after being shocked by an Oxford police officer outside a bar. Police said the officer used the Taser when Piskura fought with him and bouncers. Piskura began having breathing problems at the scene and was taken to a Cincinnati hospital in critical condition. In Columbus, anyone shocked by police must be checked by Fire Division paramedics. Of the 386 people shocked by police in 2007, 8 percent were taken to a hospital for "Taser-related injuries," Keseg said. In some cases, a Taser barb was stuck in a "precarious spot," such as a suspect's eye, and required removal by a doctor, he said. Others "might have experienced chest pain or fell and hit their head." A representative for Taser International did not return a phone message seeking comment. Copyright 2008 The Columbus Dispatch
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