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A Tour of Taser HQ

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the don't-tase-me-bro dept.

Soychemist writes "Walk into the Taser headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona and it may seem like you are on an episode of Get Smart. The foyer is like a fortress, with giant steel doors and biometric identification systems. Inside, factory workers meticulously assemble the less-lethal weapons by hand and then put them through a battery of safety tests. In addition to making pistol-shaped devices, the company also produces the electronic equivalent of a claymore mine, which hurls dozens of electrified needles at the push of a button and electronic shotgun cartridges that deliver a powerful jolt."

4 of 334 comments (clear)

  1. Re:and all I can think by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Informative

    Based on the following excerpt, from page 19 of the X26C operator's manual, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that "more humanitarian" would be seen as a defect. The last three lines are particularly... Suggestive.

    "Page 19
    TASER® X26C Operating Manual

    DRIVE-STUN BACKUP
    Drive-stun capability is available with or without a TASER Cartridge installed. The drive-
    stun mode will not cause NMI and generally becomes primarily a pain compliance option.
    Probe deployment is usually considered more desirable, even at close range. Some of the
    advantages include:
    Drive-stun is only effective while the device is in contact with the subject or the
    subject's clothing. As soon as the device is moved away, the energy efiect stops.
    Deploying the probes allows the user to create distance between the user and the
    subject while maintaining control.
    Due to automatic reflex actions, most subjects will struggle to separate from the
    TASER device. When the TASER device is used in the drive-stun mode and the subject
    struggles to get away it may be difficult to maintain contact between the device and
    the subject.
    If the probes are deployed, even at very close range, the user may be able to use
    drive-stun to another portion of the body that is farther away from the probes,
    thereby resulting in enhanced NMI effect.
    If the drive-stun is not effective, evaluate the location of the drive-stun and consider an
    additional cycle to a different pressure point.
    When using the drive-stun, push (drive) the front of the TASER X26C firmly against the body
    of the subject. Simply "touching" the X26C against the subject is not sufficient. The subject
    is likely to recoil and try to get away from the stun electrodes. It is necessary to aggressively
    drive the front of the X26C into the subject for maximum efiect.
    The drive-stun works more effectively when aggressively applied to pressure points on nerve
    bundles. This includes the brachial area, common peronial, mastoid, and pelvic triangle. The
    TASER X26C must be actively depressed or aggressively driven into the nerve bundles in a
    "drive-stun" manner to be effective in the drive-stun mode.
    RECOMMENDED DRIVE-STUN AREAS FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT
    Drive the X26C into the following areas for maximum effectiveness.
    Carotid (sides of neck) (see warning below).
    Brachial plexus tie-in (upper chest).
    Radial (forearm).
    Pelvic triangle (see warning below).
    Common peronial (Outside of thigh).
    Tibial (calf muscle).
    WARNING: Use care when applying a drive-stun to the neck or pelvic triangle. These areas
    are sensitive to mechanical injury (such as crushing to the trachea or testicles if applied
    forcefully). However, these areas have proven highly effective targets."

  2. Re:Less Lethal... by Duradin · · Score: 5, Informative

    You don't want to rely on pain for compliance. It just doesn't work on all people. The electric shock of a taser screws with the target's muscles, it's not just pain.

    Grab on to a non-pulse electric fence sometime near the fencing unit. Try to let go.

  3. Re:Taser Use by bcmm · · Score: 4, Informative
    You make a number of point, but no attempt to link them to each other.

    Before tasers, an officer wasn't allowed to just knock a suspect out with a nightstick if he was worried he'd try and run. How is using a Taser different? Both are incapacitating, and both carry a risk of fatal injury.

    You have a beef with a ticket? Being arrested? Have your day in court. Sue afterward for unlawful prosecution. Knock yourself out.

    No where in the constitution does it give you the right impede the police officers duty. If he is wrong, it will be found out in a court of law.

    I don't understand the relevance of this point, unless you're trying to imply that people who dislike indiscriminate use of tasers are dislike it because it makes it harder for them to kill cops at traffic stops.

    Any time a suspect does not comply with the officers direction, it is a life or death situation. Period.

    Saying "Period." after a sentence seems to be some sort of shorthand for "please don't question that bit; it's a little shaky". If an unarmed shoplifter is running from police, and is asked to stop, and doesn't, why is it life or death situation? Should he be tasered (which, after all, carries the risk of fatal complications)? If this had happened before the use of tasers, should he have been shot?

    --
    # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
    Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
  4. Re:Less Lethal... by h4rr4r · · Score: 4, Informative

    The need might be rare, but the use of them sure is not.

    Like when you need to get someone who has a broken back to stand up.
    http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/93135/teen_with_broken_back_tasered_19_times_for_not_standing_up_when_ordered/

    Or when you think a diabetic might be giving you trouble.
    http://www.digtriad.com/news/features/article.aspx?storyid=115481&catid=216

    Or if you have a deaf and disabled man you need to get out of a store:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/antonio-love-ala-police-u_n_246081.html