As such, many of the deployments of conducted energy devices or CEDs indicate with history that the above set standard is not followed. Many law enforcement agencies, time and again, use them to subdue non-compliant or mentally disturbed individuals who do not pose a direct threat.
There were 404 deaths in the United States between June of 2001 and April 16, 2009 following the use of CED”s. Some were mentally ill, some on drugs, some foolish ? virtually all were unarmed. The oldest 63, youngest 15.
In most cases the coroners have attributed the deaths to other causes. However, in at least 50 cases the CED was listed as a contributory factor. In 32 cases the CED was in direct relation to the death.
Delivering high voltage, low current disrupts the central nervous system, causing muscle contractions. One CED model, the M26, was introduced into law enforcement in 1999. The X26, slightly more powerful, smaller and lighter, came in 2003. Battery powered and shaped like a hand gun it fires two darts (probes) propelled by compressed nitrogen from a retractable cartridge. The darts have barbs on the end that attach to the target”s skin or clothing, remaining connected to the hand-held unit from between 15 to 35 feet. The trigger is depressed and an incapacitating shock is delivered, causing the individual to collapse with uncontrollable muscle spasms. They are programmed to be activated in an automatic five-second burst, although the officer can stop or prolong the burst. Each stun gun has a built in computer chip which records the time and date of each discharge, which can be downloaded onto a computer for analysis.
There is no set standard for discharge and it appears the level of usage has increased by both police/sheriff and correctional staff. There is no governmental review in place for these weapons. There is no binding national standard on the use of CED”s and enforcement policies vary. Because they are compressed nitrogen, they are not classified as firearms with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, therefore, they can be sold to civilians without control, unless state and local control restrict the sales.
I am not asking for CED”s to be eliminated. I am asking for a governmental standard of deployment to be set and met for their discharge, i.e., posing a direct physical threat to officer, armed or not. This should be in place to meet and address human rights concerns regarding their use, including their capacity to inflict torture and ill-treatment. We should examine policies and practices that are currently in place and suggest guidelines to minimize the risk of unnecessary force and ill-treatment of others. Ideal operating standards include incident reports upon discharge and chips in CED”s assigned to officers routinely checked for discharges. Those should be the basics.
Some information for this article was provided by Amnesty International.
Lenny Matthews is a Lucerne resident who has experience in the corrections industry.
Gary
Dickson
Gilligan would be proud
Last week three buddies set out for a cruise on the lake. Our 24-foot cabin cruiser is owned by Bob Tone. He is 94 years old, but refuses to believe it. The other two members of the crew are Don McCloud, who is 84 years old, a Lakeport native son and a retired fireman. I was the third crewmember. I”m Hank Howe, transplanted from Redondo Beach 10 years ago. I”m 81 years old.
We started out from Braito”s Marina, where Bob keeps his boat moored. It was a most fantastic day. The lake sparkled ? no algae and the weather was a balmy 80 degrees. Things went smoothly as we cruised slowly south, the only noise being our voices as Don and I have hearing aids and have to shout a bit.
As we approached Konocti Marina, Bob put the boat in idle and we floated by. Things were perfect, until the engine died. There was no panic as we opened the engine compartment hatch and determined that the points were not working.
By then, we had drifted past Konocti Harbor and were approaching the rocky shoreline. Don was the tallest among us and he pushed us off the rocks with the boat hook. We were headed for more rocks as we passed Konocti Kamp Grounds. Don was able to reach out and snag the Konocti Kamp Grounds dock at the last moment.
We were a bit unnerved when I realized I had my cell phone. Captain Bob said “Call 9-1-1,” which I did. I couldn”t understand the operator because of my hearing, so I passed the phone to Don. He couldn”t hear well enough either, so he passed the phone to Bob, our 94-year-old skipper.
Bob gave them our location and before long help was on the way. The sheriff”s boat arrived, manned by Sgt. Dennis Ostini, much to our relief.
It was a happy ending to a beautiful day on the lake, as we were towed back to Braito”s Marina, and safety.
Vote “No” on these state propositions
By Craig Stankiewicz ?letters to the editor
The newly controlled federal government is printing and spending trillions upon trillions of dollars which do not exist.
This reckless spending is now unstoppable and will encumber taxpayers for generations to come.
Federal, state and local governments all continue to fail as good stewards of our honest tax monies.
Households are required to live and function within their means and governments should be required to do the same.
Vote “No” on state propositions 1A thru 1F, as they are all basically tax scams.
Also, keep your house payment from increasing by voting “No” on the local vector control property assessment/tax scam.
Should this measure pass, all property owners will pay more taxes which will also disappear into the abyss.
The county is already unable to pave our roads and not one mosquito would know the difference.
Craig Stankiewicz
Kelseyville
