Tasers and Conducted Energy Devices Safety and Use by Law Enforcement

Today, more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States use conducted energy devices (CEDs) as an alternative to conventional physical control tactics or other means of subdual. A National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-sponsored expert panel, convened to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of CEDs and concluded that law enforcement officers need not refrain from using CEDs to place uncooperative and combative subjects in custody provided that the CEDs are used in accordance with accepted national guidelines and an appropriate use-of-force policy. The panel also concluded that field use of CEDs is safe in the vast majority of cases and creates less risk of injury to officers and suspects alike, than other options of subduing uncooperative persons. This book examines the safety and use by law enforcement officers of force, tasers and other less lethal weapons with a focus on a study also of deaths following electro muscular disruption.