As president of the National Black Police Association, I am concerned about the impact that Taser use has on our communities. We are three times more likely to be on the receiving end of a Taser.
As a police officer, I was told that the Taser, the new bit of kit that was bright yellow and shaped like a gun, would protect officers and our communities. That they could literally stop a raging bull, take down even the strongest attacker and keep us safe. When first introduced, we were assured that they were the “soft” option. Many police chiefs even stepped forward to be shot with this “safe” option. But now we see that, after several years of use, there have been a number of fatalities.