Community Presentation On Use Of Tasers By Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department July 12 - Are Tasers Necessary Law Enforcement Tool Or Unnecessary Danger To Roosevelt Island Community?

 Image From RIOC

An invitation from the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):

The Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department invites the community to attend a presentation on Tasers led by Keith Guerra, Director of Public Safety. The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 12th at 6:00 PM at the Manhattan Park Theater Club, located at 8 River Road. Representatives from Taser International and a Police Sergeant/Taser Instructor will also be in attendance. Immediately following the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to comment and ask questions.

For more information, please visit http://rioc.ny.gov/pdf/Tasers.pdf

Sincerely,

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

In response to my request for comment on the possibility of Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department being armed with Tasers, RIOC's Press Spokesperson replied yesterday:

Before a decision is made about whether RIOC's Public Safety Department officers will be equipped with tasers in the future, we will seek to discuss the issue thoroughly with the RIOC Board and the Roosevelt Island community. This process will continue with the community meeting on July 12, hosted by PSD, in which experts on tasers will be offering an informational and educational presentation. The leadership and officers of PSD believe that the taser is a valuable and safe law enforcement tool that would help protect the lives and well-being of both officers and subjects. We encourage any member of the community who would like to learn more about this issue to attend the July 12 meeting.

I replied yesterday:

As a follow up - will there also be an expert on Tasers at the July 12 Presentation who has a different view on the use of Tasers than the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department?

Also, will RIOC provide to Roosevelt Islander Online the PDF version of Taser presentation made by Keith Guerra to the Operations Committee meeting so it can be shared with the rest of the Roosevelt Island community ?

Have not received an answer yet. Will update if answer is received.

RIOC Director Margie Smith adds:

I’d just like you to make it clear that this is a very preliminary look at tasers. No decision has been made by management and none will be made without lots more discussion.

The issue of arming Roosevelt Island Public Safety Officers was a subject at the June 4 RIOC Operations Committee meeting.  Public Safety Department Director Keith Guerra provided a presentation on Tasers and, as reported in this previous post, asked the RIOC Directors:

... to consider allowing Public Safety Officers to be equipped with Tasers to better protect the officers from injuries caused by suspects resisting arrest, for help gaining compliance from suspects as well as preventing disturbed people from injuring themselves....

An audio webcast of Mr. Guerra's presentation is available at this post as well as on RIOC's web site.

Are Tasers an appropriate weapon for use by the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department? Reader David Enoch comments on that question:

Tasers Are Lethal Weapons.

Tasers are not the non-lethal weapons they are portrayed to be by the manufacturer. They can and do kill. It's one thing to use a stun gun on an apparently healthy, calm individual in a relaxed and controlled environment such as was demonstrated by PSD Chief Guerra. It's another to use a taser on a real-life target in a state of high distress and in the midst of a confrontation. In his presentation Chief Guerra tries to convince the audience that there is little to fear from the use of Tasers by allowing himself to be Tasered—apparently unaware that police officers in at least five US states have filed lawsuits against Taser International claiming they suffered serious injuries after being shocked with the device during training classes...and a memorandum from the Aberdeen Proving Ground, a United States Army weapons test site, discouraged shocking soldiers with Tasers in training, contrary to Taser International's recommendations. The Army's occupational health sciences director warned that "Seizures and severely abnormal heart rhythms can be induced by the electric current." and that "the practice of using these weapons on U.S. Army military and civilian forces in training is not recommended, given the potential risks."

A Warning by Taser International

In 2009, the manufacturer Taser International issued a warning and new targeting guidelines to law enforcement agencies to avoid tasing suspects in the chest area due to the potential for cardiac arrests and lawsuits. A Texas Constable whose deputy recently used a Taser weapon against an unarmed 72-year-old woman (resulting in a $40,000 lawsuit settlement), describes Taser's directive as "not really practical". Unless of course you can shoot like Wyatt Earp or Annie Oakley.

Unknown Pre-existing health conditions

Typically, officers will not know about a person's medical history or possible drug use which means it matters little where on the body the person is hit and can mean the risk of death with virtually any suspect.

Increased Use of Force Endangers All of Us

Critics claim that risk-averse police officers resort to using "non-lethal" Tasers in situations in which they otherwise would have used more conventional, less violent alternatives, such as trying to reason with a possible suspect.

-in Jacksonville, Florida, a 21year old man was pulled over by police because his car radio was too loud. After a struggle he and a passenger escaped on foot, an officer gave chase, caught the young man and tasered him at least three times. He died later in custody.

-an Oxford, Ohio a man died after being stunned by a Taser for 10 seconds while interfering with a friend's arrest by Police. He was hospitalized after the confrontation and died five days later.

Let's not escalate what little criminal behavior there is on the Island. Or endanger the lives of innocent people. Rather, let's continue to support Chief Guerra in his effort to build a confident and respected Public Safety Department, without Tasers.

David Enock
Roosevelt Island resident 36 years

Reader Jimmy LaRoche has another opinion:

You are seriously dillusional. Are you going to do a law enforcement job with no real defense tools?

A stick is not enough if you encounter a man with a knife or gun.

The escalation of force for police is to match or use one above the level they are using on you. So.. If the subject is using a bat, an officer can use a gun. If a subject is using their fist, an officer can use his mace or stick. If a subject has a knife or gun... Well... Now what? Run? No! Use a gun!

You obviously don't know about the growing gang problem and the hooligans who hang out under the motorcade smoking and dealing drugs, and the various suspicious vehicles who drop off items and depart rather rapidly from front of 2 river road.

Your 36 years means nothing if your head is buried in the sand and you are truly unaware of the realities.

Did you know that psd arrested a gang rival last february WHO WAS ARMED WITH A GUN???? Yah, it wasn't nypd that magically showed up. Several BRAVE officers ran after the gunman and apprehended him and ultimately arrested him.

Did you know they could have been shot and killed?

I guess things CAN NEVER HAPPEN HERE!

We live in a magical fairy land. Oh look over there! It's humpy dumpy and Cinderella! Let's stroll over with the piped piper and sing a tune!

Yes psd are our law enforcers. This is not a sovereignty of Norwegia. This is new York friggin city.
Everyone wants to be part of the city but noone wants to believe we live in NYC! A city of 7++million, a city where anything can happen at any time!

I don't wish this upon you but have you ever been robbed? I know I have! Not on the island but it's a scary feeling especially if you don't know he has a gun.

Welcome to Roosevelt Island folks where the only people who can carry lethal weapons and it makes the blog for a day and NOT OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONELL.

Did you forget in your 36 years here the various shootings that happened here! We had one several years ago in 4 river road, make that 2 shootings there! We had a person break car windows by manhattan park, when a passerby saw him he ran away and dropped a loaded gun!

I ask you, is that scary? Do you think, logically of course... If it happened before, will it or will it not ever happen again?

My logic points me at YES, only a matter of time.It happen last FEBRUARY!

Here's an example of a taser demonstration:



and a report last month from a Taser victim speaking out about her experience.

Video From BoingBoing via Mark Lyon

In the past, RIOC Directors have opposed arming Public Safety Officers with tasers and/or guns. It will be interesting to see what new rationale and evidence Mr. Guerra provides to demonstrate the need for RIOC Directors to reverse their previous policy and to now arm Public Safety officers with Tasers.

More information on Roosevelt Island Taser issue at this previous post.