Taser Research Proposal

Research Proposal

Tasers

Definition of the Research Problem/Question

The research topic we have chosen to research is Tasers. The use of Tasers has been a very controversial topic in the last few years. Reporters, doctors, and human rights groups have all expressed concern that police officers will use a Taser in situations when no weapon is required and concern has also been expressed over if the Taser is really a less-lethal option. No one claims the use of Tasers to be risk-free but studies have found them comparatively safe. We believe that people opposed to Tasers ignore a body of the reports showing the technology is safe and effective. The research question we hope to answer is: Is the deployment of a Taser a safe and viable option in the use of force continuum in situations that require less than the use of deadly force? From our research question we have developed the following problem statement: Our problem statement is going to be if police officers who use a Taser are less likely to use deadly force than those police officers who do not use a Taser. The two concepts from our problem statement are Taser usage and deadly force. The variable corresponding to the concepts will be Taser and deadly force. The conceptual definition of deadly force in this study is defined as the level of force which is inherently likely to cause death or great bodily injury. The operational definition will be for the purpose of this study, deadly force will be defined as the usage of a handgun during the apprehension of a suspect. The conceptual definition for Tasers in this study is defined as an electrical device used to control an unwilling subject. The operational definition for Taser is a weapon primarily designed to disrupt a subject's central nervous system by means of deploying electrical energy sufficient to cause uncontrolled muscle contractions and override and individual's voluntary motor responses.

Importance of the Problem

We believe that the use of Tasers in law enforcement is a very controversial topic. The problem concerning the use of Tasers is a variety of citizens concerned that police are engaging in excessive force when using a Taser. The media has made this topic a very controversial topic. If there is a story of someone getting tased anywhere in the United States for anything, including having a weapon in their hand pointed at a law enforcement officer, it will be on the Ten o'clock news top story. The media makes citizens question law enforcement actions because they only show the part of the story that has the greatest shock factor. The reporters play the part of the video that makes the point they do not show the complete video and explain what happened. Another issue that is on the rise is citizens believing that some suspects that die after being tased is the result of the Taser. This is another problem the media has created by telling the initial story and flashing Taser death all over the screen and don't do a follow up story explaining the other reason why the person died that was tased. There is usually a medical condition involved with the death. If the public does not receive the whole story how can they make an informed decision if Tasers are a safe and viable option to deadly force.

Relevance

In our research study we hope to show that the goal to Tasers it to provide law enforcement with alternatives to deadly force in order to minimize harm to both community members and police. We also want to show that no use of devices or techniques may be safe to everyone, but that we can't look just at the safety of the device and neglect the risk to officers and others from a non-compliant subject. Compliance by the suspect is the only way to eliminate risk to everyone and unfortunately no one can be certain that even a compliant subject will remain compliant once an officer attempts to handcuff the subject. We will also be researching some of the pros and cons of the use or Tasers by law enforcement. Currently, we believe that some of the cons may be police are using Tasers as routine force to subdue noncompliant people who are