Tasers and the conscience of a community [op-ed, CCT,19 February 2013]

Wellfleet, the Taser issue, take two.

In 2007 Wellfleet’s police chief, since retired, proposed to the board of selectmen the adoption of Tasers. He explained how this in theory nonlethal weapon was a win/win, reducing harm to both police and possible perps. Although the chief says that in his opinion he would have been within his legal rights to make the decision himself, he decided it was “politically” wise to involve the the BOS and the public opinion, and when the proposal encountered considerable opposition, he dropped it.

Now the Taser issue has come up again, the current chief again making the same proposal to the selectmen for the same reasons. But this time it looks like Taser use may well prevail.

The reasons both for and against Tasers are by this time pretty well rehearsed. Although in theory nonlethal, shooting 50,000 volts into someone of unknown hardiness has caused death. In fact, according to Wikipedia and other online sources, death has occurred after Taser use in hundreds of cases. The question is commonly raised whether the theoretical nonlethality of Tasers encourages itchy trigger fingers, promoting overuse.

On the other hand, Tasers may have saved more lives than they have taken, if fewer threatened cops have used them instead of guns.

In Wellfleet as in 2007, current chief Fisette, while like his predecessor believing that he has the right to make a Taser decision unilaterally, has taken pains to involve the selectmen and the public. At an advertised Police Forum held in late January, only eight people showed up. One selectman thinks this response is evidence that if Taser use was once a hot issue in Wellfleet it no longer is.

Has our sensibility on Tasers in fact changed? Last time Wellfleet would have been one of the first on the Cape to OK Tasers. Now the majority of towns use them. Doing it because others do it wouldn’t seem to be a good reason in itself, but successful use by other towns may be reassuring.

Another factor: around the same time Wellfleet was considering Tasers in 2007 there was a lot of publicity about an event in which a young man whose only crime was hard questioning of John Kerry in a campaign speech at the University of Florida was wrestled to the floor, pleading “dont taze me man” and when he was in fact shocked, writhing on the ground screaming “ow, ow.” This looked to a lot of people uncomfortably like torture in service of suppression of free speech.

Tasers are in fact listed as an instrument of torture by the U.N. Committee Against Torture. (Of course as we know, something as innocent as water can be used to torture. And what about pepper spray, already authorized for Wellfleet police.

As things stand, according to one selectman who was at the Police Forum, barring a serious display of opposition from the public it looks like starting in 2014 Wellfleet police will in fact be using Tasers in our behalf.

There may be one more time for the public to have a say about the issue. Chief Fisette has requested $10,000 with which to purchase Tasers, so the issue will come up at town meeting in April.

Clearly in the opinion our former chief as well as the current one, there’s something about Tasers, unlike pepper spray and other weapons already authorized, that crosses the line between police professionalism and community values. Our police are our employees. If they use Taser guns in our behalf we bear ultimate moral responsibility. If one of the occasional deaths associated with Taser use happened in our town, perhaps to one of our high-spirited teenagers, one of the main problem populations our police have to deal with on a regular basis, it would be on all of us. The conscience of the whole community should get involved here.

My guess is that more than the eight citizens who showed up for the Police Forum have feelings about this issue. Both police and selectmen should welcome townwide exposure in town meeting.

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