Shocking Discovery

By: Anita ValentinThe news:

A recent study by Cook County Hospital researchers found that electric shocks administered to pigs by Taser guns can cause heart-rhythm problems and even death.

Behind the news:

According to TASER International, the manufacturer of Taser devices based in Scottsdale, Ariz., 522 Illinois law enforcement agencies now deploy or are testing its devices, which transmit electricity through two small probes and cause the “immediate loss of neuromuscular control.”

The Chicago Police Department is considering expansion of its arsenal of 200 “X26” Taser guns to 2,500, according to Monique Bond, director of news affairs for the department.

“We support the use of Taser as a less-lethal option. We are expanding the program and are also looking at camera devices to be attached to the Taser,” Bond wrote in an e-mail.

But Joey Mogul, an attorney for The People’s Law Office in Chicago, argues that until enough research can point to their safety, Tasers should not be used by law enforcement agencies. “There’s been too many conflicting reports,” said Mogul, who focuses on police misconduct and civil rights cases. “There should be a ban ... until there’s enough scientific study on the medical consequences on how lethal these weapons may or may not be.”

Steve Tuttle, vice president of communication for TASER International, did not respond to repeated calls and e-mails for his company’s response to Mogul’s comment or findings from the county hospital’s study.

On its Web site, the company notes that Tasers “have been proven statistically to dramatically reduce injury rates to suspects and officers and increase officer safety and community security compared to any other use of force option.”