A shocking expirence

The past several weeks our editorial department has been working on a package of stories to gain a better understanding of the Taser, people’s thoughts on it, and whether or not the weapon is being abused.

Last Thursday, with the help of Middletown Police Chief Keith Reismiller and Officer Scott Yoder, I gave everyone in the Press And Journal office an early Christmas present: I allowed myself to be Tasered on camera.

My first experience with a Taser was definitely a shocking one.

Not only did I get to do cool things such as sit through training videos watching other people get Tased, but I even was allowed to fire a Taser at a training target. And just like every police officer that goes through the training, I too was Tased.
I was subjected to 50,000 volts surging through my muscles for five seconds – the five longest seconds in my life – and if it was not for the two South Central EMTs holding my arms firmly, I would have been on the floor.

When the probes penetrated my skin, every muscle in my body tightened up instantly. I could barely move. In fact, if you view the video of my Tasering, the only thing I did was stand on the tips of my toes. [The video will be posted on the Press And Journal Web site].

The training course and the research I’ve done assured me the Taser did exactly what it was supposed to do: make me less of a threat so I could be arrested. I definitely did not want to try to fight Yoder and be exposed to another five seconds.

Was I nervous?
Sure, I don’t think anyone wouldn’t be, especially after the national media reported on the deaths that have occurred from Tasers the past few months. The only side effect of my Tasering was soreness in my muscles. Hours later it felt like I put in a full day at the gym. Other than that, I was fine.

Going through this experience – not just getting Tasered, but talking to police chiefs and officers – gave me not only a better understanding of the device but of what a police officer experiences out on the street. Most of the time the officers don’t know the person they are arresting. For all they know, the person could be a psychopathic murderer. He or she might be Little Bo Peep, but police don’t know.

Officers told me their stories; they Tasered someone lying on the ground when the suspect wouldn’t put his hands behind his back. Why? Because the officer didn’t know if the suspect was lying on a weapon.

Highspire Chief John McHale and Middletown’s Yoder both summed up their goal. It is to do their job effectively, efficiently, safely, and make sure they go home to their family at night.

People sometimes complain that officers are Taser-happy because they are constantly firing or drawing their Tasers.

Every chief or officer I talked to said they sometimes have drawn their Taser simply as a visual deterrent, because it is likely to make the suspect back down.

I don’t believe the police want to Taser people; but they do when they become aggressive, combative, and refuse to be arrested. One deterrent to officers using Tasers is that there’s a lot of paper work that needs to be filled out after an incident. Also, if an officer abuses the Taser, he or she could be sued, along with the Taser instructor.

Let’s face it: Most Taser incidents in Middletown occur when the person is intoxicated. Throw in the occasional balloon vendor-style Tasering and everyone is angry with the police.

Many officers explained it to me this way: “It only takes one [really bad] cop to give the department a bad name.”

Click on the link to view videos of P&J staff going through Taser training. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PressJournal