TASER POLICIES UNDER SCRUTINY

Following the death of a Polish immigrant in Vancouver who had been “TASERed” by the RCMP, governments at many levels have begun to review their TASER policies. CCLA has been using the opportunity to push for reform.

On the provincial front, CCLA has called upon the Ontario government for stricter deployment guidelines and auditing of how TASERs are used. In Toronto, CCLA Public Safety Project Director Graeme Norton made a presentation to the Police Services Board urging stricter standards for both the use and oversight of TASERs. Subsequently, Norton’s comments were carried throughout the national media. The thrust of these comments was that “TASER policies need to ensure that use is only permitted when lethal force would otherwise be justified or where there is an imminent threat to life or limb.”