Action mail : Taser

Posté par : Francoise le 7 mai 2009

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Dear Attorney General,

I am writing to you as a member of Amnesty International who is very concerned about the use of Tasers and other Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs) in the USA.  More than 351 people are reported to have died in the USA since 2001 after being struck by police stun weapons. Although in most cases, the coroners attributed the deaths to other causes in more than 40 cases they have listed the Taser as either a cause or a contributory factor. While I fully understand that Tasers can be a valuable tool for the police in difficult situations, many law enforcement agencies use Tasers to subdue non-compliant or disturbed individuals who do not pose a significant threat. Even in such cases where individuals could not be considered as dangerous at the time they were shocked, inquiries have often found that the officers were not violating their department’s policies. 

I welcome the National Institute of Justice’s review into deaths following the use of CEDs which underscored many of the safety concerns mentioned in the Amnesty International report “Less than lethal?  the use of stun weapons in US law enforcement” and I look forward to reading the review conclusions, due to be published in mid-2009. 

In the meantime, I urge you Attorney General to ensure that the Justice Department widens existing inquiries to address broader human rights concerns regarding the use of CEDs.  This should include their capacity to inflict torture or other ill-treatment. I believe that such inquiries should draw on advice from human rights experts and examine policies and practice, and suggest guidelines to minimise the risk of unnecessary force and ill-treatment. In that perspective, I recommend that you take into consideration the findings and recommendations in Amnesty International’s report and that you take effective steps to encourage their implementation at both the state, local and federal level.

Furthermore, I call on you Attorney General, to make sure that all use of force by law enforcement officers is consistent with internationally recognized standards and its application subject to rigorous training, monitoring and accountability systems. For that reason it is essential that you issue comprehensive regulations and guidelines on the use of CEDs in the USA. 

I thank you Attorney General, for reading this letter and I hope that you will bear it in mind when making your decisions.  

Yours sincerely,