How the TASER energy weapon has emerged as a powerful law enforcement tool for de-escalation
Police use of force is a controversial subject. Very few people who encounter the police in their daily lives will experience the use of force, but the fact remains that sometimes force is required to compel the cooperation of a subject. This makes the decision of when to use force and how much force to use the most critical decisions a police officer can make.
Significant research, training and resources have been devoted to equipping police officers with tools and techniques that will allow them to apply the force necessary to resolve a situation without taking a life. The TASER energy weapon is one such tool. Since their inception, TASER energy weapons have been deployed in the field over 5 million times, saving more than 300,000 lives from death or serious injury during use of force incidents.
One of the less talked about benefits of the TASER energy weapon is how it can be used to avoid force. The TASER energy weapon can be used as a tool, not only for the use of force but as force avoidance. Put simply: It can resolve a situation without ever being discharged, making it an invaluable part of any law enforcement officer’s kit.
Are TASER energy weapons safe? Yes.
One of the most frequent questions that gets asked about TASER energy weapons is: “Are TASERs safe?”
TASER energy weapons, also called Conducted Energy Weapons (CEW), Conducted Energy Devices (CED), or Electronic Control Weapons (ECW), use electricity to incapacitate violent or combative subjects. The electrical charge is intended to render the subject temporarily unable to move their limbs to allow an officer to gain control.
A three-year study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that 99.75% of subjects exposed to a TASER energy weapon received no serious injuries. The conclusion of the report was that injuries suffered as a result of TASER energy weapon use are very rare and that they are, compared to other tools at an officer’s disposal, very safe.
When used as a tool for force avoidance, however, the TASER energy weapon is among the safest of options a police officer has available to them.
TASER energy weapon force avoidance
Force avoidance, or de-escalation, means the reduction of the intensity of an encounter. A police officer will inevitably encounter dangerous situations and non-compliant subjects. How they respond will depend on their training, the particulars of the situation and the tools available to them at the time.
Sometimes all it takes to de-escalate a situation is for an officer to show up. According to statistics from the Lethbridge Police Service in Lethbridge, U.K., officer presence was enough to diffuse situations 169 times in 2021. This makes police presence by far the most commonly used force avoidance option available to the service that year.
There is also growing evidence that police departments around the world are using TASER energy weapons not only as a tool of force but as a method of force avoidance. Global statistics from departments where officers carry TASER energy weapons are demonstrating that many TASER energy weapon uses are stopping short of a discharge, avoiding the use of force altogether. This is particularly true in the UK, where 90% of all TASER energy weapon usage were resolved without the CEW being fired. In the vast majority of instances, officers had only to display the weapon to resolve a situation.
TASER energy weapon display
TASER energy weapons have been in use for more than 30 years and are currently used in more than 80 countries and territories around the world. As a result, many people know what a TASER energy weapon is and what it can do. That’s why displaying a TASER energy weapon can be effective in resolving a situation even without discharging it due to its deterrent value.
Statistics from police departments around the world prove it:
New Zealand: According to a 2019 report, officers use a TASER energy weapon at least 25 times per week. In 80% of those uses, simply displaying the CEW resolved the situation.
Germany: According to the Bochum Police in Germany in 2022, there have been 200 incidents involving TASER energy weapons in North Rhine-Westphalia so far. In about 80% of the cases, the situation was resolved without deploying the TASER energy weapon.
Canada: According to an analysis from the Waterloo Regional Police in Ontario, merely displaying a TASER energy weapon successfully de-escalated an incident more than 83% of the time in 2021.
Champaign police: over the past seven years, officers have deployed and discharged TASER energy weapons only 15 times, with 68 incidents where compliance was gained by merely pointing the weapon at someone.
Warning arc or warning alert
Force avoidance is not merely a byproduct of the TASER energy weapon design, it is built-in. The TASER energy weapon is capable of displaying a “warning arc or warning alert.” A warning arc discharges a small amount of electricity across the front of the weapon, creating a bright, visible spark and an unmistakable crackling sound that can and does deter a subject from taking violent action.
Police in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States and Canada, among others, have all reported that warning arcs and warning alerts have contributed to the de-escalation of incidents between police and subjects.
Axon’s latest energy weapon, the TASER 10, does not produce a visible arc of electricity, but instead utilizes a warning alert that uses a 1000 Lumen pulsing light and loud alert sound to aid in de-escalation.
LASER painting
LASER painting is another force avoidance tool built into the TASER energy weapon. The TASER energy weapon comes equipped with a LASER sight, which can be aimed at a subject without deploying the probes. This is called “LASER painting” and is an effective force avoidance technique because it communicates to the subject that a TASER energy weapon is armed and ready to deploy if needed.
Police in Massachusetts report that in approximately 41% of instances where a TASER energy weapon is used, LASER painting is sufficient to de-escalate the situation. LASER painting plus a verbal warning was effective 51.7% of the time.
The Axon TASER 10 energy weapon
Force avoidance is part of the TASER energy weapon DNA; never has that been more true than in Axon’s latest model, the TASER 10. Its 45-foot maximum range gives officers more time and space to de-escalate situations and avoid the use of force. Equipped with a laser sight and a warning alert comprised of a 1,000 lumen pulsing light and an audible alert sound, the TASER 10 represents a new era in less-lethal technology.
For more information about how the TASER energy weapon is an effective force avoidance tool, read The truth about TASER.