Little Rock police rely on Tasers more than any other weapon, but an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette review of Taser deployments from 2010 to 2016 found that the device was ineffective nearly 1 in 4 times.
In 33 of the 137 deployments examined, or more than 24 percent, an officer fired a Taser with no effect and then resorted to other tactics to subdue that person.
Officers reported that their Taser, a nonlethal weapon that can deliver a painful and incapacitating electrical shock when its electrode darts penetrate a target, malfunctioned on three occasions.
Most commonly, the Taser was ineffective when people physically resisted. Many removed the Taser darts from their bodies. Some pulled them out by hand, and others by spinning around and disconnecting the wires.
Others were simply unaffected by the weapon.
In one such encounter, in May 2015, police tried to stun a 63-year-old man accused of trespassing at a McDonald's restaurant. But the man kept standing as the Taser pumped electricity into his body. He yelled that he was a Marine and he would continue to resist.
In another instance, in November 2013, police reported that three Taser deployments and pepper spray had no effect on a 27-year-old man who had "super-human strength due to him being on narcotics."
The weapon manufacturer, Axon, warns that it may be ineffective against people who have a "mind-body disconnect."
Clothing rendered the Taser ineffective in other instances. Coats and other heavy garments stopped the darts from penetrating a person's skin on at least 10 occasions.
James Golden, University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor of criminal justice, said the Taser is known to be less effective when people wear thick or layered clothing.
Axon spokesman Steve Tuttle said Taser electrodes are designed to penetrate most clothes but sometimes get caught in loose, thick or layered clothing. He said the projectiles, which travel at 140 feet per second, can still shock a person if they're caught in clothing. Electricity can arc through the air and into a person's body.
Little Rock police use half-inch Taser dart tips, the longest length available. The department trains officers to aim for a person's legs if the person is wearing a coat or other heavy clothing on their upper body.
The newspaper review found that most instances of Taser ineffectiveness led to physical struggles that caused minor injuries -- cuts, sprains and the occasional broken bone.
In one instance, the confrontation ended with a man dead.
In 2007, Little Rock police fatally shot Antonio Alvarez, 23, after first firing a Taser with no effect in an armed standoff. Alvarez, who appeared to be intoxicated, reportedly threw a knife at an officer before police shot him.
Police Chief Kenton Buckner said the department still views the Taser as a reliable weapon.
"The one thing with the Taser, nothing is going to be 100 percent effective," he said. "When you look at the distance, when you look at individuals that are under the influence of something, when you look at clothing -- there are a number of things that can impact the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of that Taser.
"But we see it as an effective tool, and we see it as best practices."
RELATED ARTICLE
http://www.arkansas…">LR board votes to spend $79,080 for police Tasers
Metro on 08/02/2017