NCJ Number
234982
Date Published
April 2011
Length
186 pages
Annotation
This evaluation focuses on the extent of the Queensland Police Services' (Australia) implementation and effectiveness of efforts to comply with 27 recommendations by the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) for improving policy, training, and monitoring regarding the use of Tasers.
Abstract
The CMC recommendations were designed to restrict the use of Tasers against only persons at risk of causing serious injury to themselves or others. Other than in exceptional circumstances, officers were prohibited from using Tasers for multiple or prolonged cycles, as well as against people who are handcuffed or are of particularly small body mass. Further, recognizing that in a number of cases people who have been Tasered have died shortly thereafter, the CMC recommended that multiple and/or prolonged Taser discharges not be used and that when health problems or drug intoxication are known or suspected for an individual, that he/she not be Tasered. Based on a review of information from a range of sources in the Queensland Police Service (QPS) - including a formal submission, policies, procedures, training materials, consultations with officers, and QPS Taser-usage data - the evaluation found that although the introduction of the revised Taser policy has had some positive effects on how QPS officers are using Tasers, there are a number of areas where improvements are needed. The evaluation recommends an examination of the feasibility of mandatory medical assessment whenever a Taser is used against a person. Another recommendation is the use of the Post-Arrest Risk Assessment Scale in order to determine whether a subject is at risk of adverse health effects and should be referred for additional medical treatment. Also, QPS Taser policy and training should emphasize that Indigenous people are more likely to have health conditions, which makes them an "at-risk" group regarding Taser use. Appended supplementary information and 20 references