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Friday, August 06, 2004

Vancouver police Taser probe under fire

August 6, 2004
CBC News

Advocacy groups are welcoming the announcement of an investigation into the use of Taser guns by police in Vancouver, but they still have concerns about the scope and impartiality of the inquiry.

On Thursday, the B.C. police complaints commissioner ordered the chief of police in Victoria to investigate the death of Robert Bagnell. Bagnell, 44, died after being shot by a Taser while police in Vancouver were trying to arrest him.

The Bagnell case is only one of many incidents in which the safety of the high-voltage electrical weapons has been questioned, said Murray Mollard, executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.

Limiting the scope of the inquiry to the Bagnell case alone makes the investigation too narrow, he said.

"Quite frankly, we think the use of Tasers should be assessed in light of experience throughout the province, not just in a case where there's been a tragic death," Mollard said.

While Amnesty International also welcomes the inquiry, it wants to see an independent group, rather than the police themselves, conduct the study.

"It's a good first step to get the issue on the table, but certainly we'll be looking for independent medical [and] scientific research into the use of Tasers and the impact that has on the people it's used on," said spokesperson Don Wright.

The international human rights group is also calling for a ban on Tasers until they're proven safe. The energy weapons emit a jolt of up to 50,000 volts, disrupting the body's electrical impulses and causing involuntary muscle spasms.

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