Chicago cops told to Taser suspects in the back
New directive follows warning of cardiac risk
Shoot them in the back.
That’s the Chicago Police Department’s new training directive for officers who need to use a Taser to subdue someone.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
The instructions follow an Oct. 12 advisory by Taser International that shooting someone in the chest with the 50,000-volt weapon could pose a low risk of an “adverse cardiac event.”
The department is now telling officers that, “if possible, aim at the subject’s back for the following reasons: the surprise factor; the back has higher muscle mass; clothing fits tighter; [and] targeting the subject’s back avoids inadvertent contact to the face, throat and groin area.”
If the officer doesn’t have a clear shot at the back, the recommended point of aim is the “lower center of mass” below the chest, according to the new department’s guidelines.
The new police guidelines don’t mention Taser International’s advisory on the risk of a chest shot.
Last week, though, a police spokesman said the department would review the Taser advisory to see whether to update training guidelines.
In 2005, the Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled that Ronald Hasse died of electrocution after he was Tasered by Chicago cops. Drugs were a contributing cause, the office ruled.
Taser denied a connection between Hasse’s death and the device.