Canadian police should stop using Tasers until everyone using them is properly trained, a Canadian senator says. He suggested police may want to consider using a different type of Taser.
Digital Journal — The controversy over using Tasers to subdue individuals isn’t going away anytime soon.
In Canada, two men died in the past two months after police shocked with Tasers, and many politicians are calling for a review of this weapon. The latest critic is Sen. Colin Kenny, who told media he would like to see a moratorium on Taser use until everyone is satisfied the Royal Canadian Mounted Police can use the weapons properly.
Interviewed on Canada AM, the chair of the Senate defence and national security committee said appropriate use “is when someone is threatened or someone is in danger.” He also said that his main concern with the RCMP was the “issue of training and proper handling of Tasers.”
Kenny also suggests RCMP should opt for a different type of Taser that can record a picture of the target. He said this would make officers think twice about attacking an individual, and would allow a reviewing officer to see a record of what happened.
Kenny made sure to point out his recommendations aren’t focusing on a specific case, like that of Robert Dziekanski, the Polish immigrant who died following a confrontation with police at Vancouver International Airport on Oct. 14.
Kenny’s comments do come on the heels of a recently released report from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), which offered some suggestions for improved customer care at national airports. The CBSA promised to strengthen translation services at all airports and to extend video surveillance to previously uncovered areas in major terminals.
