The stick and the taser - the technology of the police electric shock device that starred in the news this week

Itai Nevo went on his blog "The Little Light" to check how the controversial shock weapon works?

On Thursday, police officers broke into the home of a resident of Yitzhar, Boaz Albert, who was suspected of violating an exclusion order from the settlement. Following his arrest, the residents of the settlement distributed a video documenting the police taking control of Albert with a Taser - an electric stun gun. Due to the public uproar that arose, the Commissioner of Police ordered a freeze on the use of Tasers, and the State Audit Committee of the Knesset announced that it would discuss the police's use of this weapon. In order to help the public debate, the investigators of "The Little Light" set out to find out exactly how the electric stun guns work, and what the risks are.

Electricity flows (also) in the palms of your hands

We all know that electricity can be an extremely dangerous thing. A lightning strike for example, or driving a nail into a socket, could cost us our lives. However, electricity is also one of the main keys to life. Every action we do is mediated by electrical signals that are sent from the brain to the muscles through the nerve fibers, and tell the muscles to contract. Series of thousands of these same shorts create a language of communication between the nervous system and the movement system, through which we can perform complex actions such as preparing food, turning on the air conditioner, flipping on the TV and even reading this article through tiny movements of the eye muscles. This system also works in the opposite direction: cells in our body process external information such as heat, touch intensity, chemical sensing (taste and smell), light (sight) or sound waves, turn them into electrical signals and allow the brain to assemble a picture of our world. The purpose of electric shock systems, such as tasers, is to briefly disrupt the activity of this complex communication system, and to neutralize the person from activity for a few seconds or minutes, without causing irreversible damage.

High voltage, low current

The electric weapons are equipped with two electrodes, between which there is a very high electric voltage - thousands or tens of thousands of volts. "Normal" contact with such a voltage, or with a much lower voltage, will cause us severe burns and quick death, because a strong electric current may pass through large areas of our body. However, the electric weapons produce a high voltage, but a relatively weak current. In addition, because of the proximity between the two electrodes, the current only passes through a small part of the body, and the risk of it damaging the heart muscle is very small. Biologically, the additional electrical current that is introduced into the body suddenly disrupts the body's normal electrical activity, causing the muscles to contract involuntarily. This may cause partial paralysis of the body for a short period of time, and disruption of the sensory system (pain).

Distantly related

The most common electric weapon is the shocker - a shock. This is a small device, which operates using a normal battery, and is very effective as a means of self-defense. Its main drawback is the need to attach it to the human body that we seek to neutralize. Exactly to deal with this problem, the Taser was developed in the United States. The first version of the device was already developed in the 70s by a NASA engineer, Jack Cover, who also gave it his name, in memory of his childhood hero Tom Swift - the main character in a series of science fiction books for children. TASER is an English acronym for Tom A. Swift's Electric Rifle. Not coincidentally, the name is also similar to Phaser - the radiation gun with which the characters of the "Star Trek" series were equipped. Unlike a regular shocker, the taser works from a distance of several meters. Instead of two electrodes attached to the device, in the Taser the electrodes are tiny metal darts, which are fired powerfully from the device, and stick into the skin or clothes of the person who is shot. The arrows drag thin electric wires behind them, and they electrify like a normal shocker. In the advanced versions of the device, the arrows were shot using gunpowder. Today, in the advanced devices, a tank of compressed gas (nitrogen) is installed, and pressing the trigger creates a gas that shoots the arrows (similar to an air rifle). According to the manufacturer's publications, the maximum range of the device is 10.6 m, depending on the type of device and the type of cartridge (which contains the wire spools). Taser, by the way, is the trade name of the American company that produces stun guns of various types, intended mainly for use by security and law enforcement forces. In Israel, such devices are in the hands of the IDF and the police, and are being examined by the prison service.

Incomplete

The main motive for the development of the taser was the desire to produce a non-lethal weapon, which allows to neutralize a person - even an armed one - and take control of him without causing him harm. Such devices are currently widely used by security forces in dozens of countries in the world. The Taser has several notable disadvantages, first of all - its range is very limited, as mentioned. Second - it requires high skill and precise direction, because with a Taser you cannot shoot twice without changing the cartridge. In addition, high electrical voltage may cause the ignition of flammable materials, so the use of the device is prohibited near them.

The main issue is the fear of physical harm from the taser device. According to the manufacturer, the devices are very safe to use, and the number of casualties with the use of tasers - both among suspects and among police officers - is 76% lower compared to the use of other weapons. However, even in this area the device has some shortcomings. Due to the paralysis caused to someone shot by a taser, he may fall uncontrollably, and be injured during the fall. Several police officers in the US have filed lawsuits against the Taser company due to injuries they suffered from falling during demonstrations and training with the device. Another danger is that the electric shock will cause a disturbance in the activity of the heart. Although the risk of this is very low, police officers in the US are instructed not to point the device at the chest area. Another reason for this instruction is the risk of respiratory failure due to the paralysis of the chest muscles. So far, no evidence has been found that the device disrupts the activity of pacemakers. The main danger with the Taser is apparently when it is used on people whose physical or mental condition is problematic to begin with - for example, those who have consumed drugs or alcohol, or who are in an extreme state of tension and stress. For them, the taser's electric shock may cause an increased risk of injury from the device, especially with repeated or prolonged use.

There is no substitute for wisdom

In recent years, dozens of deaths or serious injuries have been reported around the world after being hit by Taser devices. However, it should be noted that in many cases the victim died only a few days after the injury, so it is not always possible to find a direct connection between the use of the taser and death. In addition, an examination of many of the cases shows that it is not the mere use of the device that increases the risk of serious injury, but the manner of use. In most of these cases, the police made excessive use of the device, shot the suspect several times, far beyond what was required to neutralize, or accompanied the use of the taser with other types of violence. Therefore, we can conclude and say that the stun guns are a tool with great potential for non-lethal neutralization of suspects. Like many other technologies, tasers carry risks, and the main way to overcome them is wise and informed use.
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