Law enforcement groups are urging Congress to fix a gaping flaw in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 as it’s currently written. Law enforcement professionals are warning that the bill will practically end the use of Tasers, seen by many as a less harmful way to subdue combative suspects.
The groups are voicing their concerns in letters to Congress, the Washington Examiner reported. A big part of the problem is that language in the bill refers to the use of electronic control weapons (including Tasers) as “deadly force.” The bill, which has been rushed through the House, states that when a Taser is used against a suspect “multiple” times, it becomes a deadly force weapon.
“If passed into law, this language will greatly undermine the utility of electrical control weapons (ECWs) and will result in an increase in deaths and serious bodily injuries to citizens and officers alike,” wrote the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association in a letter the U.S. Senate.
Due to the reasonable likelihood of an unsuccessful first discharge of a Taser, multiple discharges commonly occur, police experts say.
“Multiple discharges of an ECW can be important in the event the first deployment does not make a good connection with the subject and NMI is not achieved. In fact, two-shot ECWs were created for this purpose,” said Director Dwayne Crawford of the the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the Examiner reported.
To place the Taser in the category of a lethal weapon absent other mitigating circumstances (i.e. in the hands of a suspect who overpowers an officer) is contrary to medical reports. Moreover, police experts argue that the unintended consequence will mean officers going to firearms quicker.
“ECWs have become ubiquitous with the concept of less-lethal force. And for good reason,” Crawford said. “They provide agencies and communities an option that is proven to quickly deescalate violent confrontations before they escalate to lethal force. Passage of the language in H.R. 1280 completely undermines the utility of these important tools. For these reasons, we respectfully request that the language referring to ECWs as deadly force be removed from the bill.”
The Virginia Sheriff’s Association and NOBLE plan to lobby key members of the Senate leadership and are working with the Senate authors, Sens. Tim Scott and Cory Booker, to iron out the issue.
