The TASER Generation: Solutions for New Police Officers

We are entering a new generation of police work, “The Taser Generation”. Although conductive energy devices have been around for a long time, they seem to be gaining more acceptance these days. Departments all over the world are adding this weapon technology to their duty belts. Although this weapon is extremely effective and can render a suspect’s size and strength advantage virtually meaningless, Scott pointed out some potential problems looming on the horizon in his post “The TASER Generation: Issues for New Police Officers“.

Many police recruits entering academies across the country have never been in a real fight. They receive an average of 40 hours of training in defensive tactics, and then may not get refresher training for several years. The update training, if they receive it, is often no more than an 8-hour training day. Once on the street, new officers armed with a Taser are able to avoid physically fighting suspects. I am not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, only that it may have some unintended consequences.

If an officer has very little training in defensive tactics and has no practical experience in empty hand confrontations, he can find himself in deep trouble when the Taser eventually fails to control a suspect. While the vast majority of Taser deployments are successful in completely incapacitating suspects, they can fail. Either through user error or technical problems, there is the possibility that the Taser will not work. Pre-Taser era officers will not have too much of a problem transitioning to other control options since they worked for years without the option of a Taser, but the new officers may find themselves in unfamiliar territory. This could lead the new officers resorting to excessive force, being injured, or even being killed.

Here are some possible solutions to the problem:

1. Train for failure – During academy and refresher training, include numerous scenarios where the Taser fails to incapacitate the suspect. Make sure officers are not caught by surprise and can quickly transition to other appropriate use of force options.
2. Increase the amount and frequency of defensive tactics training – Departments should be doing this now, but it could prove crucial in the future.
3. Incorporate protective force-on-force simulation equipment in academy training that allows recruits to safely engage in scenario based training with a resistive subject – Replicating arrest situations where recruits are exposed to multiple physical confrontations can help them gain experience and confidence in their ability to survive a fight. This should help them avoid over reacting with inappropriate force on the street.
4. Evaluate your defensive tactics system – Make sure that the system your department is currently teaching is effective. Negative experiences with techniques on the street can cause officers to abandon them. Under stress and without confidence in their defensive tactics skills and techniques, officers can easily resort to excessive force.

For more information on force-on-force simulation suits, check out these videos of Blauer Tactical Systems High Gear in action.

This is part 2 in a 2 part series called The TASER Generation Issues and Solutions for New Police Officers.

• Part 1: The TASER Generation: Issues for New Police Officers
• Part 2: The TASER Generation: Solutions for New Police Officers

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