Braidwood Inquiry : Taser slams "junk science"

A lawyer for Taser Int. told the Braidwood Inquiry yesterday that medical testimony linking the death of Robert Dziekanski to his being tasered five times is "junk science". Or, as amusingly reported twice by the Winnipeg Sun in their version of the story before they fixed it : "jump science".

"... there was no evidence that "the Taser device caused or contributed to his death."

"We say it is time this uninformed speculation about the role the Taser device may have had in this case be dispelled and the attack on Taser’s reputation ended."

Taser Int. filed an application in B.C. Supreme Court in August to quash all 19 of Justice Braidwood's recommendations in his report Restoring Public Confidence: Restricting the Use of Conducted Energy Weapons in British Columbia despite Braidwood's advocacy for the weapon. Taser Int. prefers to lay all the blame on the mysterious "sudden death during restraint" due to "delirium".

You know, Taser, I think a simple test here would help clear up all this "uninformed speculation".

The problem is that we see people being tasered and then dropping dead - in that order. The RCMP has hundreds of recorded examples of drawing their TASER™ device and then not using it. If, as you contend, people die of delirium during restraint and not from being tasered, then all you have to do is produce the RCMP body of evidence that just as many delirious people drop dead before they are tasered as after.

Jump science. Hope this helps.

Nah! No conflict of interest there.

One has to wonder exactly what it is about Dr. James Cairns, a public servant, that TASER International, a private corporation, finds so attractive that they keep inviting him to speak at conferences and seminars that they host.

Taser International and another company closely linked to the manufacturer have paid the way for Ontario's deputy chief coroner to lecture at their conferences on the phenomenon of "excited delirium," a medically unrecognized term that the company often cites as a reason people die after being tasered.

James Cairns, one of the country's most high-profile coroners, who publicly advocates the use of the stun gun, has become one of the top Canadian experts Taser officials turn to for help shoring up public support for their products in times of crisis. Since the death of Robert Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant, at Vancouver International Airport last month, Taser has repeatedly urged journalists to contact Dr. Cairns for his pro-taser views.

Dr. Cairns has recently given seminars at two conferences hosted by Taser International - one in July in Chicago and another last year in Las Vegas.

I'm not going to question the good doctor's intentions however, he is another of the crowd that insists on using the term "Excited Delirium" as though it has some medical meaning. It is not accepted by the medical community as a disease, syndrome or contributing cause of death of anybody, anywhere on the planet. It is a law enforcement construct intended to replace the term "in-custody death".

It is also being used to camouflage the possibility that TASER® stun guns are a contributing factor in the death of suspects.

TASER International's purpose for holding these conferences is to shore up support for their product. In that sense they are little more than a marketing effort and Cairns appears to be assisting them in that regard.

Perhaps we should look at what Cairns said back in 2004 when he was promoting TASER International's weapons to the Toronto Police Services Board. (Emphasis mine)

"I am absolutely convinced tasers will save lives instead of taking lives. And I hope some day, if I am in the position, please taser me before you shoot me," Dr. Cairns told the board at its meeting.

Agreed! I doubt you'll find too many people who would disagree with that take on the use of TASER® weapons. In short, it is a level of force to which police will resort in place of using a firearm. Unfortunately, we have police resorting to the use of this weapon well before they would consider drawing their lethal sidearm. For one thing, they might possibly have to explain shooting an unarmed person - something that should happen each and every time a TASER® electroshock weapon is used.

Using a weapon, which is listed as a Prohibited Firearm in the Criminal Code of Canada, to gain compliance of a person who presents no lethal threat needs to be placed under careful review. Dr. Cairns, for all his knowledge and expertise, should be welcoming such reviews rather than appearing at TASER International marketing events.

Dr. Cairns might also want to tell his next TASER International hosted conference how many people who supposedly suffered from "Excited Delirium" actually survived.

Or is it only a condition found in dead people?

Hat tip reader Colin

Out with "custody death", in with "excited delirium"

CP : Most people hit with RCMP Tasers unarmed: reports:

"RCMP Cpl. Gregg Gillis is the force's expert on Taser training and excited delirium -- the mysterious condition of heart-pounding agitation used as a kind of catch-all label by those who can't otherwise explain why a growing number of people have died soon after being zapped.
Asked about the dozens of reports that suggest police used Tasers against unarmed suspects whose behaviour prompted only verbal interventions before they were stunned, Gillis stressed the need for context."

G&M : RCMP revised taser policy to allow multiple jolts

"Three months before Robert Dziekanski was tasered, the RCMP adopted a change in force protocol that allows officers to fire multiple shocks to control people under certain circumstances.
Until August, officers trained to use stun guns were cautioned to avoid using them more than once because of concerns about health effects. However, the force's belief that excited-delirium symptoms can escalate and cause death outweighed their worries about the impact of multiple shocks.

But the term “excited delirium” is not formally recognized by the World Health Organization nor the American Medical Association as an actual psychological or medical condition.
However, the condition is being used increasingly by coroners tasked with attributing causes of death among victims in police custody.

David Evans, Ontario's regional supervising coroner for investigations, described it as a “forensic term” not a medical one.
“I think previous to the description of excited delirium, [it] was sometimes called custody death,” he said.

Cpl. Gilles conceded that the policy on multiple taser shots “may be hazardous. We don't know.” "

You have to feel a bit sorry for Cpl. Gilles, resident RCMP expert on a "forensic term".

Cross-posted at Creekside