PHOENIX — Stun-gun maker Taser International has started telling police to avoid firing the devices at suspects’ chests, explaining that there’s an “extremely low” risk of ill effects on the heart and that doing so will make defending lawsuits easier.
The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company made the recommendation in an Oct. 12 revised training manual, saying it “has less to do with safety and more to do with effective risk management for law enforcement agencies.”
The manual also includes a lengthy explanation about deaths caused by sudden cardiac arrest.
“Should sudden cardiac arrest occur in a scenario involving a Taser discharge to the chest area, it would place the law enforcement agency, the officer, and Taser International in the difficult situation of trying to ascertain what role, if any, (the device) could have played,” the manual said.
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