Uma Ramiah Photo
Aldermen Gerald Antunes, Alex Rhodeen,Tom Lehtonen.
Police shot people with taser guns 12 times in December; 115 times in all in 2010; and 116 times in 2009.
So reported Police Chief Frank Limon Wednesday night to members of the Board of Aldermen’s Public Safety Committee gathered at City Hall.
Aldermen said they appreciated the information — but they want more.
“There doesn’t seem to be much context,” said committee Chairman Alex Rhodeen. “And not that it can’t be found out, but that’s really the area of interest.”
Rhodeen said the New Haveners he’d spoken to were looking for confirmation of the value of the tasers, which police started receiving in 2007 after controversial public debate. “They say, ‘Well how do you know if they really work?’ And I say, ‘Well no one got shot [by real guns].’ But it was brought to my attention that that’s really not enough of a standard.”
Taser Use: the Numbers
Causes for taser use in the month of December varied, according to Limon. Three incidents involved interfering arrests. Two involved unlawful discharge investigations. The cases also included one fight, one emotionally disturbed person, the evading of an accident, one incident involving a handgun, one case of domestic assault, a narcotics investigation and a disorderly conduct arrest.
As of this month, Limon reported, 182 tasers are in use at the NHPD. That number includes the 32 tasers added to the arsenal in 2010.
Tasers were introduced mostly in response to a series of shootings in 2004, two of which involved the fatalities of emotionally disturbed people. Read more about the introduction of tasers to the force here. For some examples of incidents involving tasers, click here, here, here, here, here.
Those tasers received renewed attention in 2010 in the wake of an incident a Yale student and a club raid.
“So the question is, what role do tasers play? I say they make both citizens and police safer, reduce injuries, and defuse situations more quickly while also reducing the probability of deadly force. But I can’t prove that. I’d like the public to know,” Rhodeen said after the hearing.
Starting this year, the police department will be conducting more in-depth, monthly reviews on taser deployment, said Limon. Read about previous reviews conducted by the NHPD here.
“Our objectives have been to look at how the tasers have been deployed and who’s deploying them. And from that at least we’ll be able to determine whether or not we’re in compliance with department policy,” Limon told the committee.
Limon joined the New Haven force as chief in April 2010. Wednesday night marked his first report to the committee on tasers.
Rhodeen said the committee needs more context for the data: “Seeing that there were 116 incidents, people that I’ve talked to are wondering is it 116 times where it was just easier to pull out the taser and be done with it? Was it 116 incidents that might have resulted in deadly force if not for the presence of tasers? Was it 116 incidents where a taser was a supplement for a physical interaction that might have lead to the injury of an officer in the line of duty?”
It’s very easy to say the police were wrong, Rhodeen continued. “But I’m hopeful that by putting these incidents into context, it can give a better understanding of the decisions made by the officers in deploying tasers.”
Limon was open to further data collection, saying that he would analyze and provide further context for the data the department had collected under his watch.
“Whatever I can do to shine transparency on how and why we deploy tasers and what some of the benefits and values are of the tasers, and anything else you want to see added, I can do that,” Limon vowed.
Analyzing Data
Hill Alderwoman Dolores Colon suggested comparative data as a way to tease out the effectiveness of taser use.
“What about comparing data prior to 2008?” she suggested. “You could take a look at the number of officers injured prior to the use of tasers, and then after the tasers. Comparisons would really crystallize it.”
Limon nodded in agreement but cautioned the committee against relying on older data: “I don’t know what they collected prior to when I got here.”
Upon his arrival in April, and facing a lack of solid information, he started his own database, he said. “And I’ll be candid, I’m not very impressed with the way they kept records.”
“I can definitely give you a 2010 snapshot of the information you want within a couple of weeks,” he said, “but in terms of comparative analysis going back, it would require me to do some extensive research.”
Limon suggested the various ways to analyze taser effectiveness: “Obviously when you point out the extreme when two people were shot when we probably could have used a less lethal force, that’s an obvious situation.”
Questions to ask, he said, should include: Have they reduced excessive force complaints? Have they reduced risk and injury to both officers and citizens?
“When we look at the context, we’ve got to take everything into account.”
Further context, the committee decided, should also include the type of situation (domestic v. narcotic, traffic stop v. handgun), when and where the taser was used, what the outcome was (subject subdued, treated by ambulance, sent to hospital), and any injury sustained by either party.
Limon had a further suggestion. “We need to normalize the data to find a good context of how we’re deploying them and why we’re deploying them. And we need to make sure the officers are filling out the report properly, and that supervisors are reviewing the report to make sure it was done correctly.”
Continuum of Force
“I think there’s usually a misconception about the use of the taser as opposed to gunshots,” said Quinnipiac Meadows Alderman Gerald Antunes. “It’s a progressive step, right? Is there still a continuum of force policy?”
There is a continuum of force policy in place at the NHPD, Limon confirmed. “The continuum is that you must overcome the force you’re facing by one degree in order to take someone into custody. If you meet it, you’ll never defeat it.”
In other words, facing an uncooperative drunk, an officer will not pull a gun – he or she would first resort to a less forceful method such as the baton, mace or even the taser. “The only way you can use deadly force is in a situation where you feel your life is threatened,” said Limon.
“So the taser is simply another one of those steps, another option before an officer resorts to a gun?”
“Correct,” said Limon.
Moving Forward
“What would be a time line the committee could expect this information back?” Rhodeen asked towards the end of the discussion.
Limon promised to return with a breakdown of 2010 in a few weeks.
“Great, we’ll have staff follow up on that,” said Rhodeen. “The public needs to know how we deploy our tasers, and the public safety committee needs to know as well.”
Rhodeen said the next step should be to put those incidents in context and clarify how the actions of the officers have changed as a result of tasers being on the force. “It’s my belief, and I can’t substantiate this, but that there are fewer injuries and less physical interactions.”