New cop shocker

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by George Maddux

Police unholstered the newest weapon in their arsenal last week, announcing that the SWAT team will now own three Tasers: a pistol that fires darts on wires, carrying a temporarily debilitating electric shock.

But Yves Manseau, of the Mouvement Action Justice was unimpressed with the press conference display in which a half dozen local reporters sampled the wrath of the device. For starters, the volunteers didn't get shot with the gun, "and instead of giving five seconds at 50,000 watts, they gave two seconds at 10,000 watts," says Manseau. "Still, you could see the pain on the faces of the journalists who fell right to the floor."

The guns have viewfinders and a 21-foot range and will be used on standoffs with "suicidal or barricaded people," according to police spokesman André Durocher. He says the dart pierces the skin like a "bee sting" and anybody shot will be brought to hospital. A half dozen other Canadian police forces carry the weapon. The MUC Police claims to have done studies on the device but denied a request to allow the Mirror to read them. The Taser will be an alternative to pepper spray and Durocher, who says he has sampled both, feels the Taser gun "is more humane because the pain ends instantly."

Manseau points out that troubled individuals are not always as physically stable as such volunteers. He also worries that police could potentially use the Taser as a "weapon of torture."