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Article
Police Crime & Less-than-Lethal Coercive Force: A Description of the Criminal Misuse of TASERs
International Journal of Police Science and Management
  • Philip M Stinson, Bowling Green State University
  • Bradford W. Reyns
  • John Liederbach, Bowling Green State University
Document Type
Article
Abstract

This study explores and describes the nature and character of cases that involve the criminal misuse of TASERs by police officers through a content analysis of newspaper articles. The news-based content analysis identified 24 police officers who were arrested for crimes that involved inappropriate use of TASERs over a 65 month period from January 2005 through May 2010. Data on these cases are presented in terms of: a) the arrested officer, b) victim characteristics, and c) the situational context of these events. The news-based content analyses were used to identify and describe some factors that were common among these events, especially in regard to the actions and motivations of the arrested officers and how the situational context appeared to influence the criminal misconduct of officers. The findings indicate that the cases examined did not involve much, if any, situational risk to the officer. The criminal misuse of TASERs seems more likely to involve suspects who are already handcuffed, or even citizens who are clearly not criminals at all.

Publication Date
1-1-2012
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1350/ijps.2012.14.1.237
Citation Information
Philip M Stinson, Bradford W. Reyns and John Liederbach. "Police Crime & Less-than-Lethal Coercive Force: A Description of the Criminal Misuse of TASERs" International Journal of Police Science and Management (2012) p. 1 - 19
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/philip_stinson/9/