Mounties Electrocute Airline Passenger

On Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:36:07 -0500, "Gig 601XL Builder"
wrDOTgiaconaATsuddenlink.net wrote in
:

Larry Dighera wrote:


Mace? Wrestle him to the floor? A net? Something with less lethal
potential than 100,000 volts?

50,000 Volts, 18 Watts and 133 MilliAmps


Where did you get that information?

Given W=EI if the voltage is 50KV and the current is 0.133 amps that
works out to:

50,000 volts * 0.133 amps = 6,650 Watts

(One milliamperes = 0.001 amperes; did you mean microamperes?)

The second paragraph of the citation below seems to disagree with your
numbers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroshock_gun
Principles of operation

Electroshock weapon technology uses a temporary
high-voltage low-current electrical discharge to override the
body's muscle-triggering mechanisms. The recipient feels great
pain, and can be momentarily paralyzed while an electric current
is being applied. It is reported that applying electroshock
devices to more sensitive parts of the body is more
painful.[citation needed] The relatively low electric current must
be pushed by high voltage to overcome the electrical resistance of
the human body. The resulting 'shock' is caused by muscles
twitching uncontrollably, appearing as muscle spasms. However,
because the amount of current is relatively low, there is
considered to be a 'margin' of safety by a number of medical
experts. Experts generally agree that this margin is highly
dependent on the overall health of the person subjected to the
shock. Usually, the higher the voltage, the more effective it is.
It may take several seconds to subdue a subject with 100 kV, but
only about a second with 1 MV (1,000 kV).[verification needed]

In current electroshock weapon models, the current is sometimes
relatively low (2.1 mA to 3.6 mA) which is based in part on the
electrical supply, (but for example M-26 Taser models produce a
peak current of 18 amperes in pulses that last for around 10
microseconds [1] and use eight AA batteries). Electrical current
above 10 mA at 60Hz AC is considered to be potentially lethal to
humans, though not all electroshock weapons pulse the current at
60 Hz.

The internal circuits of most electroshock weapons are fairly
simple, either based on an oscillator, resonant circuit and
step-up transformer or diode-capacitor voltage multipliers to
achieve the continuous, direct or alternating high-voltage
discharge may be powered by one or more 9 V battery depending on
manufacturer, and model. The output voltages without external
"load" (which would be the target's body) are claimed to be in the
range of 50 kV up to 1000 kV, with the most common being in the
200 to 300 kV range. However since air has a dielectric breakdown
(Emax) of 3000 kV/m, it is clear that the spacing of the
electrodes will not permit the upper range of claimed voltages
(900 kV representing a minimum electrode spacing of about 30 cm).
The output current upon contact with the target will depend on
various factors such as target's resistance, skin type, moisture,
bodily salinity, clothing, the electroshock weapon's internal
circuitry and battery conditions.[2][3]

According to the many sources, a shock of half a second duration
will cause intense pain and muscle contractions startling most
people greatly. Two to three seconds will often cause the subject
to become dazed and drop to the ground, and over three seconds
will usually completely disorient and drop an attacker for at
least several seconds and possibly for up to fifteen
minutes.[citation needed] TASER International warns law
enforcement agencies that “prolonged or continuous exposure(s) to
the TASER device’s electrical charge” may lead to medical risks
such as cumulative exhaustion and breathing impairment.[4] Because
there is no automatic stop on a taser gun, many officers have used
it repeatedly or for a prolonged period of time, thus potentially
contributing to suspects’ injuries or death.[5][6]


Taser

The M-26 TASER, the United States military version of a commercial
TASER.The name Taser is an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric
Rifle"[10]. Arizona inventor Jack Cover designed it in 1969;
naming it for the science fiction teenage inventor and adventurer
character Tom Swift.

Modern taser-type weapons fire small dart-like electrodes with
attached metal wires that connect to the gun, propelled by small
gas charges similar to some air rifle propellants. The maximum
range is up to 10 meters (30 feet). Earlier models of Taser needed
the dart-like electrodes to embed in the skin and superficial
muscle tissues layers; newer versions of the projectiles use a
shaped pulse/arc of electricity which disrupt nerve and muscle
function without needing the metal prongs on the projectile to
penetrate the skin. Early models had difficulty in penetrating
thick clothing, but the 'pulse' models are designed to bring down
a subject wearing up to a Level III body armor vest.[citation
needed]

Tasers are currently in use by a number of police forces worldwide
to try to reduce firearms-related deaths. The Phoenix Police
Department reported that officer shootings had dropped as a result
from the use of TASER technology as an alternative to deadly
force[citation needed]. Uses of a TASER device in this department
increased from 71 in the year 2002 to 164 in the year 2003.
Additionally, the number of officer-involved shootings decreased
by 7 during this time period. In Houston, however, police
shootings did not decline after the deployment of thousands of
TASERs.[11]

Although TASERs were originally proposed as alternatives to lethal
force, they have entered routine use as a method to gain
compliance at times when the use of firearms would not be
considered. For example, in the case of Fouad Kaady, a severely
burned man in shock and covered in blood sitting Indian style in
the road was ordered to lie down on his stomach to be handcuffed,
and within a few seconds was TASERed twice for failing to
comply.[12][13] An inquiry found that officers acted appropriately
in this case. In another well-publicized case, Andrew Meyer was
tasered while allegedly resisting arrest in an incident which
began with him exceeding his allotted time while asking a question
of John Kerry at a political rally.[14]

While they are not technically considered lethal, some authorities
and non-governmental organizations question both the degree of
safety presented by the weapon and the ethical implications of
using a weapon that some, such as Amnesty International, allege is
inhumane. As a result, a number of civil liberties groups would
like to see tasers banned.[citation needed] Amnesty International
has documented over 245 deaths that occurred after the use of
tasers.[15] The fact that a death occurred following use of a
taser does not necessarily indicate the taser was the cause of
death or even a contributing factor because correlation does not
imply causation, and as many of the deaths occurred in people with
serious medical conditions and/or severe drug intoxication, often
to the point of excited delirium. Tasers are often used as an
alternative to attacking the suspect with a baton or shooting him
with firearms both of which have a much higher chance of serious
injury and death than the taser, even using the highest estimates
of possible taser-related deaths. The term "less-lethal" is being
used more frequently when referring to weapons such as tasers
because many experts feel that no device meant to subdue a person
can be completely safe. The less-lethal category also includes
devices such as pepper spray, tear gas, and batons.There has been
one case report in the medical literature of a person suffering
spinal fractures after being shocked by a taser.[16] The US
National Institute of Justice has begun a two-year study into
taser-related deaths in custody.[17]

Tasers were introduced as a less-lethal weapon so that they could
be used by police to subdue fleeing, belligerent or potentially
dangerous criminal suspects, often when a lethal weapon would have
otherwise been used. However, tasers have not proved to
unequivocally reduce gun usage. For example, the Houston Police
Department has “shot, wounded and killed as many people as before
the widespread use of the stun guns” and has used tasers in
situations that would not warrant lethal or violent force, such as
verbal aggression.[11]

On Tuesday, 5 July, 2005 Michael Todd, Chief Constable of
Manchester, England, let himself be shot in the back with a taser,
to demonstrate his confidence that tasers can be used safely. This
was videoed, and the video was released to the BBC on 17 May 2007.
He was wearing a shirt and no jacket. When tased he fell forward
on his chest on the ground, and (he said afterwards) the shock
made him helpless; but soon after he recovered
completely.[18][19][20]

Although some police volunteers have shown tasers to function
appropriately on a healthy, calm individual, the real-life target
of a taser is, if not mentally or physically unsound, in a state
of high stress. According to the UK’s Defence Scientific Advisory
Council’s subcommittee on the Medical Implications of Less-lethal
Weapons (DoMILL), “The possibility that other factors such as
illicit drug intoxication, alcohol abuse, pre-existing heart
disease and cardioactive therapeutic drugs may modify the
threshold for generation of cardiac arrhythmias cannot be
excluded.” Additionally, taser experiments “do not take into
account real life use of tasers by law enforcement agencies, such
as repeated or prolonged shocks and the use of restraints”.[5]