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do use stun guns say the weapons have proven invaluable in reducing injuries, both to officers and civilians. Police chiefs from three Chittenden County departments — Burlington, South Burlington and St. Albans — said in interviews that stun guns have led to fewer worker’s compensation claims being filed by officers and a reduced number of confrontations with subjects who are more compliant when faced with a stun gun. South Burlington Police Chief Trevor Whipple said he has received no complaints from civilians about Taser use since at least 2006. Meanwhile, his officers have fired and brandished the weapons less frequently every year; the mere threat of the weapon is usually enough to make subjects obey commands. “They’re a very valuable tool when used appropriately,” Whipple said. “When it’s needed, it’s incredibly effective.” If the bill with increased training requirements passes, Whipple believes his officers, who received in-house instruction guided by Taser International, will likely be considered in compliance. LEAB’s Gauthier indicated that many officers could be grandfathered in but may have to receive annual recertification from the Vermont Police Academy under a future program. Gauthier said the bill represented a good starting point in making police use of Tasers safe, but cautioned that there would always be some danger involved. “What we’re trying to do is give more guidance in scenarios,” Gauthier said. The new legislation does include at least one new protection against potential police abuse that officers in South Burlington and elsewhere will have to remember. At the behest of State Rep. Linda Martin, the bill includes a provision banning officers from using stun guns on animals, unless officers feel their safety is threatened. That won’t do much for the next Macadam Mason. “I’m not sure what you’re accomplishing by passing it,” mental health activist Laura Ziegler told lawmakers, “other than saying you did something.” m
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Taser at a Bradford man who was suffering an epileptic seizure while police attempted to handcuff him. Another state trooper had the same justification for firing a Taser at a 23-year-old man with Down Syndrome who, when police tried to move him, refused to go along. Both incidents led to lawsuits. The state paid $40,000 to the Bradford man; and the man with Down Syndrome received an undisclosed sum of money from the state. In 2012, Vermont Public Radio reported that Vermont State Police had fired Tasers at people attempting suicide or experiencing a mental health crisis 10 times in the previous 18 months. Mental health advocates say the people they represent are often thought to be “actively resistant,” when they simply don’t understand what police are telling them. “To me, that doesn’t justify the use of something that is potentially lethal. Active resistance, in an individual with cognitive disabilities, it’s an indication that they probably don’t understand what [police] are trying to do,” said Ed Paquin, executive director of Disabilities Rights Vermont. “They key is the threshold of when it can be used. I don’t think they should be used for things that are a matter of compliance. It should be clear that somebody has to be in danger before the thing should be used.” Similar questions have surrounded the use of stun guns across the nation. A 2011 study by the federal Department of Justice generally supported the use of Tasers and similar devices to subdue subjects who hadn’t responded to other measures. However, it called for caution in dealing with people who, like Mason, were mentally unstable. “Abnormal mental status in a combative or resistive subject, sometimes called ‘excited delirium,’ may be associated with a risk for sudden death. This should be treated as a medical emergency,” the report stated. Sweaney said the push for increased, universal training will address many of the concerns. As with most legislation, she said, some lawmakers had to compromise in order to move the bill forward. “We wanted to make sure the training was there,” Sweaney reiterated. Those law-enforcement agencies that
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