Comments on: Michigan Deputies Use TASER on Texas Man Holding Baby as a Shield http://blog.taser.com/2009/08/michigan-deputies-use-taser-on-texas-man-holding-baby-as-a-shield/ An informational blog about TASER - from TASER. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:30:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Christa M. Miller http://blog.taser.com/2009/08/michigan-deputies-use-taser-on-texas-man-holding-baby-as-a-shield/#comment-827 Christa M. Miller Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:59:07 +0000 http://blog.taser.com/?p=882#comment-827 Thanks Hilary. My thinking is that many people may misunderstand your point about electricity... they may think "lightning" which of course DOES jump from person to person if they're close enough to each other. The principle is the same - electricity seeking a path to the ground - but some may not realize that the second probe serves as the "ground." Thanks too for your point about accuracy and the laser sighting! Again, not something many people probably think about even if they have seen video... Thanks Hilary. My thinking is that many people may misunderstand your point about electricity… they may think “lightning” which of course DOES jump from person to person if they’re close enough to each other. The principle is the same – electricity seeking a path to the ground – but some may not realize that the second probe serves as the “ground.”

Thanks too for your point about accuracy and the laser sighting! Again, not something many people probably think about even if they have seen video…

]]> By: Hilary Gibeaut http://blog.taser.com/2009/08/michigan-deputies-use-taser-on-texas-man-holding-baby-as-a-shield/#comment-826 Hilary Gibeaut Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:18:34 +0000 http://blog.taser.com/?p=882#comment-826 Christa, thank you for your concerns and questions. Basically electricity is lazy, so if both probes are in one subject the electricity is going to find the shortest route to each probe. Electricity doesn’t jump from one person to another. People are able to still physically touch a person if they are being hit with a TASER® device. If you note our most recent TASER® X3™ video in which three employees were hit simultaneously, all three volunteers were held up and none were “shocked” or exposed to the TASER electrical waves. As for training, officers go through extensive training and have field experience. I’m not really sure how the baby was held in this situation, so I can’t go into specifics, but if the baby was held to one side of the person the other side would have been open for target. Keep in mind that the probes are very accurate and that there is a laser sight to help in the aiming features as well. Christa, thank you for your concerns and questions. Basically electricity is lazy, so if both probes are in one subject the electricity is going to find the shortest route to each probe. Electricity doesn’t jump from one person to another. People are able to still physically touch a person if they are being hit with a TASER® device. If you note our most recent TASER® X3™ video in which three employees were hit simultaneously, all three volunteers were held up and none were “shocked” or exposed to the TASER electrical waves.

As for training, officers go through extensive training and have field experience. I’m not really sure how the baby was held in this situation, so I can’t go into specifics, but if the baby was held to one side of the person the other side would have been open for target. Keep in mind that the probes are very accurate and that there is a laser sight to help in the aiming features as well.

]]> By: Christa M. Miller http://blog.taser.com/2009/08/michigan-deputies-use-taser-on-texas-man-holding-baby-as-a-shield/#comment-808 Christa M. Miller Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:18:09 +0000 http://blog.taser.com/?p=882#comment-808 Hilary, I love that you're spotlighting the non-controversies of TASER products! As a mom, though, I'm wondering: 1) How does the technology work so that the electric pulses don't jump from warm body to warm body? And 2) How does training work to ensure that the target is hit -- not a tiny baby held so close to center mass? (In other words how is it possible to aim the TASER so that both barbs hit the target, rather than one striking the baby?) Hilary, I love that you’re spotlighting the non-controversies of TASER products! As a mom, though, I’m wondering: 1) How does the technology work so that the electric pulses don’t jump from warm body to warm body? And 2) How does training work to ensure that the target is hit — not a tiny baby held so close to center mass? (In other words how is it possible to aim the TASER so that both barbs hit the target, rather than one striking the baby?)

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