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368!That's the number of times Toronto Cops 'deployed' their tasers in 2007. The figure comes from Police Chief Bill Blair on usage of these Conducted Energy Weapons, as he likes to call them, (can't look like the Toronto cops are acting as a mouthpiece for Taser International). As of November 2007 454 Tasers were in the hands of Toronto cops. Simple math 368/454 = 81.05%. Here's the breakdown by Divisions:
Blair goes on to break down the usage by "Subject Condition during Taser Usage" and this is where it gets really interesting or sad depending on one's viewpoint. 352 'subjects' were involved in these 368 incidents. Of those 270 are defined as 'subject perceived to be in crisis'. Blair helpfully defines this category it "means a person who suffers a temporary breakdown of coping skills, but often reaches out for help, demonstrating that they are in touch with reality. Once a person in crisis receives the needed help, there is often a rapid return to normalcy." Asking for help and the response is use of a Taser, to such a degree that the paperwork land it on the Chief of Police's annual report on Taser usage. Blair's report on Taser usage in 2007 goes a long way to effectively demonstrate why Toronto Police must not all be armed with these Conducted Energy Weapons. |
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