In a new approach aimed at reducing deaths caused by stun guns, Canadian police forces are being ordered to take new precautions with Taser guns by no longer aiming the weapon at a person's chest and heart.
Police authorities have been told that their Tasers must now only point at a person's abdomen, legs or back if they want to subdue the suspect.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ontario Provincial Police and other municipal and provincial forces were issued the directive late last week after Taser International made mention of new concerns about the weapons and its links to cardiac arrest.
The organization said reducing chest shots will avoid the controversy about whether the electronic control devices affect the human heart.
"The risk of an adverse cardiac event" related to Taser use is "deemed to be extremely low," the Taser International bulletin said. However, it notes that underlying problems that affect the heart -- such as drug use or other cardiac problems -- are impossible for officers to diagnose on the spot.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Scott Warren, who is part of the officer safety committee, told the Canadian Press that the new orders are a major shift from previous police practices.
Use of Taser guns have come under intense scrutiny in recent years, particularly after Robert Dziekanski, a Polish traveler was Tasered at a Vancouver airport in 2007. He died as a result of the electric shock.
RCMP Commissioner William Elliot said the stun guns would no longer be used against people who simply refuse to cooperate with police.
He noted that several incidents have come to light that have raised questions about the efficacy of Tasers.
"I do not think there is evidence that Tasers kill, but certainly, we have had some incidents where shortly after a Taser was deployed, individuals died," Elliott said in announcing new rules on the weapon's usage.
Last February, Elliott surprised observers when he said that people "may be at a high risk of death" if they are in a state of agitation or delirium when they are hit by the stun gun.
With files from The Canadian Press
