• Originally published July 10, 2008 at 4:42 p.m., updated July 10, 2008 at 4:42 p.m.

The latest stress being put on law enforcement officers is when, if ever, to use the powerful electric tasers they carry in order to subdue a combative criminal suspect.

Tasers are instruments capable of hitting a person with thousands of volts of DC electricity, almost always rendering them stunned and temporarily incapable of resisting further.

The two most common tasers in use either fire electric wires into a person’s body or shock by contact when the taser’s two poles are pressed against a person’s body.

At first, these gadgets were touted as the answer to law enforcement’s problem of how to apply enough non-lethal force to end a confrontation without a firearm being drawn and discharged.

And for a while, they were popular with the public as well as law officers. But then, in several terrible confrontations, tasers turned out to be deadly when they were used on suspects.

Therefore, in some circles now, there is an outcry for the electrical instruments to be outlawed completely.

We feel that is not necessary, because in the hands of a restrained, well-trained law officer, a taser can be a life saver when all other methods of arrest have failed.

Basically, we’re urging the use of the same precautions with tasers as those which officers are taught in terms of using their firearms.

In short, if a taser is ever pulled and used, it is because there was absolutely no other way to restrain the suspect.

Police officers should have special classes, aided by medical professionals, to train them in the non-lethal use of tasers.

But, in the end, the cop on the street has an incredibly hard job, making life-or-death (or taser) decisions in seconds.

Frankly, there will always be criminals, or criminal suspects, who will leave the street cop no choice but to act with force. These people can avoid all the nasty stuff by simply obeying the commands of the officer and yielding to arrest when it is deemed proper treatment for them.

But, an electric shock, when all is said and done, gives the suspect a much better chance than a 9 mm bullet.

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