Over the last year, Chicago police have used tasers on people 683 times — an increase from just 197 times in 2009. That's because the police department more than doubled its taser arsenal, and stopped investigating every taser-related incident.
In an annual report released today by the Independent Police Review Authority, the department's decision last year to increase taser use is said to be making people safer, as well as helping to "defuse" tense situations. And really, what better way to break up an argument than by electrocuting someone? According to Chicago's WGN News:
As a result, the agency said it has decided against investigating every time an officer uses a Taser, saying the hundreds of incidents were "overwhelming" its resources. Instead, it will do so only if allegations of misconduct are made, serious injury or death resulted, or a minor or senior citizen was targeted.
So basically the only way for a police taser incident to be investigated in Chicago is if someone dies, or if children or old people are fried by a trigger happy cop. At this rate, pretty soon they'll be tasering people for jaywalking.
[via FARK; Image via AP]
Send an email to Jeff Neumann, the author of this post, at jeff@gawker.com.
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