The risk of dying from the effects of a Taser is very small, but the electric shock could affect the heart, an expert said Monday at a public inquiry into the use of the conducted energy weapon in British Columbia.
J. Patrick Reilly, a researcher and electrical engineer at Johns Hopkins University, carefully explained the device's effect on the body and how someone could die after being shocked.
While he said the probability of death is small, he would never want to be jolted by the device.
"I wouldn't want to be Tased myself and I wouldn't want a family member to be Tased," he testified. "But I recognize among the arsenal of things police have to deal with, that this may be a useful tool."
Monday was the first phase of the public inquiry, which looked at the rules of use of the weapon by police, the training they receive and any medical aspects.
Lawyer Cameron Ward, who represents the family of a man who died after being Tasered, said it's important to look at how police employ the device.
"What we're finding in practice is that Tasers are not being used as an alternative to lethal force, but as a compliance tool against people who are simply acting up and are unarmed."
Retired B.C. Appeal Court justice Thomas Braidwood, who is heading the inquiry, will make recommendations on appropriate use.
A second phase will examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Robert Dziekanski -- however, it is on hold until a decision is made on whether charges will be laid in the case.
The 40-year-old Polish man died at Vancouver International Airport last October. A bystander captured the last moments of Dziekanski's life on video.
Dziekanski, who didn't speak English and had never been on an aircraft before, had spent 10 hours wandering around the airport. Towards the end, he had acted out in frustration, throwing computer equipment.
RCMP officers arrived on the scene, and within 24 seconds of their appearance, Dziekanski had been jolted with a Taser twice.
Dziekanski died in the airport.
Tests conducted after his death showed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.
Walter Kosteckyj -- lawyer for Dziekanski's mother Zophia Cisowski -- said Dziekanski told the police officer before being shocked, "'Have you lost your minds, what are you doing.'
"He would not have known what a Taser was, so to him it would have appeared like a weapon."
Cisowski hopes the inquiry will force the police to stop using the weapon, Kosteckyj has told The Canadian Press.
The Dziekanski case and a number of others across the country have raised questions about whether Tasers are safe and whether they are over-used.
Tasers jolt an individual with 50,000-volt shock. The jolt causes a person to lose control of their muscles, making it possible to for police to bring them under control.
However, there have been questions raised about whether police are using the devices to control or punish rather than protect themselves from harm.
Emile Therien of the Canada Safety Council told Canada AM that he thinks a call for a ban on Tasers is unlikely to come out of the inquiry because of how popular they are with police services.
He said he hopes that the inquiry recommends that police services release their internal numbers on how many times Tasers are used. From there, a better idea of their use could lead to national standards
"There's no standards whatsoever on their use at the moment . . . at the minimum they should adopt national standards," Therien said.
"Relaying on manufacturer's specifications is totally unacceptable."
The RCMP classifies Tasers as an intermediate weapon that can be used when a suspect is "resistant."
Paul Kennedy, chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC), recommended in December that Tasers be classified as an impact weapon.
That would mean a Taser could only be used when a suspect is "combative" or posing a risk to the officer's safety.
He didn't recommend a complete moratorium on the weapons, saying they had a place.
In addition, there are questions about whether Tasers are safe. Studies conducted on pigs suggest a Taser jolt could affect the heart's rhythm.
"I think the assertion that's been made that Tasers cannot possibly cause any direct action on the heart is incorrect. Tasers can affect the heart in particular circumstances," Dr. Paul Dorian told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.
He authored an article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal about the effects on pigs.
At least 20 deaths in Canada have been linked to police use of Tasers, with about 300 in North America.
Arizona-based Taser International has aggressively defended its product, insisting it is safe.
