A probe into Taser use and the weapon's role in the death of a Polish immigrant at Vancouver's airport two years ago has found that the stun guns do have the capacity to cause serious injury or death.

Justice Thomas Braidwood's inquiry has also found that the risk of death increases significantly when the energy-conducted weapons are administered to the chest, or in cases when suspects are shocked multiple times.

However, Braidwood stopped short of calling for a moratorium on Taser use, despite slamming British Columbia's provincial government because it has "abdicated its responsibility to set provincial standards."

"As a result, it has been left up to each police department to develop its own training programs," Braidwood said Thursday, adding that departments have been forced to rely on the manufacturer's training manuals.

Still, Braidwood said that Canadian society is better off with Tasers than without them, but stressed that his support of the weapons was contingent upon more stringent standards and better training for police.

For example, Braidwood said that the stun guns should only be used when there is the imminent threat of bodily harm, which significantly raises the current threshold of Taser use.

Currently, officers can deploy a stun gun in cases of "active resistance," such as a suspect running or walking away.

"Crisis management is key," said Braidwood, who was speaking in Vancouver. "Just the displaying of the weapon often has the effect."

In order to increase public trust, Braidwood put forth 19 key recommendations regarding Taser use, including:

  • Tasers should only be used for truly criminal situations, and not to enforce municipal or provincial bylaws.
  • Stun guns must only be administered in cases of bodily harm, or where that risk is imminent, for the officer or for others nearby.
  • Officers should get crisis intervention training to ensure they can use other avenues to de-escalate tense situations.
  • A suspect should not be shocked for longer than five seconds.
  • Paramedics should be called immediately in situations deemed "medically high-risk."
  • Officers using Tasers should carry a heart defibrillator.

The report also found that the risk of death also increases when the weapons are used on "emotionally disturbed" subjects, which Braidwood said "is the worst possible response" in such cases.

Robert Dziekanski, who spoke no English, died of cardiac arrest after being shocked five times by RCMP officers at Vancouver International Airport in October 2007.

"The risk of serious injury or death increases, if the weapon is deployed across the chest of the subject, or is deployed against medically vulnerable people, or is deployed multiple times against a subject," Braidwood said.

"While today's report deals with conducted energy weapons, I am firmly of the view that the most important weapon in the arsenal of the police force is public support," Braidwood noted.

RCMP response

Shortly after Braidwood delivered his findings, B.C. Solicitor General Kash Heed said the recommendations had been fully accepted by the provincial government. Heed added that all police agencies in the province would have to comply with the recommendations.

The RCMP had stated previously that it would adopt Braidwood's recommendations nationwide, however, there were indications from the force on Thursday that suggested otherwise.

In fact, a spokesman for the RCMP said the force wouldn't immediately comply with the report's findings because it would need time to review them first.

RCMP Sgt. Tim Shields said the force implemented similar Taser guidelines last year, and that implementing the new Braidwood rules will need to be assessed, The Canadian Press reported.

Taser International spokesman Steve Tuttle responded to the recommendations by issuing an email which said that Braidwood's report is an example of "politics trumping science."

"Commissioner Braidwood's recommendations do not meet the realities of modern day law enforcement," Tuttle wrote.

Tuttle added that medical research "has consistently demonstrated that Taser devices are safe and effective when used properly."

Last year Paul Kennedy, head of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, released a number of recommended restrictions on Taser use. Mounties say they adopted them, but critics say the force hasn't lived up to Kennedy's key recommendations.

Earlier this year, the RCMP cautioned officers to use Tasers only in situations that pose a safety risk, and not for purposes of restraining suspects.

Kennedy's report also called for annual training of officers using Tasers.

Dziekanski family lawyer Walter Kosteckyj said earlier there should be a moratorium on Taser use.

"We've had the benefit of hearing about internal investigations from the RCMP, we've heard about the calibration problems," Kosteckyj told CTV News Wednesday night.

"There's so much more evidence than there was even two years ago, that I hope and expect that these will be far-reaching recommendations that will actually get people to sit up and listen."

With files from The Canadian Press