Taser International Public Statement Warns Investors

STATEMENT RELEASED BY TASER International, Inc.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 27, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TASER International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), a leading provider of technology solutions and the market leader in electronic control devices (ECDs), today announced that agents assigned to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Office of Correctional Safety (OCS) are field testing 28 TASER(r) X26(tm) ECDs and 28 TASER CAM(tm) systems. The deployment of the TASERs is being conducted as a pilot program. Once the program has been completed, a decision will be made as to a state-wide OCS issuance.

"Officer Safety is always a top priority. Given the uncertain situations our agents find themselves in and the risk of danger, we welcome this opportunity to field test these systems in our pilot program," said Anthony Chaus, Assistant Secretary of the OCS. "The TASER X26 and the TASER CAM has the potential to keep officers safe, protect lives, reduce injuries and increase accountability. OCS agents have already successfully deployed the TASER X26. This pilot will help us determine the effectiveness of these systems in officer safety," Chaus added.

"According to the California Division of Labor Statistics and Research, there were 1,685 injuries to correctional officers in 2006," said Paul Hughes, Director of New Markets for TASER International. "We at TASER International believe that TASER X26 ECD will help protect lives and keep agents of the CDCR's OCS safe.

TASER ECDs are deployed by more than 14,000 law enforcement and military agencies in more than 45 countries around the world. The TASER X26 device has a data download capability that verifies the date, time, duration, temperature and battery status of each use of a device.

The TASER(r) CAM(tm) attaches to the handle of the TASER X26 ECD and provides additional officer accountability by capturing low light video and audio of an incident involving a TASER device.

About TASER International, Inc.

TASER International's products protect life. TASER provides advanced Electronic Control Devices (ECDs) for use in the law enforcement, medical, military, corrections, professional security, and personal protection markets. TASER devices use proprietary technology to incapacitate dangerous, combative, or high-risk subjects who pose a risk to law enforcement officers, innocent citizens, or themselves in a manner that is generally recognized as a safer alternative to other uses of force.

For more information, please call TASER International at (800) 978-2737 or visit our website at www.TASER.com.

The TASER International logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2931

Note to Investors

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including statements, without limitation, regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. We intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking information is based upon current information and expectations regarding TASER International. These estimates and statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, are not guarantees of future performance, and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied, or forecasted in such forward-looking statements.

TASER International assumes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release. These statements are qualified by important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include but are not limited to: (1) market acceptance of our products; (2) our ability to establish and expand direct and indirect distribution channels; (3) our ability to attract and retain the endorsement of key opinion-leaders in the law enforcement community; (4) the level of product technology and price competition for our products; (5) the degree and rate of growth of the markets in which we compete and the accompanying demand for our products; (6) risks associated with rapid technological change and new product introductions; (7) competition; (8) litigation including lawsuits resulting from alleged product related injuries and death; (9) media publicity concerning allegations of deaths and injuries occurring after use of the TASER device and the negative effect this publicity could have on our sales; (10) TASER device tests and reports; (11) product quality; (12) implementation of manufacturing automation; (13) potential fluctuations in our quarterly operating results; (14) financial and budgetary constraints of prospects and customers; (15) order delays; (16) dependence upon sole and limited source suppliers; (17) negative reports concerning the TASER device; (18) fluctuations in component pricing; (19) government regulations and inquiries; (20) dependence upon key employees and our ability to retain employees; (21) execution and implementation risks of new technology; (22) ramping manufacturing production to meet demand; (23) medical and safety studies; (24) field test results; and (25) other factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, those factors detailed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Form 10-Qs.

The statements made herein are independent statements of TASER International. The inclusion of any third parties does not represent an endorsement of any TASER International products or services by any such third parties.

CONTACT: TASER International, Inc.
Steve Tuttle, Vice President of Communications
Media ONLY Hotline: (480) 444-4000


POSTNOTE Editorial:

This Release to the public and to investors of Taser International, Inc. was issued Monday, April 27, 2009, only two days after the funeral of Michael Patrick Jacobs, Jr. in Fort Worth, Texas. There is no mention of Michael or any remembrance of him. There is only this:

To keep officers safe, protect lives, reduce injuries and increase accountability.

To Investors, Taser International forewarns of that its “forward-looking statement” must be tempered by market performance. Two of the listed market influences are summed up below:

(3) our ability to attract and retain the endorsement of key opinion-leaders in the law enforcement community…

(9) media publicity concerning allegations of deaths and injuries occurring after use of the TASER device and the negative effect this publicity could have on our sales…

RESOLUTION FOR MICHAEL PATRICK JACOBS JR.

Delivered to the Family on this 25th Day, April, 2009
On Behalf of the Blogging Community Worldwide
Presented by Eddie Griffin (BASG), AfroSpear and Afrosphere Action Coalition

Romans 16:16 Salute one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. I bring you our humble greetings and condolences also from those who share this hour of grief.

I am lost for words of comfort to the Jacobs Family. I feel like Moses. I am not an eloquent man of speech, and even as I write this Resolution, my heart is too torn apart to call this a homegoing celebration.

Michael Patrick Jacobs, Jr. was only 24 years old when he died. He is about the same age as my oldest grandson. And, if I were sitting in the seat of Michael Jacobs, Sr. and Charlottte, it would be hard for me to celebrate my son’s homegoing, when he was snatched away so suddenly and so violently.

I am blinded this day by tears of sadness, because this young man did not have to die like this. Brother Kyev Tatum touched the heart of the entire world when he spoke into the camera and said, “This young man did not have to die like this.”

We know also that Michael did not have to die like this because we have been warning police departments all across the United States that Tasers Kill. Tasers send out a 50,000-volt charge into a person. If we shock ourselves on an electrical outlet, we only get hit with 120 volts. When they executed men on death row, Old Sparky only generated 20,000 volts.

A few years ago, the Fort Worth Police Department and the Fort Worth Independent School district proposed using tasers on school children. That’s when we said: Enough is enough.

Thanks to a fellow blogger in Canada, we have compiled a list of everyone executed by taser electrocution. The list is hereby attached to this Resolution, in memory of all those who died by Tasers. But I would be remiss if I did not mention the name of those who died at the hands of the Fort Worth Police Department.

81. November 2, 2004: Robert Guerrero, 21, Fort Worth, Texas
109. April 3, 2005: Eric Hammock, 43, Fort Worth, Texas
130. June 24, 2005: Carolyn Daniels, 25, Fort Worth, Texas
214. August 23, 2006: Noah Lopez,25, Fort Worth, Texas
405. April 18, 2009: Michael Jacobs Jr., 24, Fort Worth, Texas

IN MEMORY ALSO

1. September 28, 1999: David Flores, 37, Fairfield, California
2. May 14, 2000: Enrique Juarez Ochoa, 34, Bakersfield, California
3. June 17, 2001: Mark Burkett, 18, Gainesville, Florida
4. December 15, 2001: Hannah Rogers-Grippi, 6 months fetus, Chula Vista, California
5. December 17, 2001: Marvin Hendrix, 27, Hamilton, Ohio
6. December 21, 2001: Steven Vasquez, 40, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
7. January 27, 2002: Vincent Delostia, 31, Hollywood, Florida
8. February 12, 2002: Anthony Spencer, 35, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9. March 27, 2002: Henry Canady, 46, Hilliard, Florida
10. May 17, 2002: Richard Baralla, 36, Pueblo, Colorado
11. June 10, 2002: Eddie Alvarado, 32, Los Angeles, California
12. June 15, 2002: Jason Nichols, 21, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
13. June 28, 2002: Clever Craig, 46, Mobile, Alabama
14. June 27, 2002: Fermin Rincon, 24, Fontana, California
15. June 2002: Unidentified male, 39, Phoenix, Arizona
16. July 19, 2002: Johnny Lozoya, Gardena, California
17. July 19, 2002: Gordon Jones, 37, Windermere, Florida
18. September 1, 2002: Frederick Webber, 44, Orange City, Florida
19. November 7, 2002: Stephen Edwards, 59, Shelton, Washington
20. March 16, 2003: Unidentified male, 31, Albuquerque, New Mexico
21. April 19, 2003: Terrence Hanna, 51, Burnaby, British Columbia
22. May 10, 2003: Joshua Hollander, 22, Normal Heights, California
23. June 9, 2003: Timothy Sleet, 44, Springfield Missouri
24. July 22, 2003: Clayton Willey, 33, Prince George, British Columbia
25. August 4, 2003: Troy Nowell, 51, Amarillo, Texas
26. August 8, 2003: John Thompson, 45, Carrollton Township, Michigan
27. August 17, 2003: Gordon Rauch, 39, Citrus Heights, California
28. September 24, 2003: Ray Austin, 25, Gwinnett, Georgia
29. September 29, 2003: Glenn Leyba, 37, Glendale, Colorado
30. September , 2003: Clark Whitehouse, 34, Whitehorse, Yukon
31. October 7, 2003: Roman Pierson, 40, Brea, California
32. October 11, 2003: Dennis Hammond, 31, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
33. October 21, 2003: Louis Morris, 50, Orlando, Florida
34. November 6, 2003: James Borden, 47, Monroe County, Indiana
35. November 10, 2003: Michael Johnson, 32, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
36. November 11, 2003: Kerry O’Brien, 31, Pembroke Pines, Florida
37. December 9, 2003: Curtis Lawson, 40, Unadilla, Georgia
38. December 9, 2003: Lewis King, 39, St. Augustine, Florida
39. February 4, 2004: David Glowczenski, 35, Southampton Village, New York
40. February 12, 2004: Raymond Siegler, 40, Minneapolis, Minnesota
41. February 21, 2004: Curt Rostengale, 44, Silverdale, Washington
42. February 21, 2004: William Lomax, 26, Las Vegas, Nevada
43. March 23, 2004: Perry Ronald, 28, Edmonton, Alberta
44. March 28, 2004: Terry Williams, 45, Madison, Illinois
45. April 1, 2004: Phillip LaBlanc, 36, Los Angeles, California
46. April 16, 2004: Melvin Samuel, 28, Savannah, Georgia
47. April 18, 2004: Alfredo Diaz, 29, Orange County, Florida
48. April 27, 2004: Eric Wolle, 45, Washington Grove, Maryland
49. May 1, 2004: Roman Andreichikov, Vancouver, British Columbia
50. May 13, 2004: Peter Lamonday, 38, London, Ontario
51. May 22, 2004: Henry Lattarulo, 40, Hillsborough, County Florida
52. May 27, 2004: Frederick Williams, 31, Lawrenceville, Georgia
53. May 30, 2004: Darryl Smith, 46, Atlanta, Georgia
54. May 31, 2004: Anthony Oliver, 42, Orlando, Florida
55. June 4, 2004: Jerry Pickens, 55, Bridge City, Louisiana
56. June 9, 2004: James Cobb, 42, St. Paul, Minnesota
57. June 9, 2004: Jacob Lair, 26, Sparks, Nevada
58. June 23, 2004: Robert Bagnell, 44, Vancouver, British Columbia
59. June 24, 2004: Kris Lieberman, 32, Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania
60. June, 2004: Bernard Christmas, 36, Dayton, Ohio
61. July 3, 2004: Demetrius Tillman Nelson, 45, Okaloosa County, Florida
62. July 11, 2004: Willie Smith, 48, Auburn, Washington
63. July 17, 2004: Jerry Knight, 29, Mississauga, Ontario
64. July 23, 2004: Milton Salazar, 29, Mesa Arizona
65. August 2, 2004: Keith Tucker, 47, Las Vegas, Nevada
66. August 8, 2004: Samuel Truscott, 43, Kingston, Ontario
67. August 11, 2004: Ernest Blackwell, 29, St. Louis, Missouri
68. August 11, 2004: David Riley, 41, Joplin, Missouri
69. August 13, 2004: Anthony Lee McDonald, 46, Harrisburg, North Carolina
70. August 16, 2004: William Teasley, 31, Anderson, South Carolina
71. August 19, 2004: Richard Karlo, 44, Denver, Colorado
72. August 20, 2004: Michael Sanders, 40, Fresno, California
73. August 24, 2004: Lawrence Davis, 27, Phoenix, Arizona
74. August 27, 2004: Jason Yeagley, 32, Winter Haven, Florida
75. August 29, 2004: Michael Rosa, 38, Del Rey Oaks, California
76. September 12, 2004: Samuel Wakefield, 22, Rio Vista, Texas
77. September 15, 2004: Andrew Washington, 21, Vallejo, California
78. September 20, 2004: Jon Merkle, 40, Miami, Florida
79. October 4, 2004: Dwayne Dunn, 33, Lafayette, Louisiana
80. November 2, 2004: Greshmond Gray, 25, LaGrange, Georgia
81. November 2, 2004: Robert Guerrero, 21, Fort Worth, Texas
82. November 7, 2004: Keith Raymond Drum, Clearlake, Califormnia
83. November 8, 2004: Ricardo Zaragoza, 40, Elk Grove, California
84. November 25, 2004: Charles Keiser, 47, Hartland Township, Michigan
85. November 27, 2004: Byron Black, 39, Lee County, Florida
86. December 4, 2004: Patrick Fleming, 35, Metairie, Louisiana
87. December 15, 2004: Kevin Downing, 36, Hollywood, Florida
88. December 17, 2004: Douglas Meldrum, 37, Wasatch County, Utah
89. December 17, 2004: Lyle Nelson, 35, Columbia, Illinois
90. December 23, 2004: Timothy Bolander, 31, Delray Beach, Florida
91. December 23, 2004: Ronnie Pino, 31, Sacramento, California
92. December 28, 2004: Christopher Hernandez, 19, Naples, Florida
93. December 29, 2004: Jeanne Hamilton, 46, Palmdale, California
94. December 30, 2004: David Cooper, 40, Marion County, Indiana
95. January 2, 2005: Gregory Saulsbury, 30, Pacifica, California
96. January 5, 2005: Dennis Hyde, 30, Akron, Ohio
97. January 8, 2005: Carl Trotter, 33, Pensacola, Florida
98. January 28, 2005: James Edward Hudson, 33, Chickasha, Oklahoma
99. January 31, 2005: Jeffrey Turner, 41, Lucas County, Ohio
100. February 10, 2005: Ronald Alan Hasse, 54, Chicago, Illinois
101. February 12, 2005: Robert Camba, 45, San Diego, California
102. February 18, 2005: Joel Don Casey, 52, Houston, Texas
103. February 20, 2005: Robert Heston, 40, Salinas, California
104. March 3, 2005: Shirley Andrews, 38, Cincinnati, Ohio
105. March 6, 2005: Willie Towns, 30, Deland, Florida
106. March 12, 2005: Milton Woolfolk, 39, Lake City, Florida
107. March 17, 2005: Mark Young, 25, Indianapolis, Indiana
108. April 3, 2005: James Wathan Jr., 32, Delhi, California
109. April 3, 2005: Eric Hammock, 43, Fort Worth, Texas
110. April 8, 2005: Ricky Barber, 46, Carter County, Oklahoma
111. April 22, 2005: John Cox, 39, Bellport, New York
112. May 3, 2005: Keith Graff, 24, Phoenix, Arizona
113. May 5, 2005: Kevin Geldart, 34, Moncton, New Brunswick
114. May 6, 2005: Stanley Wilson, 44, Miami, Florida
115. May 6, 2005: Lawrence Berry, 33, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
116. May 13, 2005: Vernon Young, 31, Union Township, Ohio
117. May 17, 2005: Leroy Pierson, Rancho Cucamonga, California
118. May 20, 2005: Randy Martinez, 40, Albuquerque, New Mexico
119. May 23, 2005: Lee Marvin Kimmel, 38, Reading, Pennsylvania
120. May 23, 2005: Richard Alverado, 38, Tustin, California
121. May 26, 2005: Walter Lamont Seats, 23, Nashville, Tennessee
122. May 28, 2005: Richard T. Holcomb, 18, Akron, Ohio
123. May 28, 2005: Nazario J. Solorio, 38, Escondido, California
124. June 4, 2005: Ravan Conston, 33, Sacramento, California
125. June 7, 2005: Russell Walker, 47, Las Vegas, Nevada
126. June 11, 2005: Horace Owens, 48, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
127. June 13, 2005: Michael Anthony Edwards, 32, Palatka, Florida
128. June 13, 2005: Shawn Pirolozzi, 30, Canton, Ohio
129. June 14, 2005: Robert Earl Williams, 62, Waco, Texas
130. June 24, 2005: Carolyn Daniels, 25, Fort Worth, Texas
131. June 24, 2005: Melinda Kaye Neal, 33, Whitfield County, Georgia
132. June 29, 2005: Pharoah Knight, 33, Miami, Florida
133. June 30, 2005: Gurmeet Sandhu, 41, Surrey, B.C.
134. July 1, 2005: James Foldi, 39, Beamsville, Ont.
135. July 7, 2005: Rocky Brison, 41, Birmingham, Alabama
136. July 12, 2005: Kevin Omas, 17, Euless, Texas
137. July 15, 2005: Ernesto Valdez, 37, Phoenix, Arizona
138. July 15, 2005: Paul Sheldon Saulnier, 42, Digby, Nova Scotia
139. July 15, 2005: Otis G. Thrasher, 42, Butte, Montana
140. July 17, 2005: Michael Leon Critchfield, 40, West Palm Beach, Florida
141. July 18, 2005: Carlos Casillas Fernandez, 31, Santa Rosa, California
142. July 23, 2005: Maury Cunningham, 29, Lancaster, South Carolina
143. July 27, 2005: Terrence L. Thomas, 35, Rockville Centre, New York
144. August 1, 2005: Brian Patrick O’Neal, San Jose, California
145. August 3, 2005: Eric Mahoney, 33, Fremont, California
146. August 4, 2005: Dwayne Zachary, 44, Sacramento, California
147. August 5, 2005: Olsen Ogoddide, 38, Glendale, Arizona
148. August 8, 2005: Unidentified male, 47, Phoenix, Arizona
149. August 26, 2005: Shawn Norman, 40, Laurelville, Ohio
150. August 27, 2005: Brian Lichtenstein, 31, Stuart, Florida
151. September 18, 2005: David Anthony Cross, 44, Santa Cruz, California
152. September 22, 2005: Timothy Michael Torres, 24, Sacramento, California
153. September 24, 2005: Patrick Aaron Lee, 21, Nashville, Tennessee
154. September 26, 2005: Michael Clark, 33, Austin, Texas
155. October 13, 2005: Steven Cunningham, 45, Fort Myers, Florida
156. October 20, 2005: Jose Perez, 33, San Leandro, California
157. October 25, 2005: Timothy Mathis, 35, Loveland, Colorado
158. November 1, 2005: Miguel Serrano, 35, New Britain, Connecticut
159. November 13, 2005: Josh Brown, 23, Lafayette, Louisiana
160. November 17, 2005: Jose Angel Rios, 38, San Jose, California
161. November 20, 2005: Hansel Cunningham, 30, Des Plaines, Illinois
162. November 26, 2005: Tracy Rene Shippy, 35, Fort Meyers, Florida
163. November 30, 2005: Kevin Dewayne Wright, 39, Kelso, Washington
164. December 1, 2005: Jeffrey Earnhardt, 47, Orlando, Florida
165. December 7, 2005: Michael Tolosko, 31, Sonoma, California
166. December 17, 2005: Howard Starr, 32, Florence, South Carolina
167. December 24, 2005: Alesandro Fiacco, 33, Edmonton, Alberta
168. December 29, 2005: David Moss, 26, Omaha, Nebraska
169. January 3, 2006: Roberto Gonzalez, 34, Waukegan, Illinois
170. January 5, 2006: Matthew Dunlevy, 25, Laguna Beach, California
171. January 13, 2006: Daryl Dwayne Kelley, 29, Houston, Texas
172. January 22, 2006: Nick Ryan Hanson, 24, Ashland, Oregon
173. January 25, 2006: Murray Bush, Metairie, Louisiana
174. January 27, 2006: Jorge Luis Trujillo, San Jose, California
175. January 28, 2006: Karl W. Marshall, 32, Kansas City, Missouri
176. January 31, 2006: Jaime Coronel, Castroville, California
177. February 13, 2006: Darval Smith, New Orleans, Louisiana
178. February 19, 2006: Gary Bartley, 36, Mandeville, Louisiana
179. February 24, 2006: Samuel Hair, 48, Fort Pierce, Florida
180. March 4, 2006: Melvin Anthony Jordan, 27, Norman, Oklahoma
181. March 8, 2006: Robert R. Hamilton, 42, St. Augustine, Florida
182. March 18, 2006: Otto Zehm, 35, Spokane, Washington
183. March 20, 2006: Timothy Grant, 46, Portland, Oregon
184. March 24, 2006: Theodore Rosenberry, 35, Hagerstown, Maryland
185. April 5, 2006: Thomas Clint Tipton, 34, Clearwater, Florida
186. April 15, 2006: Nick Mamino Jr., 41, St. Louis, Missouri
187. April 16, 2006: Billy Ray Cook, 39, Dublin, North Carolina
188. April 16, 2006: Juan Manuel Nunez III, 27, Lubbock, Texas
189. April 21, 2006: Alvin Itula, 35, Salt Lake City, Utah
190. April 24, 2006: Jose Romero, 23, Dallas, Texas
191. April 24, 2006: Emily Marie Delafield, 56, Green Cove Springs, Florida
192. May 1, 2006: Jeremy Davis, 24, Bellmead, Texas
193. May 7, 2006: Kenneth Cleveland, 63, Ashtabula, Ohio
194. May 25, 2006: Brian Davis, 43, Los Angeles, California
195. June 4, 2006: Felipe Herrera, 48, Las Vegas, Nevada
196. June 13, 2006: Jerry Preyer, 43, Pensacola, Florida
197. June 18, 2006: Jason Troy Dockery, 31, Coolville, Tennessee
198. June 21, 2006: Kenneth Eagleton, 43, Crosby, Texas
199. June 21, 2006: Joseph Stockdale, 26, Indianapolis, Indiana
200. June 24, 2006: John Martinez, San Jose, California
201. July 3, 2006: Jermail Williams, 32, South Bend, Indiana
202. July 7, 2006: Michael Deon Babers, 26, Shreveport, Louisiana
203. July 8, 2006: Christopher Tull, 36, Cincinnati, Ohio
204. July 9, 2006: Nickolos Cyrus, 29, Mukwonago, Wisconsin
205. July 11, 2006: Jesus Negron, 29, New Britain, Connecticut
206. July 23, 2006: Shannon Johnson, 37, Pittsboro, North Carolina
207. August 2, 2006: Anthony Jones, 39, Merced, California
208. August 4, 2006: Ryan Michael Wilson, 22, Lafayette, Colorado
209. August 8, 2006: Curry McCrimmon, 26, Melbourne, Florida
210. August 8, 2006: James Nunez, 27, Santa Ana, California
211. August 9, 2006: Glen Thomas, 33, Wabasso, Florida
212. August 17, 2006: Raul Gallegos-Reyes, 34, Centennial, Colorado
213. August 21, 2006: Timothy Picard, 41, Woonsocket, Rhode Island
214. August 23, 2006: Noah Lopez,25, Fort Worth, Texas
215. August 30, 2006: Jason Doan, 28, Red Deer, Alberta
216. September 1, 2006: Juan Soto, Jr., 39, Liberal, Kansas
217. September 5, 2006: Larry Noles, 52, Louisville, Kentucky
218. September 8, 2006: Perry Simmons, 35, Montgomery, Alabama
219. September 13, 2006: Laborian Simmons, 24, Marion County, Florida
220. September 17, 2006: Marcus Roach-Burris, 42, Menasha, Wisconsin
221. September 17, 2006: James Philip Chasse Jr., 42, Portland, Oregon
222. September 29, 2006: Joseph Kinney, 36, Madison Twp., Ohio
223. September 30, 2006: John David Johnson III, 27, Orange Park, Florida
224. October 1, 2006: Kip Darrell Black, 38, North Charleston, South Carolina
225. October 5, 2006: Michael Templeton, 50, Jonesboro, Arkansas
226. October 6, 2006: Herman Carroll, 31, Houston, Texas
227. October 9, 2006: James Simons, 35, Lincoln Park, Michigan
228. October 19, 2006: James Lewis, 37, Las Vegas, Nevada
229. October 19, 2006: Nicholas Brown, Milford, Connecticut
230. October 22, 2006: Eddie Charles Ham Jr., 30, Montgomery, Alabama
231. October 23, 2006: Michael Todd Gleim, 40, Milford, Ohio
232. October 29, 2006: Roger Holyfield, 17, Jerseyville, Illinois
233. October 30, 2006: Jeremy Foos, 29, Columbus, Ohio
234. November 9, 2006: William Jobe, 40, Federal Way, Washington
235. November 14, 2006: Timothy Wayne Newton, 43, Rocky Mount, North Carolina
236. November 14, 2006: Darren Faulkner, 41, Southaven, Mississippi
237. December 3, 2006: Briant K. Parks, 39, Columbus, Ohio
238. December 17, 2006: Terrill Enard, 29, Lafayette, Louisiana
239. December 30, 2006: Daniel Walter Quick, 43, Magalia, California
240. January 2007: James Barber, 25, Ottawa, Ontario
241. January 5, 2007: Calvin Thompson, 42, Gastonia, North Carolina
242. January 6, 2007: Douglas John Ilten, 45, Fort Pierce, Florida
243. January 7, 2007: Blondel Lassegue, 38, Queen’s, New York
244. January 9, 2007: Pete Carlos Madrid, 44, Fresno, California
245. January 17, 2007: Keith Kallstrom, 56, Milan, Michigan
246. January 18, 2007: Andrew J. Athetis, 18, Gilbert, Arizona
247. January 29, 2007: Michael Keohan, 45, Huntingdon Park, California
248. January 30, 2007: Christopher L. McCargo, 43, Dayton, Ohio
249. February 11, 2007: Stephen Krohn, 44, Mesa, Arizona
250. February 21, 2007: Martin Mendoza, 43, Oceanside, California
251. March 13, 2007: Muszack Nazaire, 24, East Naples, Florida
252. March 15, 2007: Randy Buckey, 42, Marion, Ohio
253. March 16, 2007: Ryan Lee Myers, 40, Essex, Maryland
254. March 17, 2007: David Brown, 47, Park Forest, Illinois
255. March 17, 2007: Unidentified male, West Covina, CA
256. March 23, 2007: Sergio Galvan, 35, San Antonio, Texas
257. April 10, 2007: Eugene Donjuall Gilliam, 22, Prattville, Alabama
258. April 11, 2007: Roberto Perez, 25, Indio, California
259. April 14, 2007: Unidentified male, Phoenix, Arizona
260. April 22, 2007: David Mills, 26, Hamden, Connecticut
261. April 23, 2007: Unidentified male, Houston, Texas
262. April 24, 2007: Louis Jermaine Broomfield, 35, Charleston, South Carolina
263. April 24, 2007: Walter Heller, 55, Santa Rosa, California
264. April 24, 2007: Uywanda Peterson, 43, Baltimore, Maryland
265. April 30, 2007: Roy Hamner, 59, Pearl, Mississippi
266. May 5, 2007: Daniel Bradley Young, 33, Seminole, Florida
267. May 7, 2007: Robert A. Keske, 45, Seminole, Florida
268. May 12, 2007: Trent A. Yohe, 37, Spokane, Washington
269. May 12, 2007: Jeffry Young, 54, Bremerton, Washington
270. May 14, 2007: Terrill Heath, 31, Baltimore, Maryland
271. May 16, 2007: Patrick D. Hagans, 42, Valleyview, Ohio
272. May 19, 2007: Milisha Thompson, 35, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
273. May 22, 2007: Kevin DeWayne Hill, 39, Knoxville, Tennessee
274. May 23, 2007: Raymundo Guerrerro Garcia, 33, Simi Valley, California
275. May 25, 2007: Steve Salinas, 47, San Jose, California
276. May 26, 2007: Marcus D. Skinner, 22, Seat Pleasant, Maryland
277. May 29, 2007: Doyle Moniki Jackson, 34, Benton Harbor, Indiana
278. May 29, 2007: Ramel Henderson, 51, San Diego, California
279. July 2, 2007: Richard Baisner, 36, Pasadena, California
280. July 8, 2007: Nathaniel Cobbs Jr., 25, Newburgh, New York
281. July 16, 2007: Albert Romero, 47, Denver, Colorado
282. July 20, 2007: Jermaine Thompson, 36, Kansas City, Missouri
283. July 25, 2007: Carlos Rodriguez, 27, Atlanta, Georgia
284. July 29, 2007: Ronald Marquez, 49, Phoenix, Arizona
285. August 2, 2007: Clyde Patrick, 44, Birmingham, Alabama
286. August 4, 2007: Gefery Johnston, 42, Chicago, Illinois
287. August 4, 2007: Stephen Spears, 49, Detroit, Michigan
288. August 4, 2007: James Barnes, 21, Omaha, Nebraska
289. August 11, 2007: Craig Berdine, 37, Fremont, Ohio
290. August 14, 2007: Rafael Forbes, 21, Jackson, Mississippi
291. August 15, 2007: James Wells, 43, Waterford, California (no. 275)
292. August 18, 2007: Thomas Campbell, 50, Baltimore, Maryland
293. August 23, 2007: Chad Cekas, 27, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
294. August 26, 2007: Glenn Shipman Jr., 44, Portland, Oregon
295. September 3, 2007: Earl Guerrant, 47, Golf Manor, Ohio
296. September 3, 2007: Charles Gordon, 26, Vallejo, California
297. September 9, 2007: Jorge Renteria Terrquiz, 25, Anaheim, California
298. September 20, 2007: Claudio Castagnetta, 32, Quebec City, Quebec
299. October 1, 2007: Samuel Baker, 59, Quitman, Georgia
300. October 1, 2007: Keith White, 44, Kansas City, Kansas
301. October 12, 2007: Michael Patrick Lass, 28, Orange County, California
302. October 14, 2007: Robert Dziekanski, 40, Richmond, BC
303. October 14, 2007: Donald Clark Grant, 54, Asheville, North Carolina
304. October 17, 2007: Quilem Registre, 39, Montreal, Quebec
305. November 1, 2007: Seldon Deshotels, 56, Lake Charles, Louisiana
306. November 2, 2007: Stefan McMinn, 44, Hendersonville, North Carolina
307. November 7, 2007: Roger Brown, 40, Miami, Florida
308. November 16, 2007: Paul Carlock, 57, Springfield, Illinois
309. November 18, 2007: Jesse Saenz, 20, Raton, New Mexico
310. November 18, 2007: Jarrel Gray, 20, Frederick, Maryland
311. November 18, 2007: Christian Allen, 21, Springfield, Florida
312. November 20, 2007: Conrad Lowman, Jacksonville, Florida
313. November 22, 2007: Howard Hyde, 45, Halifax, Nova Scotia
314. November 24, 2007: Robert Knipstrom, 36, Chilliwack, British Columbia
315. November 29, 2007: Ashley R. Stephens, 28, Ocala, Florida
316. November 30, 2007: Cesar Silva, 32, Los Angeles, California
317. December 10, 2007: Leroy Patterson Jr., 41, Walton County, Georgia
318. January 2, 2008: Brandon Smiley, 27, Mobile, Alabama
319. January 5, 2008: Ryan Rich, 33, Las Vegas, Nevada
320. January 9, 2008: Otis C. Anderson, 36, Fayetteville, North Carolina
321. January 11, 2008: Xavier Jones, 29, Coral Gables, Florida
322. January 15, 2008: Mark Backlund, 29, New Brighton, Minnesota
323. January 17, 2008: Baron Pikes, 21, Winnfield, Louisiana
324. January 18, 2008: Daniel Hanrahan, 44, Staten Island, New York
325. February 3, 2008: Louis Cryer, 32, Port Arthur, Texas
326. February 3, 2008: Joseph Davis, 50, Brandon, Mississippi
327. February 7, 2008: Richard Earl Abston, 53, Merced, California
328. February 19, 2008: Garrett Sean Farn, 41, Bakersfield, California
329. February 26, 2008: Barron Harvey Davis, 44, Mayes County, Oklahoma
330. March 4, 2008: Christopher Jackson, 37, Clay, New York
331. March 6, 2008: Javier Aguilar, 46, Roswell, New Mexica
332. March 18, 2008: Roberto Gonzalez, 24, Chicago, Illinois
333. March 20, 2008: Darryl Wayne Turner, 17, Charlotte, North Carolina
334. March 21, 2008: James Garland, 41, Deerfield Beach, Florida
335. March 29, 2008: Henry Bryant, 35, Indianapolis, Indiana
336. March 30, 2008: Walter Edward Haake Jr., 59, Topeka, Kansas
337. April 2, 2008: Jason Jesus Gomez, 35, Santa Ana, California
338. April 6, 2008: Yvelt Occean, 31, New Kent County, Virginia
339. April 22, 2008: Uriah Samson Dach, 26, Richmond, California
340. April 24, 2008: Kevin Piskura, 24, Cincinnati, Ohio
341. April 24, 2008: Dewayne Chatt, 39, Memphis, Tennessee
342. April 27, 2008: Paul Thompson, 24, Greensboro, North Carolina
343. April 28, 2008: Jermaine Ward, 28, Jackson, Tennessee
344. May 4, 2008: Joe Kubat, 21, St. Paul, Minnesota
345. May 6, 2008: James S. Wilson, 22, Alton, Missouri
346. May 28, 2008: Ricardo Manuel Abrahams, 44, Woodland, California
347. May 31, 2008: Robert Ingram, 27, Raceland, Louisiana
348. June 5, 2008: Willie Maye, 43, Birmingham, Alabama
349. June 6, 2008: Donovan Graham, 39, Meriden, Connecticut
350. June 8, 2008: Quintrell T. Brannon, 25, Vincennes, Indiana
351. June 9, 2008: Tony Curtis Bradway, 26, Brooklyn, New York
352. June 23, 2008: Jeffrey Marreel, 36, Norfolk, Ontario
353. June 24, 2008: Ernest Graves, 26, Rockford, Illinois
354. June 27, 2008: Nicholas Cody, 27, Dothan, Alabama
355. July 2, 2008: Isaac Bass, 34, Louisville, Kentucky
356. July 4, 2008: Othello Pierre, 23, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
357. July 8, 2008: Samuel DeBoise, 29, St. Louis, Missouri
358. July 8, 2008: Carlos Vargas, 42, San Bernardino, California
359. July 14, 2008: Marion Wilson Jr., 52, Houston, Texas
360. July 14, 2008: Deshoun Keyon Torrence, 18, Long Beach, California
361. July 22, 2008: Michael Langan, 17, Winnipeg, Manitoba
362. July 23, 2008: Richard Smith, 46, Dallas, Texas
363. July 26, 2008: Anthony Davidson, Statesville, 29, North Carolina
364. August 4, 2008: Jerry Jones, 45, Beaumont, Texas
365. August 4, 2008: Andre Thomas, 37, Swissvale, Pennsylvania
366. August 2, 2008: Lawrence Rosenthal, 54, Hemet, California
367. August 10, 2008: Kiethedric Hines, 31, Rockford, Illinois
368. August 15, 2008: Kenneth Oliver, 45, Miami, Florida
369. August 25, 2008: Ronald Adkisson, 59, Creston, Iowa
370. August 29, 2008: Stanley James Harlan, 23, Moberly, Missouri
371. September 3, 2008: Prince Swayzer, 38, San Jose, California
372. September 3, 2008: Andy Tran, 32, Garden Grove, California
373. September 11, 2008: Roney Wilson, 46, Hillsborough, Florida
374. September 17, 2008: Sean Reilly, 42, Mississauga, Ontario
375. September 19, 2008: Gabriel Bitterman, 23, Lincoln, Nebraska
376. September 25, 2008: Iman Morales, 35, New York, New York
377. September 30, 2008: Frank Frachette, 49, Langley, BC
378. October 1, 2008: Jose Anibal Amaro, 45, Orange County, Florida
379. October 18, 2008: Homer Taylor, 39, Chicago, Illinois
380. October 29, 2008: Trevor Grimolfson, 38, Edmonton, Alberta
381. October 31, 2008: Marlon Oliver Acevedo, 35, Riverside, California
382. November 2, 2008: Gordon Walker Bowe, 30, Calgary, Alberta
383. November 3, 2008: Adren Maurice Turner, 44, Mexia, Texas
384. November 10, 2008: Guy James Fernandez, 42, Santa Rosa, California
385. December 3, 2008: Leroy Hughes, 52, Covington, Kentucky
386. December 9, 2008: Quincy Smith, 24, Minneapolis, Minnesota
387. December 19, 2008: Edwin Rodriguez, 26, San Jose, California
388. December 21, 2008: Nathan Vaughn, 39, Santa Rosa, California
389. December 24, 2008: Unidentified man, 46, Houston, Texas
390. January 9, 2009: Derrick Jones, 17, Martinsville, Virginia
391. January 11, 2009: Rodolfo Lepe, 31, Bakersfield, California
392. January 22, 2009: Roger Redden, 52, Soddy Daisy, Tennessee
393. February 2, 2009: Garrett Jones, 45, Stockton, California
394. February 11, 2009: Richard Lua, 28, San Jose, California
395. February 13, 2009: Rudolph Byrd, Age Unknown, Thomas County, Florida
396. February 13, 2009: Michael Jones, 43, Iberia, Louisiana
397. February 14, 2009: Chenard Kierre Winfield, 32, Los Angeles, California
398. February 28, 2009: Robert Lee Welch, 40, Conroe, Texas
399. March 22, 2009: Brett Elder, 15, Bay City, Michigan
400. March 26, 2009: Marcus D. Moore, 40, Freeport, Illinois
401. April 1, 2009: John J. Meier Jr., 48, Tamarac, Florida
402. April 6, 2009: Ricardo Varela, 41, Fresno, California
403. April 10, 2009: Robert Mitchell, 16, Detroit, Michigan
404. April 16, 2009: Gary A. Decker, 50, Tuscon, Arizona
405. April 18, 2009: Michael Jacobs Jr., 24, Fort Worth, Texas
Source:
http://truthnottasers.blogspot.com/2008/04/what-follows-are-names-where-known.html


Many thanks to the AfroSpear, Afrosphere Action Coalition, and other international bloggers listed below:

[Updated]

THANK YOU! Everyone! This was a great day of blogging for Justice! More work is needed on the Petition to Congress -http://www.petition2congress.com/2/1822/taser-torture-in-america-call-congressional-hearings/

Action Alert: Friday April 24, 2009 “A day of blogging for Justice ...


Asabagna - Afrospear Think Tank - http://afrospear.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/a-day-of-blogging-for-justice-standing-up-against-the-pre-trial-electrocution/
Wayne Hicks - Electronic Village - http://tinyurl.com/chedrx
Shawn Williams, Dallas South Blog.com - http://tinyurl.com/cx6h97
Nate, Nateo Blog - http://nateo.blogspot.com/2009/04/call-for-stopping-pre-trial.html
Antoinette - Antoinette's Point of View - http://aapov.blogspot.com/
Cherie S. - http://memoirofcherieamour.blogspot.com/
Mr. E-D - Excited-delirium.com
LN Rock, African American Opinion - http://africanamericanopinion.ning.com
Francis Holland - Francis L. Holland Blog - http://francislholland.blogspot.com/2009/04/police-pre-trail-execution-pigs-on.html
Kathy - Daily Kos Blogger - Do White People Care About Tasing? http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/24/724113/-Do-White-People-Care-About-Tasing
Zhana - Ancestral Energies - http://ancestralenergies.blogspot.com/2009/04/no-to-pre-trial-electrocutions.html
The Kid - Pirate satellite: A Day of Blogging for Justice - http://kid-kidfunkadelic.blogspot.com/
Wayne Bennett, The Field Negro, Major side bar and link highlighting the importance of this day.
http://field-negro.blogspot.com/
Purple Zoe - UltraVioletUnderground - http://purplezoe.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justice-ban-pre.html
April Davis - Around Harlem.com http://blog-aroundharlem.com/2009/04/24/blogging-for-justice-standing-up-against-the-use-of-police-tasers/
PaJoyner - PlezWorld - http://pajoyner.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justice-death-by.html
Yobachi - Black Perspective.net - http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/act-against-police-taser-abuse/
Ms. Lady Deborah - From my Brown Eyed View - http://msladydeborah.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justicestanding-up.html
Eddie G. Griffin (BASG) - http://eddiegriffinbasg.blogspot.com/2009/04/gravest-injustice.html
Rev. Sequoyah Kofi bin-Tomas, Intelligent Aboriginal News Service (IANS) - The Angry Indian - Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo: When "Non-Lethal" Weapons Kill
Wayne Hicks - Villager, OxDown. Firedoglake - http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/4927
Wayne Hicks - Villager - Electronic Village-.. http://tinyurl.com/59jet6 - Use of Force Continuum
SjP - Sojourners Place - http://sojournersplace.blogspot.com/2009/04/blogging-for-justice-stop-taser.html
LNRock - Post Racial Blog - http://postracial.blogspot.com/2009/04/tasering-and-toturing-black-americans.html
The SuperSpade - http://www.thesuperspade.com/taser-torture/
Anyway I Have To - http://underovr.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justice-standing-up.html
Vanessa Byers- On The Black Hand Side - http://www.blackhandside.net/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justice.html
It All Goes Here - http://nateo.blogspot.com/2009/04/call-for-stopping-pre-trial.html
Independent Bloggers Alliance - http://independentbloggersalliance.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justice-standing-up.html
Rover's Morning Glory - http://www.roverradio.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Black-kids-women-and-children-are-being-tasered-to-death-while-black....html&Itemid=382
Assata Shukur Forum - http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/open-forum/37831-4-24-blog-against-pre-trial-electrocution.html
RiPPa - The Intersection between Maddness and Reality - http://rippdemup.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justice-end-taser.html
Lola - Whatever Lola Wants - http://lolagetslife.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justice-standing-up.html
African American Political Pundit Report - http://aappreport.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-of-blogging-for-justice-standing-up.html
African American Political Pundit Blog - http://aapoliticalpundit.blogspot.com/2009/04/blacks-tasers-and-torture-sign-online.html
Electrocuted While Black - http://electrocutedwhileblack.blogspot.com/2009/04/at-least-five-seventeen-year-olds.html

The Gravest Injustice

On this Memorial Blogging For Justice Day

By Eddie Griffin (BASG)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Michael Jacobs was only 24 years old when he died. He was an African-American, trouble with mental illness, ascribed to medication for treatment. Nevertheless, he was a beloved son of the Jacobs family, a friendly outgoing neighbor, and an affectionate doting father.

There is an entire generation of Michael Jacobs in the world. Growing up in an at-risk environment, where children ate lead paint off window seals, where drugs finds its way into the brain pool, and kids grow up just short of a full deck. This generation, they call the crack baby generation. Not that Michael was the product of alcoholic or drug induced parents, it is the local mental health authorities that prescribe the same debilitating medication to similarly diagnosed patients.

I have seen firsthand the episodes of the mentally ill in the Fort Worth community, from the inside out. I have seen the mentally ill fight against their life sentences on medication. They hate it, and they try to quit. This can lead to withdrawal frustrations and erratic behavior.

I have seen family members, fighting with the mentally ill, to take their medication. This can lead to highly volatile situations, where 911 must be summoned.

Whomever the Jacobs family called first, the first response was the arrival of the ambulance with emergency medical personnel and officers of the Fort Worth Police Department.

Now how much the FWPD knew of Michael’s condition, they judged that they could best handle the situation and sent MedStar away.

They say that Michael became “non-cooperative”. Non-cooperative to what, I ask? Was he non-cooperative to being handcuffed?

You don’t have to tell me the dialogue. I know it by hard.

“Are you arresting me?”
“Just put your hands behind your back?”
“But what did I do?”
“Just put your hands behind your back?”
“But I didn’t do nothing?”
“If you don’t put your hands behind your back, we’ll tase you.”
“But I didn’t do nothing?”

That’s usually about as far as I get, before the confrontation turns into a wrestling match.

But this time, the officers skipped the wrestling match with the 5’5”, 150-lb, weakling and mentally ill patient. No, an officer went straight for her taser.

Taser International, Inc., creator and manufacturer of the Thomas A. Smith Electric Rifle, otherwise known as TASER, issued product warnings in 2005 after a number of taser related deaths. Among the risk factors is the “Sudden In-Custody Death Syndrome”, a name dreamed up to immunized the company against any wrongful death suit arising from the deployment and use of the instrument.

Police departments, throughout the country, operate and deploy the weapon under a doctrine of “Continuum of Force”, which means starting with the least force to subdue a subject, all the way up to the use of deadly force. Tasers are categorized at Level 4 non-lethal force, though the company itself re-defined the weapon at “less than deadly”, which a Level 5 risk to killing the subject.

Michael Jacobs fit the profiles of a person at risk of “Sudden In-Custody Death Syndrome”, because he was visibly agitated and psychotic. The Taser product warning advises not to taser these subjects, and if they do, they should subdue the subject immediately and shorten the duration of the taser shocks.

Under the “Continuum of Force” doctrine, the FWPD officers were supposed to physically subdue the subject. And, if the subject resist, then they should deploy their taser weapons only for a short duration.

Poor judgment in sending MedStar away was the first mistake. Now there is an investigation as to whether the FWPD officer followed the policy of “Continuum of Force”.

In any deployment, especially when used against an at-risk subject, the product warning advises immediate medical attention. Tasers can kill, as demonstrated in many video documented cases. Taser International advises calling in medical personnel to check the tased subject, because initial bodily reaction may not reveal the full damage.

Therefore, having medical personnel on the scene, before the situation escalated, the FWPD showed poor judgment in sending the ambulance away, and thereby hindered a life-saving potential. The potential risk of a Level 4 non-lethal use of force, such as the use of pepper spray or a baton, there would still be a need for medical personnel.

The mere threat of an injury, whether subject or officer, medical personnel were ideally situated at the scene to render aid.

Now we read where the insurance company pulled out a secret clause to keep from paying the Jacobs family’s death benefits.

Killed for no reason and his body left to rot outside the grave is the gravest of injustices.

Please sign this Petition to Congress

STATEMENT to FORT WORTH POLICE CHIEF Jeffrey Halstead

From Eddie Griffin (BASG)
Blogging For Justice Day, April 19, 2009, AfroSpear

With all due respects to the Office of Chief of Police, it is imperative that I express the deep concerns of the African-American community about the tasering death of Michael Jacobs, age 24.

We have always been concerned about innocent people dying at the hands of police, especially under unwarranted circumstances. But the Department had been forewarned during the Mendoza administration that tasers were lethal. As the numbers claimed nationally and internationally, our fears were confirmed. Since 2001, there have been 351 taser deaths.

At first we did not fault our own police department for being duped into believing these were non-lethal weapons. Instead, as the numbers began to climb, we took our case to the United Nations and Amnesty International, who now leads the cry against tasers.

We challenged Taser International, Inc., the company that manufactures the device, with allegations of false advertising. When the death numbers were low, our case was weak. But after many battles, the company conceded to establish a set of guidelines to follow in deploying these 50,000-volt instruments safely. These Product Warnings were designed to exonerate the company from culpability in wrongful death situations. (See attachment below)

In a recent interview in the aftermath of the tasing death of Jacobs, Chief Halstead asserted that the officer deployed her Taser as trained and according with policy, which embodies the manufacturer’s deployment warnings. If that were the case, there would be no liability against the Department, and the officer would be immune.

This would leave only the victim to blame for his own death. Because he was on medication, he died. Because he was in an excited state, he died. Because he had a weak heart, he died.

In whatever the cause of death, there is one thing for sure. He died at the hands of the Fort Worth Police Department. He was not a criminal, to be manhandled and treated like a criminal. He died an innocent man.

What can an investigation reveal more than that?

As a community, we literally begged the former chief, Mendoza, not to purchase these deadly devices. Nevertheless, we had to watch helplessly as the Bush administration gave millions of dollars in federal grants to purchase these devices. We watched the death numbers climb.

What good is another investigation? We have compiled case after case, from Texas to Canada, proof that Tasers kill, and that there is misleading comfort in deployment.

The case of Michael Jacobs raises the issue again to the national and international level. It is one taser death too many.

We understand that Michael was mentally ill and was supposed to be taking medication. Either the department knew of his prior medical condition or it did not, and should have proceeded with caution, per product warning.

Secondly, there are many mentally ill patients living openly in the Southeast Fort Worth community, primarily under the guardianship of another family member. And, it is not unusual for one of these patients to forget to take their medication or outright refuse. Many times, these lead to volatile family situation.

The Police Department was wrong to come in and try to manhandle the situation, when medical personnel were summoned to deal with a medical problem. A 911 call does not always mean send the SWAT team into our neighborhood. The life of the subject is more important than the enforcement of authority.

Submitted by Eddie G. Griffin

Attachment from Archives:

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2007

When Valreca Redden, an expectant mother, was tased by a Trotwood police officer, the pain reverberated around the world and the debate reignited.

Clearly, the video of Valreca Redden shows that she was distraught but not violent. She was distraught because she wanted to give her baby over to authorities. But when the officer hesitated and began her asking questions, the mother must have had a change of heart and decided to leave. That is when the officer stunned her.

Does tasing constitute torture? Wrong question!

Taser International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), the maker of the electronic stun gun, have consistently defended their devices being as non-lethal, although nearly 300 people have died after being shocked. To date, the company has successfully fought the United Nations Committee Against Torture and Amnesty International, thwarted congressional inquiries, defended Eighth Amendment challenges of cruel and unusual punishment, and is currently locked into a libel suit against USA Today publisher Gannett Inc. about the mortality risk of the devices.

Taser International's electronic control devices are advertised as “one of the most effective -less-than-lethal devices” used to “to safely incapacitate dangerous, combative or high-risk subjects who pose a risk to law enforcement officers, innocent citizens or themselves.”

But the justified use of such devices for the purpose of subduing a resisting subject is dubious, as shown in the 2004 tasering death of Deacon Fredrick Williams.

Williams was not one of those usual suspects. He was a family man with a decent job and well respected in the community and his church. He was an epileptic having a seizure. As the Gwinnett County sheriff deputies administer 50,000 volt shocks into his body, they repeatedly demand that he “stop resisting”. (How can a man with 50,000 volts of electricity passing through his body keep still, let alone an epileptic? The electric chair only used 20,000 volts.)

According to Amnesty International, there have been 296 similar deaths related to tasing. But Taser International is in denial that it is the fault of their taser devices. On the other hand, the "electrocutioners" are in denial also. They say it is the victim’s fault- either the victim was high on drugs or had a medical predisposition. The newest psycho-babble is “excited delirium”, an overdose of adrenaline like choking on one's own spit.

Zap!

Over 270 people wiped out, electrocuted by tasers. And now introducing the more formidable laser guided taser cannon, the TASER X26.

The Taser, produced by Taser International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), is the latest toy put into the hands of law enforcement to subdue resistive subjects during apprehension and arrest. But the product manual for the device warns of its misusage.

Product Warnings for Law Enforcement from the Manufacturer

Obey Applicable Laws. Carry and use the TASER device in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws as well as your law enforcement agency’s guidance—policies, procedures, training, etc. Each TASER device discharge must be legally justified.

Avoid Weapons Confusion. Handguns have been confused with TASER devices. Learn about the differences in physical feel and holstering characteristics between the TASER device and your handgun. This will allow you to confirm device identity under stressful situations.

Select Preferred Target Areas. The preferred target areas are the subject’s torso (center mass) or legs. Avoid intentionally aiming a TASER device at the head or face without justification.

Avoid Sensitive Areas. Significant injury can occur from TASER device deployment into sensitive areas of the body such as the eyes, throat, or genitals—avoid intentionally targeting these areas without justification.

Avoid Known Pre-Existing Injury Areas. When practical, avoid deploying a TASER device at a known location of pre-existing injury (e.g., avoid targeting the back for persons with known pre-existing back injuries, avoid targeting the chest area on persons with a known history of previous heart attacks, etc.). These injuries may be provoked by such deployment.

Beware—TASER Device Can Ignite Explosive Materials, Liquids, or Vapors. These include gasoline, other flammables, explosive materials, liquids, or vapors (e.g., gases found in sewer lines, methamphetamine labs, and butane-type lighters). Some self-defense sprays use flammable carriers such as alcohol and could be dangerous to use in immediate conjunction with TASER devices.

Control and Restrain Immediately. Begin control and restraint procedures as soon as it is reasonably safe to do so in order to minimize the total duration of exertion and stress experienced by the subject.

Sudden In-Custody Death Syndrome Awareness. If a subject is exhibiting signs or behaviors that are associated with Sudden In-Custody Death Syndrome, consider combining use of a TASER device with immediate physical restraint techniques and medical assistance. Signs of Sudden In-Custody Death Syndrome include: extreme agitation, bizarre behavior, inappropriate nudity, imperviousness to pain, paranoia, exhaustive exertion, “superhuman” strength, hallucinations, sweating profusely, etc.

Continuous Exposure Risks. When practical, avoid prolonged or continuous exposure(s) to the TASER device's electrical discharge. In some circumstances, in susceptible people, it is conceivable that the stress and exertion of extensive repeated, prolonged, or continuous application(s) of the TASER device may contribute to cumulative exhaustion, stress, and associated medical risk(s).

Other Conditions. Unrelated to TASER exposure, conditions such as excited delirium, severe exhaustion, drug intoxication or chronic drug abuse, and/or over-exertion from physical struggle may result in serious injury or death.

Breathing Impairment. Extended or repeated TASER device exposures should be avoided where practical. Although existing studies on conscious human volunteers indicate subjects continue to breathe during extended TASER device applications, it is conceivable that the muscle contractions may impair a subject's ability to breathe. Accordingly, it is advisable to use expedient physical restraint in conjunction with the TASER device to minimize the overall duration of stress, exertion, and potential breathing impairment particularly on individuals exhibiting symptoms of excited delirium and/or exhaustion. However, it should be noted that certain subjects in a state of excited delirium may exhibit superhuman strength and despite efforts for expedient restraint, these subjects sometimes cannot be restrained without a significant and profound struggle.

Permanent Vision Loss. If a TASER probe becomes embedded in an eye, it could result in permanent loss of vision.

Seizure Risks. Repetitive stimuli such as flashing lights or electrical stimuli can induce seizures in some individuals. This risk is heightened if electrical stimuli or current passes through the head region.

Muscle Contraction-Related Risks. The TASER device can cause strong muscle contractions that may result in physical exertion or athletic-type injuries. In certain instances this may be serious for some people, such as those with pre-existing conditions and/or special susceptibilities. This may also occur in instances Sudden in-custody death results from a complex set of physiological and psychological conditions characterized by irrational behavior, extreme exertion, and potentially fatal changes in blood chemistry.

Secondary Injury Risks. TASER-induced strong muscle contractions usually render a subject temporarily unable to control his or her psychomotor movements. This may result in secondary injuries such as those due to falls. This loss of control, or inability to catch oneself, can in special circumstances increase the risk(s) of serious injury or death. Persons who are physically infirm or pregnant are among those who may be at higher risk.

Strain Injury Risks. It is possible that the injury types may include, but are not limited to, strain-type injuries such as hernias, ruptures, dislocations, tears, or other injuries to soft tissue, organs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and joints. Fractures to bones, including vertebrae, may occur. These injuries may be more likely to occur in people with pre-existing injuries or conditions such as pregnancy, osteoporosis, osteopenia, spinal injuries, diverticulitis, or in persons having previous muscle, disc, ligament, joint, or tendon damage.

Laser Beam Eye Damage. The TASER device incorporates a laser aiming aid. Laser beams can cause eye damage. Avoid intentionally aiming at the eye(s) of a person or animal.

[Reference Tasered While Black for case study of abuse]

Michael Jacobs Tasered to Death in Fort Worth - Part 1

The unfortunate and tragic death of a mentally ill black man who was tasered to death by Fort Worth police officers raises more QUESTIONS ON POLICIES in deployment of these weapons.

REPORT: Michael Jacobs, age 24, is dead after he was Tasered by a police officer. It happened Saturday morning in the 6200 block of Ava Court Drive in Fort Worth. Police officers were summoned to the residence after Michael had gone off his medications and was “causing problems with his parents”. When officers arrived Jacobs became uncooperative.

Police say an officer used her Taser on Jacobs to subdue him. Jacobs was handcuffed and taken into custody.

Officers noticed Jacobs wasn't breathing and called for an ambulance. Police say Jacobs was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Fort Worth police are investigating the incident. The medical examiner's office is working to determine Jacobs' cause of death.


“He didn’t deserve to die like this,” said SCLC-FW President Kyev Tatum.

UPDATE: The new Fort Worth Chief of Police, Jeff Halstead, will be the featured speaker at the next Fort Worth/Tarrant County Minority Leaders & Citizens Council luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 12:00 noon in the Community Christian Church Annex located at 1800 E. Vickery Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas.

The Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle is already in use all across America and around the world. The acronym for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle is TASER.

Zap! Over 270 people wiped out, electrocuted by tasers. And now introducing the more formidable laser guided taser cannon, the TASER X26.

The Taser, produced by Taser International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), is the latest toy put into the hands of law enforcement to subdue resistive subjects during apprehension and arrest. But the product manual for the device warns of its misusage.

FIRST QUESTION:

Product Warnings for Law Enforcement from the Manufacturer

Obey Applicable Laws. Carry and use the TASER device in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws as well as your law enforcement agency’s guidance—policies, procedures, training, etc. Each TASER device discharge must be legally justified.

WAS THE MANUFACTURER'S WARNING IGNORED?

Tea Toddler Perry Evokes Secession Controversy

I could care less if Texas breaks from the Union and go to hell in a hand-basket. But I do care about those who hide under hoods and behind disguises, making insinuations, innuendos, and deceit. I believe that every man and woman in America has the right to speak his or her peace. But speak straight and make known your grievances and your position. Don’t hide behind double-talk: “I said, but I didn’t mean what I said.” Forked tongue speech is the way of cowards.

Let me be clear: He or she who is against the Obama economic policies and wish to break from the Union, I say: "Have at it." But say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Let me put it another way:

Here is a line in the sand, Governor Perry. Those who wish to break from the Union, you should let them first publicly renounce their U.S. citizenship and signed a Declaration of Independence. Speak now, or shut up!

Secondly, and more importantly, is the secessionists’ relationship to the loyalists. Be open and honest: You are who you are, except for those who are cowards, who hide under a sheet and behind women’s shirts.

Should a loyal 1776 British patriot be subjected to terrorism and tyranny of the Revolutionaries of our forefathers? Should we fear that you should form a militia and bear arms against your neighbor? These things should not be the secret of conspiracies. State your peace, and be done with it. Lay your chips fall on the table, so we can consider the options.

I speak Texan to Texan, leaving the Big Brother federal government out of it. There is a reason African-Americans favor federalism. What has state's rights ever reward us with. I would rather know what is before me, rather than speculate on what is behind me. I already know that there is a conspiracy to overthrow the United States government. By speaking Texan to Texan, where does that put me? Or, have you even considered me?

That riverboat cowboy dressed in black with the funny mustache said he would lead the Texas revolution, if he were made governor. And, if it wasn’t bad enough for Black Bart “Kinky” Freedman to openly declare secessionist sentiment, here comes greasy haired Governor Rick Perry with his innuendos.

(I said what I said, but it was misunderstood. I meant to be more cleave to convey my secessionist sentiments to one sector, while expressing legitimate Republican gripes to the other... straddle the fence like. This way, the Republican Party will not appear to be associated with those who carried Rebel flags to the tea party rally; while, at the same time, giving them comfort that they are accepted)

Not even the master of deceit can hide it. This is Texas. And, nothing arouses a Texan like a good fight, especially against the federal government and civil rule. Texas has always resisted law and order, except after the order of the rich and white. If you break this bowl on self-deception, all the fighting spirit comes out of Texans.

The Confederacy shall rise again has always been a battle cry in Texas. Kinky Freedman may have just lit the fire, but Governor Rick Perry fans the flames. If it fizzles out, no harm is done to the Union. It’s business as usual, smiling in the face, while stabbing in the back. But if the revolt builds into a firestorm, the devil himself would like to sit atop of the flames. Hence, would come to an end this humanity, as we know it.

Is that extreme? That is what extremists think. Suicide bombers, like Al Qaeda, look forward to a holocaust and a mass loss of life. If an extremist look for a violent destructive end, he will sacrifice himself to bring this vision to pass.

There are terrorists and there are terrorists. Shall I watch only my front yard and not my back, if my neighbor declares war upon me? Who is the true enemy? Governor Perry, I ask.

The Red Tea Party

Leading this stage of the revolt, in my own backyard in Fort Worth, Texas, will be Governor Rick Perry

By Eddie Griffin

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Reds are coming. The Reds are coming. But these ain’t red injuns. These are Red coats, disguised as Indians, engaged in revolution. The Republican Party disguised as Grassroots is taking to the streets to reenact the Boston Tea Party. So they say, so they think.

On all days, Tax Day, April 15, 2009, the Reds are staging a nationwide Tea Party, to symbolize a revolt against the Obama economic recovery plan.

If the administration’s economic plan is the most viable best course for the nation’s recovery, this Tea Party represents an act of sabotage, similar to that taken by Texas in 1861.

We cast our votes in hope with the Obama-Bidden administration. Their ideas and goals were the best between the two parties. The majority elected Barack Obama as President and Commander-in-Chief to lead the country in a new direction. This Tea Party revolt represents a return to Egypt, similar to the times of Moses.

Leading this stage of the revolt, in my own backyard in Fort Worth, Texas, will be Governor Rick Perry, who is still balking over portions of the economic stimulus plan. He is scheduled to speak today at LaGrange Field.

The Reds were not Native Americans hijacking a British ship in the Boston Harbor. They looked like Indians. They dressed like Indians. But they were only Indians in disguise.

Just because the Republicans of Texas disguise themselves as Reds, their motive and intent is the overthrow of the President’s economic stimulus plan, in which we have put our hopes and dreams.

Politics is politics, mindless as a dollar bill. But Revolt is conscientious.

To what extent will the Reds go to subvert the government’s intent? Texas Governor Sam Houston was opposed to succession from the Union. And, only 25% of the Texas population was slaveholders in 1861. We had nothing to gain from joining the Confederacy.

So, what have we to gain now with this Tea Party revolt, orchestrated by the Republican Party? Are we as divided as we were during the Civil War? Are we trying to divide the country again by fomenting dissent? The governor should be careful not to instigate divisiveness during a period when we need national unity.

An enemy is only as great as the threat it presents. Small threats require little defense. Big threats require more defenses. Let us not loose sight of Al Qaeda by creating a greater threat within. I would hate to see the President take his eyes off the war aboard and concentrate his time and energy on a domestic rising Confederacy.

HAT TIP to Shawn Williams for his interview with CNN Soledad O’Brien

Every now and then, an AfroSpear colleague jumps out with a winner. HAT TIP to Shawn Williams for his interview with CNN Soledad O’Brien.

Few people know Soledad and the deep passion she has for African-Americans who have endure centuries of tribulation. Now in the waning years of racism, and a new beginning, Soledad halts Shaw before he got too far down stream in the interview. And no, it was not the Jena Six movement, but the 2008 election, that brought race to the forefront of the American Culture.

CNN to re-air Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination & Listen to Dallas South’s Interview of Soledad O’Brien from last year

Soledad agonizes over the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the 40th anniversary, which will be aired on CNN will re-air on April 4th and 5th at 8:00 pm and 11:00 pm ET and PT.