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Listen to the recording on KUOW:- Taser safety 1

Steve Share talking to Aaron Claxton

Thursday December 27th, I'm Steve Share.

"I didn't do anything!  Don't tase me bro!  Don't tase me!  I didn't do anything!  Ow! Ow! Ow!..."

Don't tase me bro! A phrase that has been chosen as one of the phrases of the year and that tape one of the most listened to and viewed tapes on YouTube and other places.  Says something about our sense of power and authority in 2007, I think.

How safe are Tasers?  

A citizen is suing the Seattle Police Department saying he was unarmed when an officer wrongfully tased him.  A distraught Polish traveller died after Vancouver police tased him repeatedly, soon after they encountered him.  Amnesty International says more than two hundred people have died after being shot by Tasers, and  the UN committee says the Taser could violate the UN Convention against torture.   Many police agencies are reviewing their use of Tasers, but the company that manufactures the weapon stands behind its safety and effectiveness and has been swift in legally challenging assessments that point to Taser as the cause of death it's also looking for new customers, the people who manufacture Tasers and the other weapons of that type, colorful compact Tasers marketed to women.  Are citizens armed with these potentially lethal weapons getting adequate training?   Should there be some restriction on their use?  We're going to take a look at the Taser this hour on Weekday.

Originally designed for police to use before they needed to turn to their guns in life-threatening confrontations.  So how are Tasers really used in the field?

We start with Aaron Claxton he's assistant athletic diErrector at the Boys and Girls Club in Seattle central area.  He was tased at his home in August of  2006 by undercover Seattle police officers.  All charges against him were dropped.   And he's suing the Seattle Police Department for civil damages.

Aaron Claxton, thanks for talking to us.

Good morning.

What's it like to be tased?

Oh man, it was, it was, it was horrific, I mean me I was shaking uncontrollably, I couldn't breathe.  I was, I was just out of my mind.  It was really unexplainable, I mean, especially the amount of times I was tased,  it was terrible.  I was in  a lot of pain, my chest was real tight, and it was very difficult to breathe at the time.

How many times were you tased?

Three times.   

So it was three separate darts flying at you and hitting you?

Correct.

And was there any damage?  Did you, did you have any marks on you?

Ah yeah,  The fire department did  come and remove, had to remove the darts from my body, and as they did, you know there were you know, some flesh wounds and so forth pulling some skin out,  you know, some tissue and so forth was... came out...  That was the extent in terms of the damage, in terms of the physical marks on my body.

You er, so what happened, why did, when did, why did police come to your house?

Me and my cousin pulled into my driveway, and got out of our vehicle and started walking into our garage, which was ten feet from where we had parked, and as we were walking towards the garage a black truck came speeding up, in front of my house, and me and my cousin's first thought was "get inside the house".  So, we were already inside the garage.  So, next thing, my cousin was ahead of me, a couple of steps ahead of me, I turned around and I see four men, four deep, come running in the garage, all with guns, or what I thought were guns at the time, apparently I guess one of them turned out to be a Taser obviously, but came running in the garage, I turned and put my hands up, I was, I was shaking.  The next thing you know I got hit with the first Taser, and started shaking and stumbled into my bedroom, which was like at the end of my garage, and my cousin was already in my bedroom, and so I fell into the ... my bedroom and they tasered me again, and then I'm laying on the ground just shaking and they run in and started slamming my cousin, beating my cousin up.   You know, kicking him in the head, stomping on him and then, my cousin said, I looked like a fish out of water, just shaking, you know I couldn't stop shaking.  Once the second taser was over with I was drained, like emotionally and like mentally and physically, I just I couldn't breathe, I was just, just laying there, I was laying on my back, and then I heard, " Roll over, roll over, or I'll taser you again." So, I rolled over onto my stomach, and then, I put my hands behind my back, an officer jumped on my back, and had his knee in my back and  cuffed me.  And er, like I said, I was just laying there, I thought everything was over with, and next thing you know I got another taser in my back right leg, so and I, after that third taser you know, you know, it was just, I couldn't believe it.   You know, I was, it was like I said, it was a terrible thing to happen.


Police, Aaron Claxton, police said that you were driving erratically.  And they later told you that you lived in a in a drug related neighborhood.  What happened to the charges?

Er the charges were dropped.  I was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the end.  I did later receive a ticket till I got into court, about say a month later for the arraignment, a little less than a month later, but that's when I received the ticket about erratic driving, and that was ... I went to go pay the ticket, but they said they had no record of it at the time for some reason, after I contested it and mailed it in, and I went to go to the municipal building, they said they didn't have a record of it, so, I didn't end up paying it because of that.  But, the obstruction charge was dropped, and here I am today, is all so.

Let me ask you a question.  It may be difficult.  Alright so so, four men come running into your garage, you don't know who they are, they haven't identified themselves yet, according to you.  They tased you.  Better to be tased, or better to have them with sticks whacking you in the head?

That's a tough ques... I mean, I honest to God, I wouldn't want to pick my poison either way there.  But I mean, honestly I felt like I was lucky to be alive.  You know, you know, coz I know one can do a lot of damage, but you know, another two on top of that. Like I said  I was lucky to be alive.   At first, I thought I'd got shot at first, coz I got hit with the first one, and I didn't know what had happened, all I see was the guns, and I thought I'd got hit.  And I was thinking, oh did I get shot or something? And then I started shaking, after that, and I just couldn't, I went down from there, and got hit with another two, and it was just over after that.

Once er, how long after the three taserings, how long before you felt normal again?

Normal again - er.

In terms of the physical, you know feeling of being tasered.

Honestly I don't feel normal to this day.  I mean, if I see a cop or something, I'll be shaking, I'd be nervous, regardless, even if you know, anything, I just, I just get nervous about the whole feeling, and I've been having nightmares to this day, you know, so I'll be waking up shaking. It's just, it's just, it's all bad right now.  You know, so like I said, in terms of normal, I still, I still don't feel as if I'm....

How come you're suing? You're suing in federal court for civil damages one million dollars.  Why are you suing?

Ah, you know, I want you know people, I want them to have to pay for what they did, they were in the wrong, you know.  I was at my home, you know I wasn't doing anything, you know, I was trying to get up to go for work the next morning, and you know I'm not thinking about going to jail you know obviously.  And I ... that doesn't go hand in hand, jail and what it is I do, you know, in terms of my job.  I'm embarrassed, you know I felt disrespected and you know, and it just, you know there's a lot of emotional damage I feel that has been done in.  It's been very difficult and, I feel like a loss of hope, honestly.  What's the point of doing productive things, you know, and working, and being at school, and trying to pursue, you know, music, and some other things and avenues of life, if just like that it can be taken  away from you, you know.  So...

All right, Aaron Claxton,  I appreciate that.  Aaron Claxton; assistant athletic director at the Boys and Girls Club in Seattle's Central area.  He was tased at his North End home August 2006, when undercover Seattle police officers came into his garage after he was driving.

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About the transcript: (E&OE) This transcript was created by Inhand.de (E&OE) for the Learn English Network. It has been published here with the permission of KUOW who own all copyright.

Taser Safety - Transcipt 2

Taser Safety - Transcipt 3

Taser Safety - Transcipt 4