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Bad boys, bad boys...what you gonna do? What you gonna do when they come for you? The long-standing theme-song for the television series, COPS, dramatizes much more than just a reality TV show.

Most law-abiding citizens in America don't perceive the threat of violence or attack by police, unless or until it happens to them.

But who polices the legalized use of so called 'non-lethal' police weapons?

The Police Executive Research Forum, a national law enforcement organization, recommends police uses of 'magic-bullet' weapons, such as electric air-tasers and stun-guns, be restircted to subjects who resist officers, and should apply force for no more than five seconds per taser jolt, which delivers a shocking 50,000-volts to immobilize and control resistive behavior in typically unarmed people.

These guidelines were issued amid growing criticism of police for using stun guns too often, and sometimes with deadly results. Amnesty International has compiled a list of more than 100 deaths related to being zapped with tasers. [source: usatoday.com]

A recent report by the US Department of Justice, FBI publications, states: Tasers often leave burn marks on subjects and are not, in fact, effective in many situations.

The Rodney King incident represents perhaps the most widely witnessed failure of any tool used to control a single subject. King could not be subdued immediately, despite repeated taser applications and baton blows. Police officers across America relate similar, but less publicized, incidents.

The perfect tool for controlling subjects does not exist, and probably will not be discovered in the foreseeable future. Until that day, officers should be trained to rely on their own abilities, with the aid of equipment, rather than relying on the equipment itself to control resistive subjects. [source: fbi.gov]

Are the police in violation of the LAW when using tasers against unarmed citizens?

Law enforcement agencies have established use of force policies, training requirements, operational protocols, and safety procedures to help ensure the proper use of tasers. NO police agency has separate use-of-force policies that specifically address tasers, yet most agencies do include the USE of tasers. [source: gao.gov]

No clear-cut parameters for the use of police tasering exists. Taser laws (for private purchase and public use) are NOT applicable to peace officers, military, and corrections personnel. Law enforcement agencies regulate their own training, guidelines and uses for

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