The Criminal Misuse of TASERs: Police Officers Arrested, Agency Characteristics & the Contexts of Victimization

• In Event: Police Misconduct and Equal Justice

Abstract

The focus of our research is on police crime—a particular form of police misconduct that involves the criminal arrest of police officers. This study describes and explores cases in which police officers from across the United States have been arrested for crimes specifically associated with the misuse of conductive energy devices (CEDs) commonly referred to as TASERs. Data on these cases are presented in terms of: a) the arrested officers, b) the employing police organizations, and c) the context that surrounds these encounters including the characteristics of victims. The study identifies some common features of encounters that involve the criminal misuse of TASERs and suggests policy implications designed to mitigate these crimes.

Authors

• Philip Matthew Stinson, Bowling Green State University

• John Liederbach, Bowling Green State University

• Samantha Kopf Apple, Bowling Green State University

• Eric M. Cooke, Bowling Green State University