Thursday, April 18, 2019

Tasers in Germany?

For roughly two years, there's been this 'test' and evaluation going on, with Hessen police (mostly in Frankfurt and Offenbach) with tasers.  While it's been standard equipment in most metropolitan US cities, it's been a long process here in Germany.

Training requirements had to be established, and scenarios had to be developed for the police to know the right occasion to use the tasers. 

Here in the local region, one example was a raid where a guy had been acting irrationally and threatening people.  A brief talk by the police with the guy, went nowhere.  So they tasered the guy, and ended the stand-off.

A negativity campaign against the introduction?  Well, various political groups hint that it's dangerous and could potentially kill a guy.  Police will often point out that in some stand-off, where the guy is armed with a knife and acting irrationally....the taser makes perfect sense, and ensures no policeman has to shoot the guy, or get stabbed. 

So with the test now concluded, you an expect German metropolitan police around the nation to get trained/certified, and armed with tasers over the next couple of years. 

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