NCJ Number
248437
Date Published
September 2013
Length
27 pages
Annotation
In compliance with Maryland's Public Safety Article 3-508 - which requires law enforcement agencies that issue electronic control devices (tasers) to report to the Maryland Statistical Analysis Center (MDAC) certain information regarding their use - this report presents data on all law enforcement electronic device (ECD) discharges during calendar year 2012.
Abstract
In calendar year 2012, 1,068 ECD discharges were reported by 65 law enforcement agencies. Another 27 agencies issued ECDs to officers but did not report any discharges during the reporting period. All other agencies reported that ECDs were not issued to officers. ECD data are reported by county and zip code. ECD discharges were most likely to occur in densely populated areas during evening hours. The majority of ECD discharges occurred during officers' initial response to a criminal incident, usually when an involved person refused to comply with an officer's orders. "Probe" mode was most commonly used in a discharge. A person's center mass (front and back torso) was the most frequent point of a discharge's impact. On average, an ECD discharge involved one 5-second cycle; however, if more than one cycle occurred, the person was given approximately 7 seconds to recover before another electrical current was applied. Persons receiving ECD discharges had a weapon in less than 20 percent of the incidents. No deaths resulted from an ECD discharge in 2012; however, injuries from a discharge occurred in just under 25 percent of the incidents. Just over 95 percent of those receiving ECD discharges were African-American or Caucasian males. Just over 80 percent were between the ages of 18 and 44. 23 tables and 13 figures