Tasers used on suicidal, mentally ill in Ottawa

Neco Cockburn
Canwest News Service
Monday, July 14, 2008

OTTAWA – More than half the people shocked with a Taser by Ottawa city police over the last eight years have been suicidal, mentally ill or emotionally disturbed, reports obtained by the Ottawa Citizen say.

The newspaper obtained use-of-force reports for 115 Taser-related incidents between Oct. 15, 2000, and March of this year through a freedom of information request.

That time period begins just a few months after the Taser was introduced in the city as part of a pilot project.

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Although most incidents occurred in houses or apartments, at least three people were hit with a Taser in hospitals and four others in police cellblocks, the reports said.

In one incident, Ottawa police officers arrived at an apartment one night about five years ago to find a suicidal male with four steak knives embedded in his stomach.

He did not follow their commands, so officers drew a gun, but used a Taser instead, and took him into custody within about 20 minutes.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

The reports are regulated by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and are to be filled out and reviewed by the police service.

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