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Even when supposedly "non-lethal" weapons are used to subdue a suspect, people can still die. Many blame the weapons used; Amnesty International report that at least 334 people have died in the USAafter being Tasered. But a new study suggests that a condition known as Excited Deliriummay be responsible in many cases.
The University of Miami's official website on the conditionsays that the condition, which are frequently associated with drug abuse, include "bizarre and/or aggressive behavior, shouting, paranoia, panic, violence towards other people, unexpected physical strength, and hyperthermia."These symptoms are often noted in suspects who are subdued apparently without harm, either by physical force, pepper spray or Taser, but who die shortly afterwards."
The condition has always been hugely controversial since it was described in 1985. It is not recognized by the American Medical Association, and some critics, like the Excited Delirium blog , regard it as a "flimsy excuse" used to cover up police brutality.
Police psychologist Mike Webster, testifying on Taser deaths, said that excited delirium was a "dubious disorder"used by Taser International in its training of police. Certainly a page on the company's website suggests that excited delirium suggests it is the real cause of deaths blamed on Tasers by "certain anti-police groups."
A 2005 book Excited Delirium Syndrome: Cause of Death and Preventioncast doubt on the traditional explanations on how such deaths occur (such as asphyxia) and argued that it was a form of sudden cardiac arrest brought on by stressors, but this had remained controversial.
The new study, carried out by Deborah Mash and colleagues at the University of Miami in Florida , is published in Forensic Science International(abstract only without subscription) and reported in New Scientist. The researchers looked at samples of brain tissue for ninety individuals who has apparently died of excited delirium.
They found the signatures of two distinctive "biomarker" proteins which were common to all ninety cases. One the one hand there were abnormally low levels of a dopamine transporter. This is a substance that would normally clear up excess dopamine produce by stress or drugs; a low level means that the body could be overwhelmed by dopamine, leading to either cardiac problems or severe overheating.
A second biomarker is a "heat shock" protein called HSPA1B which is an indicator that body temperature was raised. This is not surprising, as the average core body temperature was 40.4 C, but it does give a forensic way of demonstrating that a person was overheating at the time of death.
So, if the research stands up, excited delirium is a real condition. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the weapons are not a factor. The RCMP have adopted a policy which acknowledges that there is a risk of death when using Taserson "acutely agitated" suspects and restricts their use to cases where there is a threat to officers or the public. If the excited delirium is aggravated by a struggle with the police, then clearly their actions are a factor. And in any case there is clearly a need to supervise victims rather than leaving them unattended in a police cell or vehicle where they may die.
The new study is unlikely to settle the matter, but perhaps it will prompt more research into the question of exactly how you should treat someone with excited delirium to minimize the risk of harm to them without endangering anyone else.
Photo: Taser International
See Also:
- Video: I Was a Taser Guinea Pig
- First Jury Zaps Taser; $6 Mil for Wrongful Death
- Taser-Makers Blast Back at Danger Room
- Taser Zaps Critics - So Far
- Tasers Worry Brits
- Taser Shotgun, Robot Revealed
- 'Peel and Stick' Tasers Electrify Riot Control
- Stun Gun Patent Battle Breaks Out
- SHOT Show: Taser Shotgun's Creepy Promo Video
