Conducted energy devices.

An increasing number of law enforcement agencies use conducted energy devices (CED), popularly known as stun guns. At the same time, deaths associated with these apparatuses have risen. To help understand whether the technology can contribute to or cause death and, if so, in what ways, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has commissioned a study, one of several NIJ-funded research projects on CEDs. This study, Deaths Following Electro-Muscular Disruption, began in May 2006, with full findings expected in 2009.

Approach Overview

Chaired by both the NIJ deputy director for science and technology and a medical examiner appointed by the National Association of Medical Examiners, the study's steering group also includes representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the College of American Pathologists. The steering group selected members of the mortality review panel--a distinguished group of physicians that include a cardiologist, an emergency medicine doctor, five medical examiners, and a toxicologist--who conduct reviews of deaths associated with CEDs. The panel can draw upon consulting specialists, such as an anesthesiologist, clinical pathologist, epidemiologist, electrical engineer, neurologist, and psychiatrist as needed. The review combines findings from autopsy and toxicology analyses with those from scene investigations, postexposure symptoms, and postevent medical care and assesses any diseases subjects may have had to determine whether these may have contributed to or caused the death.

In addition, NIJ is collaborating with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to conduct field research to support these reviews of deaths related to CEDs. The IACP will bring together experienced investigators to collect data that can help the reviewers determine the cause of death and the possible role of CEDs in them.

Preliminary Findings

In an interim report, the panel said that law enforcement agencies need not stop using CEDs but, rather, cautioned that they should employ the technology reasonably and only after proper training. Departments that use CEDs report reduced injuries to officers and suspects alike. However, deaths and serious injuries of suspects also occur.

The panel also advised that the purported safety margins of CED deployment on normal, healthy adults may not apply to small children, pregnant women, people with diseased hearts, senior citizens, and other at-risk individuals. Law enforcement organizations should avoid using CEDs against these populations (when recognized) unless the situation excludes other reasonable options. Additionally, underlying medical conditions may cause behavior that requires subdual by law enforcement, including the use of CEDs. Abnormal mental status in combative or resistive subjects may be associated with a risk for sudden death and should be treated as medical emergencies.

Preliminary review of deaths indicates that many are associated with continuous or repeated discharge of the CED. Circumstances may occur in which repeated or continuous exposure is required, but law enforcement officers should be aware that the associated risks are unknown. Therefore, caution is urged in using multiple activations of CEDs as a means to accomplish subdual. To learn more about this study and to download a copy of the interim report, please visit the NIJ Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/technology/less-lethal/incustody-deaths.htm.