TASER X2 Defender

Last updated

The Taser X2 is one of the less-lethal conducted electrical weapon (CEW) models that is used by law enforcement agencies and by civilians as a use for self-defense. It was created by TASER International, Inc. in 2011 after their popular X26 model and the similar but bulkier and heavier X3. The X2 Defender, unlike previous CEWs, can shoot two cartridges and is semi-automatic. [1]

Contents

Function

The X2 Defender is a projectile weapon that works by firing two electrically charged probes that pierce through the clothes of a target, creating neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI) of the body. The X2 can hold up to two replaceable cartridges, each holding two probes. Each "Smart Cartridge" has a circuit board that activates the cartridge to shoot out the two probes with gas pressure when it receives a signal. Unlike early CEWs, the main function of the X2 Defender does not operate under the principle of pain compliance so even people with high pain tolerance cannot resist the effects of the CEW, but if that does not work there is a backup function that enables a Drive-Stun mode in which the electric current does follow the principle of pain compliance and physically forces the target to submit. The X2 is used somewhat like a handheld pistol. They both have a similar design, and have similar features like a trigger, a safety lock, and aiming sights.

Safety

With a 600 ohm test load, the X2 Defender applies a variable voltage peaking at approximately 2000V, corresponding to a peak current of 3.3A. [2] The widely quoted 50kV specification is an open circuit voltage [2] and is not applied to a target in use. To ensure safe handling, the electric current only lasts a maximum of 5 seconds for every activation and the weapon can be equipped with a video camera and a data recorder. The electrical circuit is powerful enough to disrupt the sensory and motor nerves of a target, but was deemed safe by engineers associated with Taser International. [2] General safety concerns and incidents have drawn criticism to all CEWs in use since they were made. CEWs can cause people to die in accidents where targets fall.

Specifications

The X2 has an effective range of 4.6 m (15 ft). The operating temperature range and storage temperature range is -4 °F (-20 °C) to 122 °F (50 °C). The X2 Defender’s dimensions with the battery pack (length x width x height) are 7.8″ (19.8 cm) x 1.7″ (4.3 cm) x 4.2″ (10.7 cm) and it weighs 454 grams with two full battery cartridges. [3]

Law enforcement use

The X26 and M26 models were the first advanced TASER models commonly used by law enforcement, and the X2 and X3 models came after and are increasingly being used because of their advanced semi-automatic feature. In a large metropolitan police department over a three-year study (2002–2004), the estimated success of an effective TASER incapacitation and arrest was 85 percent out of all TASER uses. [4] Police agencies use CEWs so much because they seem to be overall safer to use while bringing a suspect into custody. The Police Executive Research Forum has found that the use of CEWs has significantly reduced suspect and officer injuries for situations where the use of force was necessary. Not all police agencies are run the same, but most of them use CEWs. [5]

There have been many incidents that have brought major concern and criticism about police officers misusing CEWs. They were either caused by accidents that occurred while the use of force was necessary, or by police officers using CEWs at an event where it was unnecessary.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shotgun</span> Firearm intended for firing a bolus of small pellets

A shotgun is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot, or sometimes a single solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns are most commonly smoothbore firearms, meaning that their gun barrels have no rifling on the inner wall, but rifled barrels for shooting slugs are also available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-lethal weapon</span> Weapon intended to be less likely to kill a living target than conventional weapons

Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than conventional weapons such as knives and firearms with live ammunition. It is often understood that unintended or incidental casualties are risked wherever force is applied, but non-lethal weapons try to minimise the risk of casualties as much as possible. Non-lethal weapons are used in policing and combat situations to limit the escalation of conflict where employment of lethal force is prohibited or undesirable, where rules of engagement require minimum casualties, or where policy restricts the use of conventional force. These weapons occasionally cause serious injuries or death; the term "less-lethal" has been preferred by some organizations as it describes the risks of death more accurately than the term "non-lethal", which some have argued is a misnomer.

A stun gun is any weapon that incapacitates its target without killing. Tasers, tranquillizer guns, and mace (spray) are all types of stun guns. Subcategories of stun gun include the electroshock weapon, an incapacitating weapon that momentarily disables either a beast or a person with an electric shock; and a directed-energy weapon that causes unconsciousness, a weapon that emits energy in an aimed direction without a projectile. Stun guns are frequently used by members of various armed forces and law enforcement agencies. The Multi-purpose stun gun was patented in 2014 in the United States by Hung-Yi Chang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrical injury</span> Physiological reaction or injury caused by electric current

Electrical injury is a physiological reaction caused by electric current passing through the body. The injury depends on the density of the current, tissue resistance and duration of contact. Very small currents may be imperceptible or produce a light tingling sensation. A shock caused by low and otherwise harmless current could startle an individual and cause injury due to jerking away or falling. Stronger currents may cause some degree of discomfort or pain, while more intense currents may induce involuntary muscle contractions, preventing the person from breaking free of the source of electricity. Still larger currents result in tissue damage and may trigger ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest. Consequences of injury from electricity may include amputations, bone fractures and orthopedic and musculoskeletal injuries. If death results from an electric shock the cause of death is generally referred to as electrocution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taser</span> Electroshock weapon used by police

A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the target, at 55 m/s. Their range extends from 4.5 m (15 ft) for non-Law Enforcement Tasers to 10.5 m (34 ft) for LE Tasers. The darts are connected to the main unit by thin insulated copper wire and deliver a modulated electric current designed to disrupt voluntary control of muscles, causing "neuromuscular incapacitation." The effects of a taser may only be localized pain or strong involuntary long muscle contractions, based on the mode of use and connectivity of the darts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Close-quarters combat</span> Physical confrontation with firearms at close range

Close-quarters combat (CQC) or close-quarters battle (CQB) is a close combat situation between multiple combatants involving ranged or melee combat. It can occur between military units, law enforcement and criminal elements, and in other similar situations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electroshock weapon</span> Incapacitating weapon

An electroshock weapon is a less-lethal weapon that utilizes an electric shock to incapacitate a target by either temporarily disrupting voluntary muscle control and/or through pain compliance. There are several different types of electroshock weapons.

The Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal directed-energy weapon developed by the U.S. military, designed for area denial, perimeter security and crowd control. Informally, the weapon is also called the heat ray since it works by heating the surface of targets, such as the skin of targeted human beings. Raytheon had marketed a reduced-range version of this technology. The ADS was deployed in 2010 with the United States military in the Afghanistan War, but was withdrawn without seeing combat. On August 20, 2010, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department announced its intent to use this technology to control incarcerated people in the Pitchess Detention Center in Los Angeles, stating its intent to use it in "operational evaluation" in situations such as breaking up prisoner fights. As of 2014, the ADS was only a vehicle-mounted weapon, though U.S. Marines and police were both working on portable versions. ADS was developed under the sponsorship of the Department of Defense Non-Lethal Weapons Program with the Air Force Research Laboratory as the lead agency. There are reports that Russia and China are developing their own versions of the Active Denial System.

Stopping power is the ability of a weapon – typically a ranged weapon such as a firearm – to cause a target to be incapacitated or immobilized. Stopping power contrasts with lethality in that it pertains only to a weapon's ability to make the target cease action, regardless of whether or not death ultimately occurs. Which ammunition cartridges have the greatest stopping power is a much debated topic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riot shotgun</span> Type of shotgun

A riot shotgun is a shotgun designed or modified for use as a primarily defensive weapon, by the use of a short barrel and sometimes a larger magazine capacity than shotguns marketed for hunting. The riot shotgun is used by military personnel for guard duty and was at one time used for riot control, and is commonly used as a door breaching and patrol weapon by law enforcement personnel, as well as a home defense weapon by civilians. Guns of this type are often labeled as breaching shotguns, tactical shotguns or special-purpose shotguns to denote the larger scope of their use; however, these are largely marketing terms.

Pain compliance is the use of painful stimulus to control or direct an organism. The stimulus can be manual, use tools such as a whip or electroshock weapon, or use chemicals such as tear gas or pepper spray.

Axon Enterprise, Inc. is an American Scottsdale, Arizona-based company which develops technology and weapons products for military, law enforcement, and civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Use of force continuum</span> Guidelines for police conduct

A use of force continuum is a standard that provides law enforcement officers and civilians with guidelines as to how much force may be used against a resisting subject in a given situation. In some ways, it is similar to the U.S. military's escalation of force (EOF). The purpose of these models is to clarify, both for law enforcement officers and civilians, the complex subject of use of force. They are often central parts of law enforcement agencies' use of force policies. Various criminal justice agencies have developed different models of the continuum, and there is no universal or standard model. Generally, each different agency will have their own use of force policy. Some agencies may separate some of the hand-to-hand based use of force. For example, take-downs and pressure point techniques may be one step before actual strikes and kicks. Also, for some agencies the use of aerosol pepper spray and electronic control devices (TASER) may fall into the same category as take-downs, or the actual strikes.

On November 14, 2006, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a fourth-year University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) student, was drive stunned five times with a Taser by campus police while handcuffed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Arundel County Police Department</span> Primary law enforcement agency of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, US

The Anne Arundel County Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, serving a population of more than 564,195 per 2015 census estimates across 588 square miles (1,500 km2) of jurisdiction. The Department was created by an Act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1937, and originally consisted of a Chief of Police, three sergeants, and seventeen patrolmen.

The United Kingdom is made up of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, all police officers carry firearms. In the rest of the United Kingdom, only some police officers carry firearms; that duty is instead carried out by specially-trained firearms officers. This originates from the formation of the Metropolitan Police Service in the 19th century, when police were not armed, partly to counter public fears and objections over armed enforcers as this had been previously seen due to the British Army maintaining order when needed. The arming of police in Great Britain is a perennial topic of debate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taser safety issues</span>

Taser safety issues relate to the lethality of the Taser. The TASER device is a less-lethal, not non-lethal, weapon, since the possibility of serious injury or death exists whenever the weapon is deployed. It is a brand of conducted electroshock weapon sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. Axon has identified increased risk in repeated, extended, or continuous exposure to the weapon; the Police Executive Research Forum says that total exposure should not exceed 15 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Robert Dziekański</span> Polish man killed by police at Vancouver Airport

On October 14, 2007, Robert Dziekański —a Polish immigrant to Canada—was killed during an arrest at the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia (BC).

Roberto Laudisio Curti, known as Beto Laudisio, was a 21-year-old man from São Paulo, Brazil. He died on 18 March 2012 after being pursued, tackled, tasered, sprayed with OC spray, and physically compressed under the weight of multiple police officers of the New South Wales Police Force in Sydney, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laser sight (firearms)</span> Laser device used to assist the aiming of a firearm

A laser sight is a device attached or integral to a firearm to aid target acquisition. Unlike optical and iron sights where the user looks through the device to aim at the target, laser sights project a beam onto the target, providing a visual reference point.

References

  1. Nystrom, Paul (2012). "The Conducted Electrical Weapon: Historical Overview of the Technology". Atlas of Conducted Electrical Weapon Wounds and Forensic Analysis. pp. 1–23. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3543-3_1. ISBN   978-1-4614-3542-6.
  2. 1 2 3 Panescu, Dorin; Max Nerheim; Mark Kroll (2013). "Electrical safety of conducted electrical weapons relative to requirements of relevant electrical standards". 2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC). Vol. 2013. pp. 5342–5347. doi:10.1109/EMBC.2013.6610756. ISBN   978-1-4577-0216-7. PMID   24110943. S2CID   19800784.
  3. "TASER X2 Defender". TASER International Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13.
  4. White, Michael; Justin Ready (May 2007). "The TASER as a Less Lethal Force Alternative Findings on Use and Effectiveness in a Large Metropolitan Police Agency". Police Quarterly. 10 (2): 170–191. doi: 10.1177/1098611106288915 .
  5. Holder, Eric; Laurie O. Robinson; John H. Laub (May 2011). "Police Use of Force, Tasers and Other Less-Lethal Weapons" (PDF).{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)