Forensic reporting of TASER exposure: An examination of situational and exposure characteristics

Abstract The current study examines the content of autopsy reports (N = 184) for deaths that occurred following TASER exposure by police. Guided by previous research and national autopsy standards for other weapon-specific deaths, we evaluate 1) whether reports document situational characteristics o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forensic and legal medicine 2015-10, Vol.35, p.4-8
Main Authors: Todak, Natalie Erin, Cesar, Gabriel T, Louton, Brooks
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arrest-related death
Autopsy
CED
Conducted Energy Weapon Injuries - epidemiology
Documentation - statistics & numerical data
Forensic Medicine
Human exposure
Humans
Medical examiner
Nonlethal weapons
Pathology
Police
TASER
United States - epidemiology
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Summary:Abstract The current study examines the content of autopsy reports (N = 184) for deaths that occurred following TASER exposure by police. Guided by previous research and national autopsy standards for other weapon-specific deaths, we evaluate 1) whether reports document situational characteristics of the police-citizen encounter and 2) whether reports document characteristics of the TASER exposure. We find a large portion of reports are often missing a police report summary and information regarding the TASER exposure. Considering the expanding use of TASERs by police, we emphasize the importance of creating national standards that require documentation of police report summaries, TASER injuries, and TASER logs.
ISSN:1752-928X
1878-7487
DOI:10.1016/j.jflm.2015.06.010