Police and the B.C. government have made good progress on safety changes to Taser use, after the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, says a special legislative committee.
MLAs who spent five months researching Taser use say they are satisfied that the RCMP, police, sheriffs and the province have implemented the 19 recommendations made by Justice Thomas Braidwood’s inquiry into Dziekanski’s death.
“Our report is a positive reflection of what government has done to implement his recommendations,” said committee chairman and Liberal MLA Murray Coell.
Dziekanski died in 2007 after he was shocked with a Taser several times during a confrontation with four RCMP officers at Vancouver International Airport.
Amateur video of the incident sparked outrage and led to Braidwood’s commission.
Braidwood had recommended the government create provincewide Taser training standards, move to standardized reporting, only allow the use of the devices when a person is at risk of causing harm and instruct police to attempt lesser force and de-escalation techniques when possible, especially in cases of emotionally disturbed people.
In a report tabled in the legislature Thursday, the seven-person committee said it is satisfied the right balance has been struck between accountability and allowing front-line police to use Tasers to save lives.
It recommended the province advocate for federal national electrical standards on Taser safety, as well as change provincial reporting forms and find a way to evaluate the effectiveness of crisis intervention training for police.
Expert testimony to the committee indicated Taser use had dropped 87 per cent between 2007 and 2011, in part because officers are scared to use the devices due to bad publicity.
Braidwood had also told the MLA committee he was “pleased and excited” with how the B.C. government and police had changed Taser standards and training since his report was released in 2009.
