Chief Perry Needs Your Help!

SUBHEAD: Introducing Fact-based Policies to the Kauai Police Department.

By Jonathan Jay on 20 February 2009 for Island Breath - (http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2009/02/kpd-chief-perry-could-use-your-help.html)

Image above: source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TomSwift10.jpg Below is a detail from the cover of the Tom Swift book (subtitled "... or Daring Adventures in Elephant Land" by VICTOR APPLETON, published 1911) where the TASER got it's name. TASER = an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electronic Rifle"

Aloha IslandBreath Readers!

Below is an exchange of emails I recently had with Darryl Perry, the Chief of the Kaua`i Police Department. Go Chief! As a result of my email (and many others'!) the Chief has now stated he is researching the lethality of TASERs, and is considering revising KPD TASER policy to conform to the fact that TASERs are NOT 'non-lethal'. As you may already know, the truth is TASERs have been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people within the last decade alone. Some of these deaths may have been the result of people with weak hearts. Never-the-less, they still do not deserve to be dead. Many more of these deaths have been the result of the "proper" use of the weapon by police as intended. Clearly, there is a big problem here.

Since this research could be a "big job", I'll bet the Chief would greatly appreciate it if you could help him out by sending solid evidence of the lethality of TASERs his way. That might make his job easier, because then he can concentrate on revising the KPD TASER policies that were constructed on the false notion that TASERs don't kill. Please DO send the Chief some solid information re: TASER lethality. The more he hears, the harder it will be for him to avoid doing the right thing. He may send you a nice thank you email too!;) Here are the emails in reverse chronological order. ________________________________

Jonathan,> > Thank you for your explanation. I will be taking your proposal under consideration as I research the "overwhelming body of evidence" that supports your understanding that the;TASER is in fact lethal. Mahalo. Chief Perry ________________________________ Aloha Mr. Perry, Thank you for your question. It is my understanding from reading a number of statements you have made, that the present KPD policies for TASER utilization and deployment were constructed under the now demonstrably false premise that the TASER is a "non lethal" weapon. This is a potentially dangerous error. Whatever protocols and guidelines you felt appropriate for what you then believed falsely to be "non-lethal" TASER, must responsibly be re-visited and altered in light of the actual fact that TASERS are indeed lethal, and have been shown to kill hundreds of times. Are TASERS less lethal than firearms? Yes they are. Are they "non-lethal"? No, they are not. An overwhelming body of evidence supports this. May TASERS be used as an effective police tool under certain circumstance? Possibly, provided proper training and rules of engagement based on the reality of TASER lethality, and a smoothly functioning means of public accountability to the community served is present. I have faith and confidence that when presented with the facts re: TASER lethality, you will take swift and appropriate action in KPD TASER deployment protocols, training and policy to protect human life, and the County of Kaua`i against massive liability from wrongful death lawsuits. These are the types of appropriate changes I refer to. Mahalo for your time and consideration. respectfully, jonathan jay, Architectural Designer Kalaheo, Kaua`i ________________________________ Darryl Perry wrote: Aloha Jonathan, Thank you for sharing. If I may ask, exactly what "appropriate changes" are you referring to? Chief Perry ________________________________ solid information is so good to receive:

http://disappearednews.com/2009/02/canada-admits-that-tasers-kill-rcmp.html i look forward to the appropriate changes in KPD policy this mandates, as I know you do too. Kaua`i deserves this, and so does our KPD. mahalo, jonathan jay, Kalaheo

Some Background on the TASER The 'Tom Swift' series of (shockingly racist) boyhood adventure books was much loved by the inventor the TASER, John Higson Cover Jr. who named his invention after the fictional 'Swiftian' gun. Here is an eyebrow raising excerpt from Chapter 2 "Trying the New Gun": The two youths went out to the shed where the rifle gallery had been built. The new electric weapon was out there, and Eradicate Sampson, the colored man, who was a sort of servant and man-of-all-work about the Swift household, had set up the scarecrow figure at the end of the gallery.

“Now we’ll try some shots,” said Tom, as he took the gun out of the case. “Just turn on a few more lights, will you, Mr. Jackson,” and the engineer, who was employed by Tom and his father to aid them in their inventive work, did as requested.

The gallery was now brilliantly illuminated, with the reflectors throwing the beams on the big stuffed figure, which, save for a face, looked very much like a human being, standing at the end of the gallery.

“I don’t suppose you want to go down there and hold it, while I shoot at it; do you, Rad?” asked Tom jokingly, as he prepared the electric rifle for use.

“No indeedy, I don’t!” cried Eradicate. “Yo’-all will hab t’ scuse me, Massa Tom. I think I’ll be goin’ now.”

“What’s your hurry?” asked Ned, as he saw the colored man hastily preparing to leave the improvised gallery.

“I spects I’d better fro’ down some mo’ straw fo’ a bed fo’ my mule Boomerang!” exclaimed Eradicate, as he hastily slid out of the door, and shut it after him.

“Rad is nervous,” remarked Tom. “He doesn’t like this gun. Well, it certainly does great execution.”
The entirety of the text is available online: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3777/3777-h/3777-h.htm#Contents Cover, originally a NASA researcher, recently passed away at his home on February 7, 2009 due to Alzheimer’s and pneumonia, but his TASER Empire lives on. You can check out TASER online at http://www.taser.com They now come in many colors, and look quite sexy... um, if you like to have sex with those type things. IB editors ask only that you be "safe." .