Like any authority fearing college student, I find excessive use of police force troubling. Like many people, I was upset by the police attack on University of Florida student Andrew Meyer. When I opened The Michigan Daily on Monday, I expected an editorial detailing the events of the attack and condemning the police for their excessive use of force against a student. Instead, there was a six-paragraph editorial, criticizing the device used to carry out the attack (A shocking trend, 09/24/2007). I feel that criticizing the Taser itself distracts people from thinking about why excessive police violence occurs and how it can be eliminated.

Among its central claims, the editorial argues that the increased use of Tasers exacerbates the problem of police brutality. It argues that Tasers are likely to be abused since they "take far less thought and effort then batons." One problem with this reasoning is that it ignores the fact that Taser International, the main producer of Tasers, is starting to create many safety features specifically designed to curtail the use of excessive force.

Unlike the incident with Meyer, most instances of police violence are not captured on film, begging for our reactions. Tasers are now offering a chance to change that. Some police Tasers, including those used by the Chicago Police Department since 2005, now have a small camera attached to the Taser to record the incident from when the device is turned on to when it is turned off. This allows those not present to determine if the force was unwarranted. The Taser also offers a feature that records the amount of times a shock was delivered to help determine if a Taser was used in a way that would be considered abusive. Because of these features, officers who fear losing their job, fear legal repercussions will likely think twice about using the Taser.

If the officer disregards these consequences, these innovations offer a greater ability to investigate the matter and determine if excessive force was used and punishment is warranted. A baton does not have these safety features.

Additionally, the editorial makes much of the health risks of the Taser but fails to note that in many cases the Taser is absolved from the incident. In litigation where death was blamed on Tasers, the victims were shown to have had severe heart conditions that would possibly have been set off by any stressful event like being shot, clubbed or even simply being confronted by the police. When compared to a gun or a club, the Taser is the safest choice. In fact, police must practice using Tasers on themselves before taking them into the field that. For obvious reasons, they do not do that with clubs and guns.

Unless we want to take all weapons away from police, the Taser is the best way to prevent police brutality. Perhaps when people stop criticizing the Taser and allow it to become more accepted, it will replace the weapons that actually hurt and kill people.

Brett Seamnon is an LSA senior.