Robert Brown: Relying on Tasers could be a trap for police officers

Re “Modesto police are well-educated” (Letters, May 1): As a law enforcement person with more than 28 years experience dealing with people unwilling to voluntarily cooperate with lawful requests, I agree with Chief Galen Carroll. Unfortunately, police and correctional officers receive a very limited amount of training in “hands-on” arrest and control techniques. Many documented incidents, and the occasional watching of the reality series “Cops,” proves that many officers seem to have difficulty physically controlling suspects and they tend to depend on “Tasers” to accomplish the mission.

Tasers are intended to limit injuries to the suspect and law enforcement personnel, however, depending on this type of equipment has resulted in officers failing to maintain the levels of skill and confidence necessary to gain physical control of a suspect without them.

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Robert Brown: Relying on Tasers could be a trap for police officers."