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- ua777222
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Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #1
Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:27 am
I was watching one of those water police shows on TruTV this afternoon while trying to get some stuff cleaned up around the house and there was a fight with a bunch of people in about 3-4ft deep water. He goes jumping in and pulls out his taser and points it at the guys fighting.
They obviously stop, but if he had used it, wouldn't that have been bad news bears for them? He was in the water with them as well and there were around 30 people within firing range of the taser.
Thanks.
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- LOT767-300ER
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #2
Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:36 am
I doubt a taser would work underwater, you could probably shock yourself with it.
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- ua777222
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #3
Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:45 am
Not necessarily underwater. But if he fires pins shooting the electricity into the perp, and he falls back or into the water while its still giving off a shock, wouldn't everyone else in the water be at risk as well. The officer is firing above water and the unit is dry the entire time.
- Maverick623
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #4
Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:51 am
Quoting UA777222 (Thread starter):
He was in the water with them as well and there were around 30 people within firing range of the taser.
I should first note that firing range does not equal shock range. The range on the taser is based on the cartridge used to fire the prongs.
Quoting LOT767-300ER (Reply 1):
I doubt a taser would work underwater, you could probably shock yourself with it.
Given the size of the body of water, I would think whatever current got into the water would dissipate fairly rapidly, so if anything the people closest to it would feel nothing more than a weird itching sensation.
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- ua777222
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #5
Sat Mar 20, 2010 7:54 am
Any SOP for taser use in water?
Any odd instances where it cannot be used that would otherwise appear normal?
Despite the controversy around them, I do view them a the future of law enforcement and the prevention of utilizing deadly force.
Shame San Francisco (I'm local to the Bay Area) just decided to not go for them.
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- LOT767-300ER
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #6
Sat Mar 20, 2010 9:05 am
Quoting Maverick623 (Reply 3):
Given the size of the body of water, I would think whatever current got into the water would dissipate fairly rapidly, so if anything the people closest to it would feel nothing more than a weird itching sensation.
Maybe in a big pool, but what about a bathtub or a jacuzzi or something? I mean im not an expert electrician of high voltages but somehow I doubt it would be very safe to do so.
- fr8mech
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #7
Sat Mar 20, 2010 10:17 am
I seem to recall watching a show, Future Weapons, maybe?, where an officer was hit with a TASER and he fell back into the arms of other officers while the TASER was still popping away. They did not receive a shock. Quite possible that the TASER doesn't have the energy to transmit it past the body in question.
Don't know, maybe water does something, but I'm thinking it's a non-event for the shooter.
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- 18161
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #8
Sat Mar 20, 2010 2:54 pm
The two terminals between where discharge occurs will follow a least path of resistance. In air humanbody will offer less resistance compared to air and the person gets zapped, while in water, water would offer less resitance than humanbody and a huge proportion of the current should take the water path than the humanbody IMO.
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- StarAC17
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #9
Sat Mar 20, 2010 5:18 pm
They tried something like this on Mythbusters where they tried to make the tazer work with a water gun and couldn't get a proper voltage to incapacitate a victim.
Apparently how they work is that when the leads are shot at the victim it discharges at 50,000 volts and then drops down to 5,000 volts to work properly. When you add water to the equation the voltage drop down doesn't occur and you will kill the victim and not incapacitate them.
I don't think a tazer has enough current to shock people in a pool and if a person was underwater I wouldn't think the leads wouldn't have the speed to hit the person and the electricity would conduct through the water or fail to and it would be harmless.
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- LTU932
- Posts: 13725
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #10
Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:05 pm
Quoting UA777222 (Thread starter):
Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
I guess so, at least if you want to receive a nomination for the Darwin Awards.
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- bjcc
- Posts: 342
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RE: Can Police Tasers Be Used In Water?
- #11
Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:15 pm
Lesson 1 on arrival at first Station from Police Training school. When dealing with fights, let them slug it out, then nick whoever is left standing. Stood me in good stead for many a year.
In other words, why bother with tazars, batons or anything else. Those left standing at the end are always so knackered, they don't put up a fight, and there's less paperwork.
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