Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, left, speaks at the White House last week. Kerik made $6.7 million by selling stock given him by Taser International.
Kerik made millions from agency contractor (click here)
Homeland Security nominee sat on board of stun-gun maker
updated 10:20 a.m. ET, Thurs., Dec. 9, 2004
WASHINGTON - Bernard Kerik, President Bush's choice to run the Homeland Security Department, made $6.2 million by exercising stock options he received from a company that sold stun guns to the department — and seeks more business with it.
Taser International was one of many companies that received consulting advice from Kerik after he left his job as New York City police commissioner in 2001, when he was earning $150,500 a year. Kerik remains on Taser's board of directors, although the company and the White House said he planned to sever the relationship.
Partnering with former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and also operating independently, Kerik has had business arrangements with manufacturers of prescription drugs, computer software and bulletproof materials, as well as companies selling nuclear power, telephone service, insurance and security advice for Americans working abroad....
Thelondondailynews.com has learned that yesterday's gunman in Chelsea died as a result of being tasered - and not from a bullet wound.
Chelsea shooter was 'tasered to death' (click title above)
According to senior police sources, barrister Mark Saunders, 32, died at the scene after being tasered by specialist officers.
Original explanation
It was believed originally that the former army solider died either from his own bullet or one fired by CO19 firearms officers, involved in their first fatal firefight since the death of Jean Charles de Menezes.
We contacted the Independent Police Complaints Commission who is investigating the circumstances of Mr Saunders death, and they refused to comment one way or the other until a full post mortem was carried out.
'Intended to detain'
Our source also revealed that officers had intended to only 'detain' the individual. There were reports of an exchange of fire on the streets and later inside the man’s home when police stormed the barricaded property. Four explosions were later heard believed to be smoke or stun grenades bringing the five hour siege to an end.
Controversial 'non lethal' weapons
The use of police tasers have been criticised after several deaths in America seemingly linked to the devices use. Just last week media access was given to a police pilot scheme to widen their use in England and Wales. The taser is intended to be a non lethal way of dealing with dangerous situations.
Previously only a trained officer could use the weapons, but under new laws an officer can carry the shock devices after only two days training. Amnesty International called it the start of a "slippery slope".
Taser inquiry hears police need training and weapon needs more study (click here)
By TERRI THEODORE The Canadian Press
Wed. May 7 - 6:34 PM
VANCOUVER — Police across North American have earned the moniker ``psychiatrists in blue,'' for their constant intervention with the mentally ill.It's for that reason that the Canadian Medical Health Association implored the head of B.C.'s Taser inquiry to convince police to talk more and use their Taser less.
``We certainly recognize that police in British Columbia, actually across North America, are increasingly first responders to mental-health crises,'' said the association's Camia Weaver.
``There's no doubt they have become the front-line mental health workers in recent years.''
She told inquiry Commissioner Thomas Braidwood it's not a position the police want to have, but it's a reality.
The statistics show that over 30 per cent of people in B.C. who are receiving mental health services got there by having some kind confrontation with police first....
Taser-related deaths top 100 (click here)
Fri, 01 Apr 2005 02:15:16 -0600
There were 103 Taser stun gun-related deaths in the United States and Canada between June 2001 and March 2005, according to an Amnesty International report.
In the first three months of this year, there were 13 Taser-related deaths - compared with six in the same period last year, the report said.
The stun guns have been touted as less lethal than other ways of subduing combative people in high-risk situations, but Tasers have come under increasing scrutiny as a number of deaths have been blamed, at least partially, on the devices.
"No confrontation is risk-free. The Taser is the safest way to end violent confrontations for law enforcement," Taser International President Tom Smith said.
The report challenged Taser's claims that the stun guns had saved more than 6,000 lives.
"Taser International wildly exaggerates the number of incidents in which the use of a Taser resulted in a life saved," the report said.
Smith said the company's statistics were conservative and based on fact.
"This is just a further example of how out of touch this organisation (Amnesty International) is with the law enforcement community," Smith said.
Stun guns produced by Scottsdale-based Taser are used by more than 6,000 law enforcement agencies worldwide.
