SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 24, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- TASER International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), a market leader in advanced electronic control devices (ECDs) released the following NEWS ALERT:
According to The Associated Press, on April 22, 2008, the University of Florida (UF) police will continue to use TASER(r) Electronic Control Devices after the UF President Bernie Machen agreed to accept the Committee on a Civil, Safe and Open Environment findings.
The committee reviewed current TASER policy and procedures at the University following an incident in which a UF student made headlines when he physically resisted being escorted from an auditorium by police at a September 2007 forum with U.S. Sen. John Kerry.
On April 22, 2008, the committee released a 52-page report clarifying the University's Use of Force Policy.
In the report, "The committee recognizes that, as reflected in the UFPD policy, a TASER is an intermediate, less than lethal weapon, and should be used only when it is appropriate to use an intermediate weapon. The committee has reached a consensus that the revised UFPD TASER policy, which is more restrictive than State law and more restrictive than the previous UFPD policy, reflects an appropriate use and limitation on use of the TASER as an intermediate weapon on campus. The committee recommends that this revised policy remain in effect."
Under the revised guidelines, authorities said officers still would have been justified in using a TASER ECD on the student. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation ruled that the officers had followed state guidelines.
The Ad Hoc Committee on Civil, Safe and Open Environment Final Report can be found at: http://www.president.ufl.edu/committees/civil/documents/CSOE_finalReport_%204-22-08.pdf.
The AP story can be found at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-dont-tase-me-bro-042308,0,3808075.story?track=rss.
This information was compiled through publicly available media reports and distributed by TASER International, Inc. of Scottsdale Arizona.
TASER International disclaims any responsibility for the accuracy of the media. The reports are the sole responsibility of the attributed media source.
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