First Stage (Taser Safety)
The first stage of the inquiry began on May 5, 2008. The inquiry heard testimony from many experts, including J. Patrick Reilly, an electrical engineer at Johns Hopkins University, who concluded that a Taser could kill, and the CEO of Taser International Tom Smith. In his testimony, Smith maintained the safety of his product but mentioned that his product was not "risk-free". Smith also denied that his company rushed to market their product with inconsistent safety and medical research.
The inquiry also heard from Ujjal Dosanjh, a Canadian Member of Parliament and former Attorney-General of British Columbia with opposing views to Smith; Robert Dziekanski's mother Zofia Cisowski, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Metro Vancouver Transit Police. Both agencies have announced changes to their Taser policies. The first stage of the inquiry finished on May 23, 2008. On June 10, Attorney General Wally Oppal granted a five-month extension to complete its report. On 2008-11-04 Braidwood announced that he had requested a further extension “partly because of the complexity and volume of information he has received regarding the use of conducted energy weapons.” The government granted an extension to June 30, 2009.
On June 22, 2009, Commissioner Braidwood submitted the report on the first stage of the inquiry to British Columbia Attorney General Michael de Jong. It could be several weeks before the report is released to the public, while the government reviews whether any part of it should be withheld.
On July 23, 2009, the Phase One report was tabled in the B.C. legislature. Among the conclusions were that Tasers have the capability to injure or kill by causing heart irregularities, especially where the individual is medically or emotionally compromised. Braidwood was quoted as saying, “Deploying a conducted energy weapon against an emotionally disturbed person is, in most cases, the worst possible response.” However, the report concluded that on balance Tasers are a net benefit to society, in many cases allowing police officers to resolve situations just by displaying the weapon. The report made 19 recommendations, and the goverrnment of British Columbia said it would comply with all of them. The provincial solicitor-general said that he expects all police forces operating in B.C., including the RCMP, to comply with the recommendations, but the RCMP said that it would not comply immediately, needing time to review the report.
Read more about this topic: Braidwood Inquiry
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