Taser broke on me in less than a week

Bought a brand new x-26 and it stopped firing within a week! Good thing it comes with a one-year warranty. Not sure about how confident I am about the taser now. Definitly would've been bad news if I tried to use it in a confrontation.

Anyone else have any problems with their tasers?

They last longer if you don't play with them. Not saying you do, but the first time you get one, you can't help but pop it several times. Too much in a short period of time can short it out. That's laymans verbage, not technical verbage.

_________________
Jay Shell
Covering North East AL.
AAA / Eagle Bail Bonds, LLC
Anniston, AL
256.235.2437

I did one test fire and two fires without the cartridge in the first week. I would expect to be able to pull the trigger over 50 times in the first week and the gun to be ok, considering i spent over $1,200 on the gun and accessories.

I had an M18L for over 3 years without a single problem. I test fired it at least once a month and let it go through its cycle. This was recommended by the manufacturer. I also made sure that it was functioning before I went out on every job.

I want to test fire mine (without the cartridge) before every job now, but don't want to burn it out/break it at the same time.

I'm not sure how I feel about the whole Taser craze. I think it makes everyone with a badge more trigger happy than they need to be. Hell, I'm sure you all heard the story of the deputy in the great NorthWest who shot a guy out of a tree with his Glock because he drew it instead of his Taser. Not to mention all the videos of needless Taser use we've all seen on the internet. My opinion when the Taser Craze first started was that if your ground fighting tactics and other tools (weapon, baton, pepper spray, etc) weren't enough that you shouldn't be out there in the first place. As I've done more research I can see the benifits (I don't care how good my ground fighting is, I could never take down a 350 pound guy charging at me). I'm still not quite ready to jump on the bandwagon yet.

I believe if you are going to get a Taser, get the training. And I mean serious training, as much if not more than they give to LEAs who carry them. And yes, you should have to get shot with one if you are going to carry one. I've been pepper sprayed so many times during training scenarios I'm almost immune to the stuff.

My word of caution would be the following. Check your local laws regarding Taser use. Get yourself trained. Don't get trigger happy. Use as a second to last resort (assuming you carry a firearm). Yes it can be intimidating, but we've all ran across those people who aren't scared of anything. Then your intimidation factor goes out the window and you either have to use it to save face, or resort to another tactic.

I remember one time I rushed a house and the guy was sitting in the living room with his hands in his sweatshirt. He had prior weapons charges and I'd been told he was carrying. I'm screaming verbal commands and from about seven feet away my .40 Glock is pointing directly at him. He refused to show me his hands, just sat there and looked at me like I was stupid. I had to end up distracting him long enough until my partner got back around front from the back where he had been position and came up behind his chair and grabbed his arms. (distraction = he got sprayed)

But a lot of BEAs think that any tool (weapon, Taser, pepper spray, etc) that they have out as a show of force then needs to be used as force if the subject does not comply. This is where my concern with Tasers come in. Just because you're not getting the result you want from the subject does not mean you have to take it a step further and shoot them with it. Like my guy. I never saw a weapon, he wasn't acting like he was about to make a move, he was just sitting there relaxed (high, rather) and nothing scared him or convinced him into complying with my verbal commands. If it had been a Taser in my hands rather than my Glock I still would not have used it.

Okay, I'm done rambling. Not even sure how much sense I'm making, I haven't had my morning coffee yet. Be safe out there.

Mr. Parker,
I appreciate your heart felt response, and I agree.

We view our job as mitigating liability, by any and all means, legally. I have researched the use of Tasers in Maryland as an agency use of force continuum policy. The MD State Police state that they don't care what the ATF says, you need a working concealed carry permit to possess the Taser, and if you have that, why do you need a Taser? Some things get right by them...

I further learned, that to be protected by Taser International's product liability insurance, you must go through their corporate procedures in purchasing a unit. To comply with this, I submitted all requested documentation to include letters from the local Sherrif (required) acknowledging that I intended to be working in their AOR with a Taser.

Next came what to purchase and why. I requested the LEO version, that gave me 21' of leads as oppossed to 15' of leads, plus the most important thing to me, a downloadable microchip. This was the most important point to me, as I did not want to get involved with civil rights violation lawsuits due to multiple burn marks on a fleeing subject. These generally occur as the instrument make and breaks contact during the discharge function as you struggle hands on a subject in an attempt to bring him into custody.
The microchip proves to any court of law that you only discharged the instrument "X" amont of times, thereby defending your actions.

Since this occurred during the litigation of many wronful death lawsuits against the company, their management agreed to sell the LEO version to LEO only.

My arguments to the contrary were as follows:
Is my life valued any less then LEO?
What about my job precludes me from having the same perimeter of safety that LEO is afforded? (15' to 21") Not to mention the knowledge of closing distance and clearing leather.
What is so special about the computer chip that I am not allowed the same ability to mitigate potential liability?

The end result is this, since they do not respect my needs, I will not purchase their products. I definately would not expose myself or company to the potential liability without their own product liability coverage.
As a follow up, their procedure is to determine elegibility to purchase inhouse, then they will refer you to the appropriate dealer. I never got that far!

As far as the weapons vs. hands on approach, I concur. If you have a subject that is familiar with the legal system, and does not respond to your show of force, it is because he knows that you will not use it. If you still have your weapon in your hand at this point, you have given the individual an unfair advantage, as you are now single handed.

Details upon request...the Warrant Squad Deputy and his AR15 were slack jawed as the individual kept coming at him, unarmed, wearing nothing but boxer shorts...

Scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

I bought the taser as a handgun replacement, and would only use it in a situation where I might need to use a handgun. I would much rather Mace someone any day instead of tasering them (much cheaper than the taser shot! :p). But anyway, like I said, I would only use the taser where deadly force would be appropriate. I don't see a reason to use it otherwise.

_________________
Kevin Grandon
Licensed BEA
VA DCJS# 99-189514
Vienna, VA

Kevin

How often have you had to use your spray? Has it ever incapacitated a team member, leaving you alone with the fugitive? Have you ever had to discharge your Taser (other than just playing with it)? Ever had a guy just rip the leads out and square off on you?

Alot goes on out here

Scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

Or how about the strung out druggy that you spray and he cusses you and tells you to quit spitting in his face. Then your spray goes out the window as the only people effected are you and your partner from the aerosol spray back that you almost always inevitably get when you discharge your spray. And the same guy who is strung out on PCP or meth after you and your partner have tried to subdue him end up in a ground brawl that lasts almost ten minutes while you try to get him cuffed when the local police showed up five minutes earlier and are watching you because and I quote "you all had it under control we are just here to pick up the pieces and transport" this happened to me back in October of 1995 while I was working bar security in Columbia Missouri at a night club that used to be known for the trouble that went on there. This guy was gone, out of it, the bouncers kicked him out of the club and then taunted him while it was our job to keep the guy from coming back in the club. Well the guy kept up and charged towards myself and my partner, I stepped to the left and kicked the side of his right knee with my right foot. Now mind you at this time I was a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon-Do and an instructor I knew that I connected with enough force to have put him on the ground and after he was examined at the ER it was found that my blow did cause him to have an MCL tear to his right knee. But he kept going, I ran in front of him squared off pulled my pepper spray and blasted him directly in the face. He said and I am sure there are some here that will like this " Bitch you best quit spitting in my face," at that time I grabbed at my last resort as we were not armed with firearms, I grabbed my PR-24 from my right hip and swung it and connected with this guys stomach with a gut wrenching thud, it stopped hiim momentarily and my partner and myself each quickly grabbed a wrist and forced the guy into the brick wall where we were attempting to cuff him, I was able to cuff his right hand, when this guy started moving again, I took my left knee and was intending to get his attention by focusing the force on the set of nerves that sit in the side of your thigh about 1 inch behind where the seem of a pair of pants run, I hit his leg with such force that his knee crashed into the wall, the guy put both hands on the wall and he pushed himself off of the wall with such force that all of us ended up on the ground. It then took us several minutes of wrestling with this guy before we got him cuffed and then the police took him saying good work, wanna press charges? Which of course we did, for assault and battery as well as property damage, and to boot he happened to have a white powder in a baggy in his pocket. Now in this instance would a taser have helped the situation? I do not know as like I said this happened back in 1995 before these devices were made available to the general public. Would a weapon had been helpful, in this incident I do believe I would have shot him since he was a wild man, becoming more aggressive and violent and I do believe I could have made a case of self defense considering I had elevated my level to accomadate for the level of aggression he was demonstrating and what he continued to escalate. Guess it was a good thing I did not have a weapon and had a better cardiovascular system than the punk we took down, as he recovered from his injuries, after a surgery to repair his MCL, and is probably still alive today to bitch about that night and the ensuing criminal convictions he received, and I do not have to look at myself every morning in the mirror knowing I have taken someone from this earth. I do now carry a Taurus PT24/7 9mm with me in the profession that I have now, as well as other less than lethal self defense weaponery as I have a spouse and two small children that I need to make sure I come home to at the end of a job. And everytime I go out I am conscious of the fact that at sometime I may be faced with a situation where I have to decide who is going to go home me or them, I hope that that situation never arises, but have come to terms with the fact that when I place that weapon in the holster and walk out my door, there is a real possibility that I may have to use it. These are things you need to sit down and be completely honest with yourself about,put the ego, and the macho BS aside and look into yourself and see if you have it in you to use the tools you are taking with you on your job, if you have any reservation in your mind if you will use the tools you have for your self defense then you should NOT leave the house with them, only take the ones that you will not think twice about using and that you have been properly trained to use effectively, do NOT take a "New Toy" out into the field with you that you are not completely trained in as it could very well come back to haunt you in the end. Because it is that one split second of indecision, or inexperience on your part that a desperate individual can take advatage of and possibly distract you and get the weapon from you, and then someone is knocking on the door of your next of kin delivering the news that no one wants to give. Hope this made sense, I have been working on so many things today and with it being Friday my brain is done for this week, time to grab the kids and the fishing poles and go drown some worms.

_________________
Heather L. Sheridan
315-882-8008