Gardner Alison R, Hauda William E, Bozeman William P
Department of Emergency Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Pediatr Emerg Care. 2012 Sep;28(9):873-7. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e31826763d1.
Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) such as the TASER are often used by law enforcement (LE) personnel during suspect apprehension. Previous studies have reported an excellent safety profile and few adverse outcomes with CEW use in adults. We analyzed the safety and injury profile of CEWs when used during LE apprehension of children and adolescents, a potentially vulnerable population.
Consecutive CEW uses by LE officers against criminal suspects were tracked at 10 LE agencies and entered into a database as part of an ongoing multicenter injury surveillance program. All CEW uses against minors younger than 18 years were retrieved for analysis. Primary outcomes included the incidence and type of mild, moderate, and severe CEW-related injury, as assessed by physician reviewers in each case. Ultimate outcomes, suspect demographics, and circumstances surrounding LE involvement are reported secondarily.
Of 2026 consecutive CEW uses, 100 (4.9%) were uses against minor suspects. Suspects ranged from 13 to 17 years, with a mean age of 16.1 (SD, 0.99) years (median, 16 years). There were no significant (moderate or severe) injuries reported (0%; 97.5% confidence interval, 0.0%-3.6%). Twenty suspects (20%; 95% confidence interval, 12.7%-29.1%) were noted to sustain 34 mild injuries. The majority of these injuries (67.6%) were expected superficial punctures from CEW probes. Other mild injuries included superficial abrasions and contusions in 7 cases (7%).
None of the minor suspects studied sustained significant injury, and only 20% reported minor injuries, mostly from the expected probe puncture sites. These data suggest that adolescents are not at a substantially higher risk than adults for serious injuries after CEW use.
执法人员在逮捕嫌疑人时经常使用电击武器（CEW），如泰瑟枪。以往研究报告称，成人使用CEW具有良好的安全性，不良后果较少。我们分析了执法人员在逮捕儿童和青少年（一个潜在的弱势群体）时使用CEW的安全性和损伤情况。
在10个执法机构追踪执法人员连续使用CEW对付犯罪嫌疑人的情况，并将其录入一个数据库，作为正在进行的多中心损伤监测项目的一部分。检索出所有针对18岁以下未成年人使用CEW的情况进行分析。主要结局包括经医生评估的与CEW相关的轻、中、重度损伤的发生率和类型。其次报告最终结局、嫌疑人人口统计学特征以及执法介入的相关情况。
在连续2026次使用CEW的情况中，有100次（4.9%）是针对未成年嫌疑人。嫌疑人年龄在13至17岁之间，平均年龄为16.1（标准差，0.99）岁（中位数，16岁）。报告无严重（中度或重度）损伤（0%；97.5%置信区间，0.0% - 3.6%）。20名嫌疑人（20%；95%置信区间，12.7% - 29.1%）被记录有34处轻伤。这些损伤大多数（67.6%）是CEW探针造成的预期浅表穿刺伤。其他轻伤包括7例（7%）浅表擦伤和挫伤。
所研究的未成年嫌疑人均未遭受严重损伤，只有20%报告有轻伤，主要来自预期的探针穿刺部位。这些数据表明，青少年在使用CEW后遭受严重损伤的风险并不比成年人高很多。
