Taser research marred by conflicts

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The makers of Taser weapons have long maintained that their stun guns are completely safe. Yet, about 100 people have died since 1999 after getting shocked, according to Defensetech.com, a record that recently led the U.S. Justice Department to launch a study into whether Tasers are actually “non-lethal.”

However, one of the study’s key advisers also has worked as a paid consultant for stun gun manufacturer Taser International, according to USA Today, while the professor leading the study argued, before the research began, that “Tasers do not kill.”

John Webster, a biomedical engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin, submitted his research application to the Justice Department last fall, listing Omaha physician Robert Stratbucker as an adviser. He failed to mention that Stratbucker has worked with Taser International. The Arizona-based company’s website lists him as its medical director and has cited his research to promote its line.

Stratbucker’s presence is “a potential conflict of interest,” said Hubert Williams, president of the Police Foundation, a think tank that researches law enforcement issues and wants federal money to do its own stun gun study.

http://www.vermontguardian.com/dailies/0904/0523.shtml

[struggle4progress]

1. First, the conclusions -- and then, the study. eom