More than 2,400 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. have bought 45,000 video camera attachments to Tasers, reports USA Today. The $400 cameras, available since 2006, offer evidence and accountability when the stunning devices are used. The Taser Cam is activated when the officer unholsters the Taser and turns off the safety. There is no way to deactivate the camera without disabling the gun. “Video is going to help the officer,” said Steve Tuttle, spokesman for Taser International.
Tasers are used by law enforcement as an alternative to deadly force. The gun releases two darts with wires that attach to the subject’s body and deliver up to 50,000 volts of electricity. The use of stun guns has been controversial for years, especially in cases where the subject died after being shocked, says Curt Goering, chief operating officer for Amnesty International. Goering says there are 440 people he knows of who have died after being shocked with such devices since the human rights organization started accumulating those statistics in 2001. The organization has asked for a moratorium on stun gun use until medical effects can be studied further. Taser disputes those numbers.