Investigating why a farmer, a school girl and grandmother were all tasered | Four Corners

Key Concepts

• Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs/Tasers): Non-lethal weapons designed to incapacitate individuals via electrical discharge.
• Axon: A $32 billion global technology company that dominates the CEW market and provides integrated police hardware/software.
• Excited Delirium: A controversial, medically unrecognized diagnosis often used by Axon and law enforcement to attribute deaths in custody to the victim's physiological state rather than taser use.
• Mission Creep: The phenomenon where a tool intended for life-threatening situations is increasingly used for minor compliance or passive resistance.
• Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Vulnerability: A security flaw in Axon devices that allows for the tracking of police officers via their equipment.

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1. The Overuse and Misuse of Tasers

Tasers were originally marketed as a "less-lethal" alternative to firearms to prevent deaths. However, evidence suggests they are now frequently used in situations where they were never intended, such as against the elderly, individuals with disabilities, or those offering only passive resistance.

• Case Study (Steven): A man was tasered and capsicum-sprayed on his own property while checking sprinklers. Despite police manuals stating tasers should not be used for passive resistance, the incident resulted in a $250,000 settlement.
• Case Study (Clare Nowland): A 95-year-old woman with dementia, holding a steak knife, was tasered by police in a nursing home. She later died. The officer was convicted of manslaughter.
• Case Study (Tijuana Mclennon): A 16-year-old girl with multiple disabilities was tasered at a disability school during a police interview.

2. Axon’s Corporate Strategy and Influence

Axon has become deeply embedded in global policing, creating a "captured" relationship where police agencies are heavily reliant on their ecosystem of body cameras, software, and weapons.

• Product Defense Strategy: To counter litigation, Axon has historically funded medical experts to conduct research favorable to their products and testify in court that tasers are not lethal.
• Lobbying and Influence: The company actively intervenes in death investigations. In the case of Israel Hernandez-Llach, Axon provided "confidential" instructions to police on how to handle the autopsy and push for an "excited delirium" diagnosis.
• The "Church of Taser": Critics describe a culture of zealotry within the company, led by CEO Rick Smith, who views the taser as a tool to end the "era of killing," despite data showing no decrease in police-involved firearm deaths since taser introduction.

3. The "Excited Delirium" Controversy

"Excited delirium" is a term used to explain deaths in custody, characterized by aggression and high body temperature.

• Medical Consensus: The term is rejected by major medical and psychiatric organizations, including the World Health Organization.
• Legal Impact: In multiple Australian and US inquests, Axon-linked experts have successfully argued that victims died of excited delirium rather than the electrical shock of the taser, effectively shielding the company and police from liability.

4. Security Vulnerabilities

A significant cybersecurity flaw exists in Axon’s Bluetooth-enabled devices.

• The Flaw: Devices broadcast a unique MAC address, allowing anyone with a smartphone or laptop to track the location of police officers from up to 400 meters away.
• Operational Risk: This poses a severe threat to undercover officers and tactical units. Despite being notified of this vulnerability, police agencies have largely failed to address or mitigate the risk, with some executives dismissing the warnings.

5. Statistical Trends and Research

• Rising Usage: In New South Wales, taser incidents have nearly doubled in the last five years.
• Lethality: Over the past two decades, 18 people have died in Australia following police incidents involving tasers, with six deaths occurring in the last five years alone.
• Independent Research: Cardiologist Dr. Zean Sang found a six-fold increase in sudden deaths in police custody following the introduction of tasers, a study that Axon attempted to suppress through federal court action.

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Synthesis and Conclusion

The investigation reveals a systemic issue where a private corporation, Axon, has successfully integrated itself into the core of public safety, often at the expense of transparency and accountability. While tasers were intended to save lives, their "mission creep" into everyday policing, combined with the promotion of scientifically disputed diagnoses like "excited delirium," has created a environment where police are increasingly reliant on coercion rather than de-escalation. Furthermore, the refusal of police agencies to address known cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Axon equipment highlights a dangerous dependency that prioritizes corporate technology over the safety of both the public and the officers themselves.