North Carolina Police Turn to Training to Stop Taser Misuse

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(TNS) — Unclear police policies, inefficient training and too little accountability is resulting in some North Carolina officers misusing Tasers and similar devices, civil rights lawsuits and advocates say.

Some of the people who have been shocked without legal justification were being investigated for minor traffic infractions and misdemeanors, they say.

The risks are always high, they stress, because misuse of the devices can cause preventable injuries and death.

Law enforcement departments should work with 911 dispatchers and medical professionals to better respond to situations involving members of the public at highest risk: those intoxicated by drugs and those with mental illness and other health problems, says a research group that has guided national police policies for decades recommends.

The Police Executive Research Forum report on reducing restraint deaths recommends training and then working with medical officials in the field to better identify these conditions.

Police should avoid practices like repeating commands and yelling at individuals, the report says.

People experiencing medical emergencies are often “incapable of following directions and remaining still,” the report notes.

There are subtle things officers need to tune into, the report says. Sometimes a person’s efforts to reposition themselves to be able to breathe could be confused with disobedience, the report states.

North Carolina law enforcement agencies do have resources to help with best practices. Some police agencies across the state have joined agencies, such as the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, that provide round tables about training on best practices, said Henry King, president of the association.

Some agencies are investing in training and technology to prepare officers for using energy weapons.

Virtual reality helps prepare officers

Pinehurst Police Chief Glen Webb said he is aware of the dangers that Tasers pose and recognizes that officers who only use Tasers during half a day of training a year may not be well prepared when making split-second decisions while under threat, perceived or real.

His officers are encouraged to use virtual reality headsets monthly to test their de-escalation and decision making skills, such as when to try to reason with a person during a confrontation or use a Taser or a firearm.

In his department, body and dashboard cameras turn on automatically when officers activate their blue lights or Tasers to record the incident. In addition, officers can livestream with supervisors if an encounter with some who may pose a threat grows tense.

The $30,000 investment and annual costs are worth it, Webb said.

“The annual upkeep is cheap in comparison to a lawsuit where you can’t prove that you were doing right, because you’re probably assumed that you weren’t,” Webb said.

Accusations of Taser-linked excessive force in North Carolina

The outcome of several cases working their way through North Carolina courts and investigating agencies could offer unique insights in how police and courts evaluate allegations of excessive use of force involving Tasers. Among them are encounters that occurred this year and in 2023:

Unarmed man forced to ground after traffic stop: District Attorney Mike Waters asked the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate Warrenton Police Officer Mark Oakley for using excessive force with a Taser in three different situations, including one case involving Dwayne Hicks in September 2023. Hicks hired attorneys who said more than a dozen other people shared complaints with them about interactions with Oakley, who was fired from the Warrenton police force.

Hicks successfully sought the release of body-camera videos showing his encounter with Oakley as his attorney continued to gather evidence for a civil lawsuit. Waters said he is reviewing the SBI file and considering whether to move forward with charges.

Police strike man unresponsive due to medical condition:After Dillon Ledford sat in his yellow Mini Cooper parked in the area designated for online shoppers, a Walmart employee in Spruce Pine called 911, requesting a welfare check. Within minutes of arriving, local police pulled him out of the car, beat him with their fists and used a Taser on him, according to a report from Mitchell County District Attorney Seth Banks and Walmart surveillance video obtained by WLOS in Asheville.

Ledford, a diabetic, was charged with trespassing and three counts of resisting arrest. Police later learned that Ledford’s blood sugar had dropped so much that it was hard for him to talk or move. Banks dropped the charges against Ledford and declined to charge the officers. In the report, Banks noted that the town didn’t have a Taser-use policy at the time of the incident and the officer who used the Taser on Ledford was last trained on using it in 2012. In a November press release, town officials said officers made the right decision “considering the severity of the crime at issue.”

The “good old boy system” is protecting the officers “deplorable conduct,” said David Wijewickrama, Ledford’s attorney.

Teacher says resource officer shocked her without cause: A Selma middle school teacher contends a school resource officer walked into her classroom during a planning period on a fall day in 2023 and ended up shocking her with a Taser, according to a State Bureau of Investigation search warrant application. The teacher told a SBI investigator that school resource officer Dannya Tavarez walked into the room and she inquired about the officer’s Taser.

“I am going to tase you with it,” the officer said, pushing the device against the teacher’s hip despite her objections, according to the warrant. The officer contends that she didn’t use full force and that she had done the same to middle school kids, the warrant states. The Johnston County District Attorney’s office is still reviewing the case, an assistant district attorney said.

Man suspected of drug possession died after Tasers fired: Around 2 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2023, Darryl Williams ran after a Raleigh police officer found cocaine in his pocket and tried to arrest him, police say. After they had stopped him and while Williams was on the ground, officers discharged a Taser on him. Williams pleaded with officers not to use a Taser again, telling them he had heart problems. But officers did anyway. Williams fell unconscious and died. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman declined to press charges against the officers in June.

Williams’ family filed a lawsuit in March.

Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The N&O maintains full editorial control of its journalism.