I can’t say that
I ever put much thought into TASERs beyond an instinctual feeling to avoid
them. I haven’t been in a situation which put me in the line of fire and have
no intentions of ever discovering what it feels like, but the documentary Killing Them Safely gave me facts to
back up my instincts. Even if a majority of those hit with the latest
police-issued weapon are left without permanent damage, I still see no reason
to take the risk of becoming one of the few that don’t survive. And even more
importantly, this is just another piece of evidence in recent scrutiny of
police behavior, and it is the poor discretion of the users which is far more
frightening than the weapon itself.
Even though the
misuse of the weapons by police officers may have been the easier path for this
film to take, especially given the recent controversy and bad press law
enforcement has had, Killing Them Safely
instead sets its targets on the company producing the devices. But before the
documentary can condemn the questionable business practices, they first must
give a brief history of TASER International and its co-founder brother team,
Rick and Tom Smith. This all seems rather conventional, despite the rhetoric
provided by many TASER representatives in the early interviews of the
documentary. Even when the company is being directly attacked by the
filmmakers, much to the concern of some off-screen legal advisors, the
interviewees refuse to budge on their insistence that TASERS save lives rather
than take them.
This is a
difficult point to argue, because we can’t prove that not using the TASER
wouldn’t have resulted in a deadly encounter, but even more frustrating is the
company’s unwillingness to admit the weapon’s contribution in the death of
those who did not survive its use. First of all, just because TASERs have
helped subdue violent encounters does not automatically mean that these
altercations would have resulted in death had the officers been forced to use
other methods, and the use of this argument is illogically presumptive, though
it has not stopped TASER International from claiming responsibility for
millions of saved lives on their website.
The impossible
to prove claims are not the focus of this documentary, however, and instead the
scrutiny remains on those who were injured and/or killed by the use of the
supposedly safe weapon. By claiming that the weapon cannot possibly affect the
human heart and boasting falsified safety information, TASER International is
much more villainous in its refusal to accept scientific facts when they
contradict their business model. It quickly becomes clear in listening to the
constant double-talk oozing out of the mouths of Tom and Rick Smith that they
are well aware of the fallacy in their company’s statements, and even more
aware of how to careful word their statements in ways that keeps them legally
covered. This despicably greedy business behavior would be bad enough without
being paired with their insistence that TASER saves lives. Many cigarette
companies once claimed their products to have health benefits also. I’m not
even saying the risk isn’t worth the benefit, but once the Smith brothers start
lying through their teeth, it doesn’t much matter.
The DVD includes
a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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