Baden-Württemberg says no to Tasers for patrol officers – why?

The state of Baden-Württemberg has decided not to plan a nationwide introduction of Tasers for patrol officers. Electric stun guns have so far only been used by special police units. There were five Taser uses in 2024, while a total of 64 such incidents have been recorded since its introduction in 2007. The use of Tasers has not yet resulted in any deaths n-tv.de reported.

The Interior Ministry sees some challenges in the use of Tasers, especially in dynamic operational situations, such as threats with knives or other weapons. Although they could be useful in static operational situations against armed people, the high level of training required for police officers is considered a significant disadvantage. Tasers cause short-term paralysis in the nervous system and can be used from a distance of two to five meters. However, there are risks, especially for pregnant women, the elderly and those with heart problems. The German Police Union has been pushing for patrol officers to be equipped with Tasers for years, while critics, including the state head of the DPolG, emphasize that Tasers could be helpful in supporting the police in violent situations. In other federal states it has been shown that the threat of using a Taser is often enough to defuse conflicts.

Evidence of Taser deployments in Rhineland-Palatinate

In Rhineland-Palatinate, a 38-year-old man died after police used a Taser. This represents the third Taser-related death in this state. According to swr.de Of the previous incidents, two other similar cases took place in Pirmasens in 2019 and in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in 2021, although the cause of death in these cases was due to heart problems, but not to the use of the Taser itself.

The autopsy of the current case did not provide any clear results. Tasers, which are used by police to ward off potentially violent attackers, have an operating range of two to five meters. The arrows penetrate about a centimeter into the skin and generate painful electrical pulses. Despite the concerns, authorities in Rhineland-Palatinate rate Taser as an effective tool, which has been in use since 2018 after the pilot phase began in 2017. All patrol cars in Rhineland-Palatinate are equipped with stun guns. Since the introduction of Tasers up to the end of 2023, they have been used a total of 2,065 times, with the threat being enough to cause de-escalation in 1,099 cases.

The operational scenarios are regulated in the Rhineland-Palatinate Police and Regulatory Authorities Act and include physically superior violent criminals, mentally ill perpetrators and people under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, it cannot be used by people with heart disease, pregnant women or people under 14 years of age. Critics warn of the medical risks. In 2021, 43 of 609 Taser deployments required medical assistance. The police union in Lower Saxony also expresses concerns about the medical safety of stun guns, while Amnesty International warns against classifying Tasers as non-lethal weapons.