Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Legal Services

TO:	Toni Ramirez Wheeler, Director of Legal Services David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Scott J. Miller, Staff Attorney
Date:	February 18, 2009
RE:	Supplemental Information for TASER Report

The Police Department has previously prepared a report summarizing the Department’s TASER use for the 2008 calendar year.  That report included descriptions of each of the individual incidents as well as some general statistical information about how TASERs were used by the Lawrence Police Department during that year.  Subsequent to the release of the report, a member of the public has requested supplementary information about the incidents in question.  The purpose of this memo is to provide that information.

The additional information requested by the citizen included:

1. The age and race or ethnicity of the subjects involved.
2. A description of the medical care or assessment received by the subjects.
3. The status of the charges and/or convictions against the subjects.
4. Whether the subjects involved filed any complaints against the City or its Police Department.

I will attempt to answer each of the questions.

As the Police Department’s report indicates, TASERs were deployed against eight suspects by the Police Department in 2008.  Each of the suspects was a male.  Five of the suspects were Caucasian, while three were African-American.  The individuals ranged from 19 to 53 years of age, but seven out of the eight were between the ages of 19 and 25 years old.

Pursuant to the Department’s TASER policy, each of these suspects was medically evaluated after being exposed to the TASER.  All of the evaluations in question were at a hospital.  Due to patient privacy concerns, I do not believe that it is appropriate to publicly release patient-specific medical information. 

The Police Department does not maintain a comprehensive database of case dispositions and I would expect that some of the cases have not been disposed of yet.  I have, however, obtained a list of the charges listed by the Police Department for the suspects in question.  These charges include:

Battery

Battery against a law enforcement officer

Criminal restraint

Criminal trespass

Disorderly conduct

Domestic battery

Driving under the influence of alcohol and or drugs

Drug tax stamp violation (dealers)

Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer

Interference with duties of a police officer or other public officer

Obstructing legal process or official duty

Pedestrians under influence of alcohol or drugs

Reckless driving

Simulated controlled substances and drug paraphernalia; use or possession prohibited

Unlawful acts relating to possession of depressants, stimulants or hallucinogenic drugs or other substances

Unlawful acts relating to sale or distribution of depressants, stimulants or hallucinogenic drugs or other substances

Use of force in resisting arrest

No complaints have been filed against the City or Police Department as a result of TASER deployment.

If you need further information, please contact me.