Posted at: 08/15/2009 10:53 PM
By: Cris Ornelas, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com

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Civil rights group calls for ban on Tasers

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The League of United Latin American Citizens is the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights organization, and the group's national leaders say cops should stop using Tasers immediately.

A Taser shocks with 50,000 volts, temporarily disabling its target. Police say they are a valuable tool that reduces the need for deadly force.

LULAC says Tasers can be just as fatal.

That's why the New Mexico branch of LULAC held a protest Saturday on the steps of Albuquerque's City Hall.

LULAC says 437 people have died by Taser use since 1999, and, on average, nine people are killed every month in the U.S. by Tasers.

"We don't want to come across not supporting law enforcement, but we want to hold those accountable who are using these types of tools and not using their good judgment," LULAC State Director Pablo Martinez said Saturday.

The group points to incidents like the one in Tucumcari where the chief of police shot a 14-year-old girl with a taser.

One of the barbs went into the girl's head, requiring stitches.

There are also cases from Roswell and Raton where suspects died after being Tased.

LULAC says part of the problem is officers are too quick to turn to their Taser instead of using alternatives.

"Their adrenaline's running, and they are taking it out on victims. So they could be trained for 100 years and still there's gonna be abuse," LULAC member Ralph Arellanes said.

Albuquerque Police Department released this statement responding to LULAC's stance on Taser use:

APD has not had a problem with the use of Tasers. The officers that are issued Tasers go through an extensive training program. Not only are they trained, but they are Tased. The department feels they are a useful tool for the officer. The bottom line is they keep people safe.