Shaped like handguns, Tasers use compressed air to deliver high-voltage, low-current electrical discharges through thin wires ending in darts that can penetrate an inch of clothing from as far as 11 metres away.
The shocks, which make a clicking sound, override the central nervous system, triggering muscle contractions that cause people (or, in this case, animals) to collapse in intense pain.
The advantage of Tasers is they create distance between officers and suspects, allowing police to efficiently immobilize from afar. In doing so, officers gain a window of time to overpower and handcuff people, which proponents say improves officer safety by reducing the bruises and broken bones that come with more intense physical confrontations.
However, their use is intensely controversial. Since 2001, more than 350 people have died after receiving shocks from electronic control devices in the United States and Canada. In at least 50 of these cases, medical examiners have cited the weapons as causing or contributing to the deaths, according to a review by Amnesty International.
Jill Mahoney