Pain has long been the power structure’s compliance method of choice, whether it was the heretic’s fork or the rack of Europe, or the dogs and electric cattle prods of the Jim Crow South. More recently, police forces around the world have turned to the taser gun: a weapon which delivers 50,000 volt electric shocks to enforce compliance or retaliate or punish handcuffed suspects who are talking back, refusing to follow police instructions or attempting to escape.
On Friday 5th February, it was not only the new Metropolitan Police Force which, for the first time, hit the streets of Buenos Aires. This month also saw the proposed introduction of the taser gun within the law enforcement and security systems of the Argentine capital; a move which has prompted strong opposition by human rights organisations and a number of political parties.
However, the weapon’s Buenos Aires debut was stalled on 11th February, after Amnesty International Argentina met with the city government. After proposing arguments surrounding the grave dangers of the use of the taser, as well as its capacity to be a potential instrument for human rights abuses, the new police force has agreed to suspend the weapon’s usage until they publish official standards for each officer. They will also review the necessity of the taser on the streets of the capital.
The Metropolitan Police Force
The decision of city mayor, Mauricio Macri, to instate the Metropolitan Police has been surrounded by contentious issues for some time. The project began in 2007, when it was ruled that under city constitution, the Buenos Aires sector of the Argentine Federal Police was to respond only to the Ministry of Justice of the national government, and not the mayor. Controversy ensued when Macri’s initial choice to head the force, Jorge ‘Fino’ Palacios, was indicted for espionage and illicit association: the ‘Ciro James’ spy scandal. Many suggested that the force was created in an attempt to reorganise territory domination, in light of accusations of Macri’s own criminal involvement in the scandal.
Photo courtesy Sandra Hernandez-gv/GCBA
Buenos Aires Mayor, Mauricio Macri, and the Minister of Justice and Security, Guillermo Montenegro, inaugurate the Metropolitan Police Force
The mayor denied all allegations, and will speak only of the new force with regards to its principle aim: to address the issue of security in Buenos Aires, which is currently a major political concern. Macri took to the stage at the force’s inauguration ceremony, announcing that it will collaborate with the Federal Police “to coordinate efforts, aiming to ensure security to the people”.
As it stands, the Metropolitan Police consists of 500 officers, but is expected to reach 2,000 by the end of the year and grow to around 10,000 over the next ten years. Due to this initial size, the force will not yet patrol 24 hours a day and for the next few months will limit its activities to the 12th District (the neighbourhoods of Villa Pueyrredón, Villa Urquiza, Saavedra, Devoto and Cogholan) and some of the city’s most popular tourist sites. The first police station, also located in this district, should be ready by April.
A Task for Tasers?
The Metropolitan Police Chief, Eugene Burzaco, reported that “the police will try to be a different force, which is (…) integrated into society”. They are to punish petty offenses, misdemeanours and crimes in public places, such as selling alcohol to minors, ‘cuidacoches’ activity (those who charge to look after public parking spaces) and illegal possession of firearms. City Security Minister, Guillermo Montenegro, also declared: “We will soon have our first patrol cars and motorbikes, ready to start traffic control and run alcohol-in-blood tests.” However the minister clarified that the new agents will not interfere in demonstrations and protests as they are currently unequipped for such policing, although he did point out a societal demand for such intervention.
Montenegro was also forced to address criticism towards a matter which has been raising eyebrows and causing concern ever since its announcement. The minister rejected accusations that the police would be equipped with “cattle prods”, explaining that the seven recently acquired X26 taser guns are “non lethal” and are used to “save the life of an endangered citizen”. “They paralyse the muscles instantaneously and they are used when dealing with a suicidal or mentally unstable person,” he explained.
Chief Burzaco defended the purchase of the taser X26 electronic guns for the officers, assuring that “the weapon will only be used to save lives, and only in very specific situations”. Mayor Macri ratified the use of the guns, adding: “This is cutting-edge technology used for dissuasion (…) the guns will be effective in providing safety to the population.”
Strong Opposition: Political Parties and the UN
Despite these assurances, many are against the weapon’s introduction to the city’s streets. Several opposition members of the Buenos Aires City Legislature presented a project for banning the use of the taser guns. Lawyer, Eduardo Barcesat, presented a criminal complaint against Macri and Montenegro for “preparatory acts” of torture crimes.
Legislator for the Encuentro Popular para la Victoria, Francisco ‘Tito’ Nenna, drafted the bill, in which it is stated: “The use of the taser violates international treaties. It is necessary to ban the PRO [Mauricio Macri´s political party] electric prod.” This is also supported by the Nuevo Encuentro, Proyecto Sur and Coalición Cívica political parties. The text categorises the weapon amongst those objected by the Committee Against the Torture of the United Nations.
Indeed, those sceptical question the necessity of such a high-power weapon within a police force which is to deal solely with petty crimes. With reference to the role which the Metropolitan Police force may eventually play in the control of demonstrations, Cabinet Chief, Aníbal Fernández, said that “if the taser guns are going to be used to put down social protests, I am definitely against them”.
Fears for Human Rights: Amnesty International
Gabriela Boada, the acting director of Amnesty International Argentina
The Argentine chapter of Amnesty International took action, issuing a press statement urging the city government to “suspend the use” of electronic control devices, claiming they can be used to commit abuses. Gabriela Boada is the acting director of the organisation. She states: “This weapon serves one purpose: torture. It can so easily be used to abuse human rights.” She explains that this is the case as the excruciating pain caused by a Taser gun electro-shock leaves no evidence on the body of the victim. “The weapon is easy to use, and therefore also easy to misuse.”
Montenegro justified their purchase, pointing out that tasers are implemented by many police forces around the world, like New York, Madrid and London; however Boada opines that this is the precise reason she is worried about their introduction in Argentina: Using the US as a case study, Amnesty have drawn up evidence which suggests that the taser gun is a dangerous, potential torture weapon, and unnecessary for the aims of the new Metropolitan Police Force.
Safety and Misuse
Unquestionably, the taser gun is an effective method of ensuring compliance. A firearms consultant told the Associated Press: “It is the most profound pain I have ever felt. They comply because they don’t want that pain again.” However, he had only endured the electric-shock for 1.5 seconds. The Metropolitan Police were originally trained to hold down the trigger for five seconds, emitting a current with which the victim’s central nervous system is incapacitated and their muscles contract painfully. The jolt causes the victim to fall to the ground, and often to lose bladder and bowel control.
According to the manufacturer, in 80% of cases in the US between 2001 and 2008, the victim was unarmed or restrained by handcuffs. Amnesty reports: “An analysis of the ‘suspect force level’ gave the most common category as ‘verbal non-compliance.’ This was followed by ‘active aggression’ and ‘defensive resistance’. Therefore, In 65% of cases, not only was the victim unarmed, they were not threatening, even with their bare hands.”
While insisting they are safe, stun-gun maker Taser International recently changed its policy, causing many to question just how harmless these guns really are. They maintain that by outlining certain “miniscule” risks for police forces, “defending lawsuits will be made easier.” Critics see the new guidance not as a warning, but as an admission of the grave dangers of the guns. It is “a passive acknowledgment that taser has indeed been overconfident about its claims of safety,” commented Mark Silverstein, legal director of Colorado’s American Civil Liberties Union. “It underscores the question marks that have been adding up along with hundreds of bodies.”
A Potential Torture Weapon
The suspension of the introduction of the taser gun on the streets of Buenos Aires comes alongside a revision of a report on the consequences of their use, as promised by Metropolitan Police Chief, Eugenio Burzaco. After a meeting between Amnesty International representatives and members of the city’s Ministry of Justice, it was released that the police Taser training procedure will be investigated and, if necessary, amended. It will also be ensured that they are only used by a select few officers, and never in the street.
Boada says: “It is very positive that the police will not be using these weapons as a matter of course, as this should reduce the risk of arbitrary human rights abuses on the part of the force.” The police have also promised to comply with international human rights standards, which will be closely monitored by Amnesty. Boada points out the importance of this: “These are simply ‘pain weapons’, perfect for bullying, the use of which cannot on the streets, in everyday situations. There is too great a scope for their misuse. This has been very clearly demonstrated in the US, where almost 350 people have died from taser shocks, implemented by the police.”
Thus, despite Mayor Macri’s claims that tasers are classed as “non-lethal” weapons, it seems necessary to consider that so were the rack, thumbscrews and the iron maiden “non-lethal.” They too were used to extract compliance and repentance. The difference is that the taser is a ready-to-hand street torture method, which can inflict severe pain at the push of a button without leaving substantial marks. As the Buenos Aires Government finally takes notice of the vast opposition, Julio Montero, president of Amnesty International Argentina, stresses that not only must Burazco make promises, but “he must fulfil them effectively”. Until he does so, the threat of the taser remains a pending reality on the city streets.
