Conducted Energy Devices: Development of Standards for Consistency and Guidance

摘要

As more and more conducted energy devices (CEDs) were deployed across the United States, their use sparked considerable confusion. Police executives were inundated with questions about the devices, and had to explain and in some instances, justify several of the ways that the devices had been used as tactical weapons by their officers. The dearth of available information about how CEDs worked and how they were used in daily police work had hampered the ability of police executives to make informed policy decisions about the devices. Police executives had been provided with little independent support and guidance on CEDs, which had compelled them to make policy and operational decisions on CEDs with very little reliable information to back them. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recognized the pressing need for a greater understanding of these devices. They were aware of research activities that had been conducted on CEDs by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and other organizations, and supported efforts to provide police chiefs with a fuller scope of information to help them make more informed decisions. The goal of this report is to share the CED glossary of terms and national CED guidelines for consideration, and to provide a context for how these items were developed. This report reflects the first step in providing guidance to the field to help bring consistency and a better understanding of the devices to the profession.