Better Tasered Than Shot

Maybe it's a stretch to see the release of a new Taser model as good news. Maybe it would be more accurate to say it's better news, better than being shot with a 9mm, if you're the person in the sights.

Any time police can turn to a non-lethal method to protect the public, well, that just beats a Glock hands-down.

That's especially true of the latest "electronic control device," or ECD, from the Arizona-based company. The gun reportedly is able to flatten three targets — i.e., people — without recharging.

Perhaps the best part of this new device (at least for those of us not likely to be taken into custody any time soon) may be videos on the company's site that show Taser employees zapping the hell out of each other with one. Now that's going the extra mile for the company.

The new ECD "is the most sophisticated handheld weapon ever developed," said Rick Smith, who runs the company, in a press release. "Developing a multiple-shot capability makes sense to increase officer safety through the ability to recover from a missed shot or even simultaneously stop up to three separate targets."

The new ECD has an enhanced "warning arc." This arc, which is a scary little lightning bolt visible to the victim, er, suspect, has proven its worth by convincing perps in 80 percent of cases where a Taser is drawn to give up the fight before they even get electrocuted.