Yes, very effective and very cool. That thing looks like it belongs in a SciFi movie. I want one. I wonder if Santa reads Milford Patch.

Tasers are another tool police officers use. This tool is usually placed on the same level of force where officers would be justified in using their steel baton to deliver strikes to the subjec often causing substantial injuries to both suspect and officert. Officers are able to deploy tasers in situations where the suspect is assaultive preventing injuries that are often caused durring physical altercations to both the officers and suspects. Is it a pretty sight when sombody gets tased? No. But it allows officers to use minimal force and violence to gain compliance when a person resists a lawful arrest by the police. Has this newton woman listened to #1 the store manager told her to leave and #2 the police officer enforcing the stores right to have the person removed from the store she would never have even been arrested. Instead she refused to leave forcing the officer to arrest her. She then resisted that arrest and became assaultive to the officer.

So we second and third guess the police once again. Let anyone out there try and do their job for a week or a day for that matter.

If you trust police officers with guns certainly you must trust them with tasers. Certainly safer than pepper spray that can get airbourne and hurt innocent bystanders

Well said, michael. I have several police officers in my extended family and not all the departments have tasers: every one of the officers, however, would like to have one. Especially in these tough budget times officers can use all the help they can get responding to a scene that can get pretty hairy. My thought is, if you got Tazed, there was probably good reason. Officers have to be Tazed themselves in training and i think for that reason it's not taking lightly. At least that's the consenus from the professionals I know.

I'm wondering if it was a man who was Tazed in the Apple store, would we be having this conversation? I think there's a perception that particularly with "poor, defenseless" women, officers should go more than out of their way to not use a higher response on the continuum force, even if it's at the risk of their own personal safety. Man or woman, short or tall, if I'm a cop and you're flailing your arms around me or at me, I'm going to do what I have to do to get the job done and protect myself. Am I the only one who thinks this woman is being portrayed as more of a victim than she would if she were a man? Am I the only one who thinks that's unfair?

I am very comfortable with the police department having the Taser. It's a very effective tool that is non-lethal. If you are being arrested, for what ever reason, you cannot fight with the police. If you do then there are times when it is appropriate for the police to tase you to bring you under control. The woman at the Pheasant Lane Mall who got tased brought it on herself.

The only concern I have about this particular case is the woman doesn't speak English. She is saying she didn't understand what was going on, according to the media reports. Not sure what in the tone of voice or body language of an officer got lost there, but it raises some questions for me about whether she understood she was going to be Tased. I thought officers were required to warn someone that they were going to use the weapon.

If the taser is viewed as an equivalent level of force as using a baton, then I have to ask: would the police have felt using a baton in this situation?

Note that a baton can be used lightly or with lethal force. A taser has only one position: full on.

Mary, while I agree with Tasers overall as a non-lethal alternative ro deadly force to subdue a suspect/out of contol person I agree with you completely that a non-english speaking WOMAN who witnessed and taped others purchasing more than 2 IPods and had no reasoanable expectation that she was under a "no trespass" order, this was indeed excessive! I know people who puchased four or more (though multiple people together) and I can truly understand her confusion. Try to take my bag or phone and I will resist as you would. I don't think if it had been a man the outcome would have been much different - probably batons vs. Taser. Sad, true and shame on Apple for the entire situation. POST THE LIMIT at 2 and get over it! Hot phone [not that I care for one - my Android works just fine!] but excessive on the part of PD and WAY OVER THE TOP ON APPLE! Shame on the store, it's employees and Apple as an entity! Merry Christmas, consumer who makes your business profitable! A total disgrace!

She couldn't speak English? maybe now she'll be motivated to learn.

Meg, any private business in america has the right to refuse service to anyone. Also, when you are given an order by a police officer, follow it. I am sick and tired of the assumption that all police officers are corrupt and greedy. I would rather see 100 people tazed unecessarily than one more police officer.injured on duty!

Bravo Milford Senior Man and Ryan! Both comments quite apropos! From what I read about the circumstances and saw in the TV news reporting, it was apparent that she was attempting to purchase a large quantity of Apple products with cash (she has thousands of dollars on her when she was taken into custody) and the store was refusing to sell to her because of a concern that the products would have been shipped overseas for re-sale. Tsk Tsk! Her caucasian boyfriend was interviewed on TV so I assume she has no problem understanding him. Therefore, the protestations that she did not understand are very highly suspect, just like her attempted purchasing practices.

I am motivated to learn English when i understood that English is the common language spoken all around world.I started learning english with videos http://youtu.be/ixG2hewznNo