"As Orders Soar, Concerns Over Stun Guns Grow" reported in 2004 that "Amnesty International says stun guns are being abused by police and wants more scientific study done to determine whether the devices are safe. Amnesty says at least 74 people have died in the United States and Canada in the past four years after being shocked with Tasers. The group also says officers have turned stun guns on the mentally disturbed, children, and the elderly."8 On the other hand, Taser company chairman Phil Smith says, "We get e-mail from police every week . . . thanking us for developing a weapon so they didn't have to shoot somebody." According to the article, "Phoenix police officers credit Tasers with helping police shootings drop by more than half and fatal shootings by 31% last year."
a. One issue involved here is whether or not Tasers can be lethal. Discuss the harmful consequences of incorrectly deeming them to be safe for use by police officers, if, in fact, they can cause fatal heart attacks. Discuss the consequences of deeming them to be unsafe if, in fact, the deaths mentioned in the article were not due to the Tasers.
b. Suppose some Tasers are to be tested to see if the voltage delivered is dangerously high. If a very small sample of Tasers is tested, is there more risk of concluding Tasers in general are safe when, in fact, some are not, or more risk of concluding Tasers in general are not safe when, in fact, they are?