Ready, Aim, Fire—Again (Taser CEO Tries to Revive Ailing Company)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9023598/site/newsweek/

Visiting the Arizona headquarters of Taser International Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of electric stun guns, feels like a trip into the future—especially if tech-loving CEO Tom Smith is your guide. Smith likes to say he modeled the place after the set of the sci-fi movie "Men in Black." Passing through a gleaming stainless-steel chamber, he pauses for an electronic iris scan, which opens another set of doors. Inside, he gestures at a wall of opaque glass, which turns clear with the flick of a switch to reveal a warehouse bustling with workers. To Smith, the battery-powered devices that deliver a debilitating 50,000-volt charge are a revolutionary law-enforcement tool, the first step in a futuristic arsenal. "We're headed toward 'Star Trek' phasers," he says. Since the company opened in 1993, more than 250,000 Tasers have been sold.

Taser was embraced by law enforcement early on as a vital alternative to deadly force, one that would give gun-toting cops a wider array of options for subduing suspects. But a rash of legal actions and bad publicity has forced Smith to stop dreaming—and jet around the country trying to shore up support among an increasingly skeptical police community. Taser is facing at least 20 lawsuits claiming wrongful death or injury. The human-rights group Amnesty International has compiled a list of what it calls 129 "Taser-related" deaths—a number Taser officials vehemently dispute. Taser's once high-flying stock has dropped more than 70 percent since December. In January, the Securities and Exchange Commission began an informal inquiry into the company. Investigators are looking at "company statements regarding the safety of Taser products," the company has said. Smith says the SEC is also examining a $1.5 million order for the devices in December 2004. He believes the investigation stems from speculation that the sale to one of the firm's distributors was a last-minute attempt to meet earnings numbers for the quarter—a charge Smith calls "complete garbage."

[Gregorian]

1. Go bankrupt!

The human race does not need you. If I were a cop I'd be affraid of how people reacted toward me because of your stupid Tazers. I hope you get a little taste of what you have created.