Résumé
An important part of a less-lethal strategy involves the identification and deployment of weapons and other technology. The goal is to provide police officers with alternatives to deadly force in order to minimize harm to both community members and police. In an effort to more effectively reduce both police-involved shootings and injuries, a number of innovative less-lethal devices have been developed. One of the most recently developed and prominent weapons is the conducted energy device (CED). CEDs are less-lethal devices intended to deliver an electrical charge sufficient to momentarily disrupt a subject’s central nervous system, enabling better officer control of the individual and causing minimal discomfort or injury. According to some estimates, CEDs have been adopted by more than 8,000 police and sheriffs’ departments across the country. The glossary and guidelines in this report address policy issues that include critical topics such as what resistance levels delineate when CED activation is permissible; the number and duration of CED cycles that can be applied to a person; CED use against at-risk populations, how police should respond to a suspect armed with a CED; tactical considerations about when a CED can be activated; and numerous other concerns.