Removal of Taser Spikes

[ACC703]

Before I get to my question, let me give you a quick background of myself. I work for a small community college PD and also for the EMS Dept of the town the college is located in. The city officers carry Tasers. I was onduty with EMS a few nights ago and got dispatched to a subject who had been tased. We arrived and found the guy cuffed and leaning over the hood of one of the patrol cars. We did our usual thing, walked over and pulled the spikes out and went back in service. That brings me to my question; for those of yall who carry Tasers, who removes the spikes? We always get called to pull out the spikes when its just as easy all grabbing them and yanking. Do yall remove them yourselves or do yall have EMS come and remove them?

[Centurion44]

Before I get to my question, let me give you a quick background of myself. I work for a small community college PD and also for the EMS Dept of the town the college is located in. The city officers carry Tasers. I was onduty with EMS a few nights ago and got dispatched to a subject who had been tased. We arrived and found the guy cuffed and leaning over the hood of one of the patrol cars. We did our usual thing, walked over and pulled the spikes out and went back in service. That brings me to my question; for those of yall who carry Tasers, who removes the spikes? We always get called to pull out the spikes when its just as easy all grabbing them and yanking. Do yall remove them yourselves or do yall have EMS come and remove them?

Being the former employee of an agency around here that has become synonymous with tasers (Gwinnett County SO), I think I'm qualified enough to tackle this one.

I guess it depends on the departmental policy (such as first aid for O/C deployment) but it would probably more humane to pull the barbs out as soon as possible. I'm told that breifly after the taser is off that the area around the barbs is numb for a few seconds. There is little bleeding because the wound are cauterized (sic) by the electricity. After the subject is secure the nurse would come in a put little band-aids over the puncters and they are good as new in a couple of days, no ill-effects.

[jeeper]

We pull them out ourselves, both on patrol and in the Jail. Pretty much all of the other departments around here do it the same way. Some will have EMS check on the subject after being Tased, but it isn't in our policy. Which is interesting, as we are *supposed* to require a medical clearance for anyone brought to jail after having been Tased.

After being Tased, I certainly don't recall being numb after where the probes were removed from. I felt the darn things come out. Also, my only after effect was a nasty scab/cut where each barb went in that lasted nearly three weeks. Oh yeah, and a new found fear, uh respect for the Taser.

[OffDuty]

Our department SOP is we remove them ourselves as trained, unless it involved female breast areas, anyones genitals, and facial areas. Then we will transport to hospital for removal.

[VegasMetro]

Pull them out? Leave them in, maybe they will become infected after time...

[medic_9]

Here they have to be taken to the ER to have the Dr remove them. The Dr's look forward to it.

[wscop411]

Yeah, we remove them ourselves too. The first time I saw one "deployed" was when we were fighting a guy who got to take the 5 second ride. He swore he was shot. I wasn't certified to carry a Taser, so I had to go to the hospital with him. The officer who deployed it had his wrist hyperextended. I'm in the ER and the doctors and nurses tell me I have to remove. I told them I didn't put them in him as I wasn't certified to use it. Another officer from a different agency came and pulled them out. Seems like every nurse and doctor in the ER came by to see what they looked like. It was like a circus.

[vpd504]

our policy states that if you are qualified with the taser, you can remove the barbs. unless it is in the facial or genital area. that would be bad........