New Weekend Knowledge Dump...

... from Active Response Training. Lots of interesting links to articles and videos, as well a commentary from Greg Ellifritz. Topics this week include, but are not limited to: the importance of a strong grip on a handgun; the need to be effective communicator for purposes of self-defense; a more detailed look at the appendix carry, including advice on re-holstering, the benefits of appendix carry, and attributes of a good holster for appendix carry; methods of escaping from hand-cuffs (carrying a universal key is probably the easiest, though); and a look at how reliable (or unreliable) are tasers.

      As to the latter article, it notes that surveys of officers indicates that most officers believe that Tasers are only effective about 40 to 55% of the time. The article also mentions that the LAPD studied the matter, and also came up with about a 50% effectiveness rate. Both the surveys and the LAPD study apparently revealed that newer Tasers (models made after 2009) are less effective than the older models, probably because of reduced power and shooting the darts at a slightly different angle. One part of the article caught my attention in particular:

APM Reports found more than 250 fatal police shootings nationwide between 2015 and 2017 that occurred after a Taser failed to incapacitate a suspect. In 106 of them, the suspect became more violent after receiving the electrical shock, according to a review of case files and media reports, suggesting the Taser may have made a bad situation worse.

In early January of this year, I had linked to the following video:

"Joplin, Missouri Police Woman Shoots Herself In Hand - Male Cop Shoots Suspect - Earning The Hate"--Good Luck America (27 min.) 

The video shows two officers--a man and a woman--trying to arrest and subdue a man that was obviously having some mental issues or drug reaction. The officers ultimately resorted to Tasers, which did not work, resulting in the male officer shooting and killing the suspect. I had linked to the video back in January because the death was the result of the incompetence of the female officer (who shot herself with her own Taser). But, relevant to today's discussion, the video also shows that the man was cooperative until he was shot with a Taser by the male officer and shocked: it didn't disable him, but the pain obviously enraged the suspect.