Weapon Confusion: TASER CEWs, Firearms, and Human Error Theories

Norman's human action theory and Reason's human error theory provide frameworks to analyze and to understand weapon confusion wherein a police officer mistakenly draws and discharges a firearm rather than a stated intent of deploying a TASER CEW. Review of publicly available information cu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Williams, Howard E. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: Criminal justice review
Year: 2023, Volume: 48, Issue: 4, Pages: 495-514
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
weapon confusion
Taser
officer involved shooting
human error theory
human action theory
Description
Summary:Norman's human action theory and Reason's human error theory provide frameworks to analyze and to understand weapon confusion wherein a police officer mistakenly draws and discharges a firearm rather than a stated intent of deploying a TASER CEW. Review of publicly available information culminated in qualitative analysis of 20 TASER CEW/firearm confusion shootings that revealed evidence of capture error and action execution slips. Although changes in policy and training have not eliminated such errors, there is evidence they might have had some success in reducing the frequency. Systematic and simultaneous changes in weapon design, policies, training, and procedures might be necessary to reduce or eliminate weapon confusion but must be carefully assessed to avoid negative unintended consequences.
ISSN:1556-3839
DOI:10.1177/07340168221123238