The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, asking a court to order the department to turn over documents showing steps it has taken to comply with county grand jury recommendations on the use of Tasers. The grand jury found that deaths related to the use of the stun guns “are not uncommon in San Bernardino County” and that the “vast majority” of deaths occurred when a person was shot more than once. The grand jury cited three cases in which men died after being shocked by deputies’ Tasers multiple times, including a Lake Arrowhead man who was shocked 16 times. Since the grand jury report, Victorville resident Dante Parker died last August after he was shot as many as 27 times with Tasers, according to his family. The County Coroner’s Office ruled that Parker died from an overdose of PCP and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. The ACLU filed a state Public Records Act request for documents that could be used to determine what changes the department had made in its policies and training programs on using Tasers, and whether those changes have been effective. The ACLU says the Sheriff’s department has refused to provide the documents.
