8.9 Application of Less Lethal Weapons
by Law Enforcement Officers

(8.9.1)    The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) believes that the use of conducted energy devices (including stun guns, tasers, impact delivery systems, or any other similar non-firearm weapons)used by law enforcement officers responding to individuals with serious mental illness should be permitted only if the responding officer concludes that an immediate threat of death or serious injury exists, which cannot be contained by lesser means, and/or is likely to be hazardous to the officer(s), the individual, or a third party.  Such devices should not be deployed when other means or methods of de-escalations are appropriate, available, and suitable for the crisis event, nor   should these devices ever be used as a means of intimidation or inappropriate coercion.

(8.9.2)       NAMI further believes that states should include, in statute, a requirement for the development and enforcement of standards and minimum training requirements for all law enforcement, corrections and other personnel who use or may potentially use these devices in the performance of their duties.  This mandatory training must include information about effective methods of responding to people with mental illness in crisis with verbal and non-verbal crisis de-escalation techniques.

(8.9.3)     States should also strictly define in statute categories of professionals who are authorized to use these devices in the performance of their duties and should strictly prohibit usage of these devices by those not identified as authorized users in statute.

(8.9.4)       NAMI calls upon the states and the federal government to fund and promote research that documents the incidence of use of these devices and investigates both the short term and long term physical and psychological impact on people who have experienced the application of such devices.  This research also should determine the potential dangers associated with risk factors, including but not limited to age and pre-existing medical conditions.

(8.9.5)      Each use of these devices should be investigated by the respective law enforcement agency or institution in the same way that use of a firearm would be investigated by a law enforcement agency.