In response to widespread allegations of abuse of its products by police officers, Taser International announced that it would offer a camera which attaches to its Taser electroshock guns.

The cameras, which will sell for $400, attach to the butt of the guns, and provide a small black-and-white or infrared video image which can be downloaded through a built-in USB port. The camera provides one hour of recording time and is expected to be available by March 2006.

Now, to help better examine how Tasers are used, manufacturer Taser International Inc. has developed a Taser Cam, which company executives hope will illuminate why Tasers are needed — and add another layer of accountability for any officer who would abuse the weapon.

The Taser Cam is an audio and video recorder that attaches to the butt of the gun and starts taping when the weapon is turned on. It continues recording until the weapon is turned off. The Taser doesn’t have to be fired to use the camera. . . .

Unlike dashboard-mounted cameras in patrol cars, which capture the action only if it transpires where the lens happens to have been directed, the Taser cameras always face where the gun is pointed, to capture what is said and done in the moments leading up to a suspect being jolted by the device’s 50,000 volts.

“It’s going to give real accountability,” [Taser CEO Tom] Smith said as he demonstrated the device recently at the company’s headquarters in [Scottsdale, Ariz.]. “Now you’ll have absolute proof.”

Even people critical of Tasers say the cameras are a good idea. But the critics also are skeptical that this latest technology won’t be plagued by the same record-keeping problems as other accountability features already on the stun gun.

Tasers record the time and date of use, the number of times the trigger was pulled and how long it was held down each time — essentially how long a person was shocked.

But no single agency keeps track of all Taser use. The manufacturer can only ask police departments to submit their use records voluntarily, so they’re incomplete.

“There’s a capacity to download data now and it’s not being fully used,” said Edward Jackson, a spokesman for Amnesty International. “What guarantees are there that this new technology will be used to prevent the abuse of Tasers?”

Amnesty International has compiled a list of more than 100 people the group says have died after being shocked by Tasers in encounters with law enforcement since June 2001.

The deaths have prompted some police departments to reconsider the necessity of the devices. Lawmakers have introduced bills restricting their use. — Associated Press

“Of course, cameras are only as useful as their data. If critical recordings are “lost,” then there’s no accountability. The system is pretty kludgy,” said security expert Bruce Schneier.

Taser International, of course, doesn’t highlight instances where people have been killed with their equipment, but they are quick to hype instances where their technology “saves a life.”