Rockville, MD, October 18, 2013 – Aegis Industries, LLC, an emerging leader of professional
security solutions, applauds the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) for their recently published Health Effects of Conducted Electrical Weapons (CEWs). This report, the result of a 24 month scientific research project, recommends the routine and standardized measurement of each and every CEW or electroshock weapon (ESW).
One of the key findings identified in this new in-depth, authoritative report on ESWs is that, “Because the electrical characteristics of [ESWs] are variable and evolving, each [ESW] must be tested on its own merit to assess performance as well as the ability to induce incapacitation and potential adverse health effects.” Further, this report determined that with standardized measurement protocols “in place and appropriate testing procedures continually undertaken, law enforcement agencies could ensure devices were working as intended, and re-test devices involved in any [ESW] incident resulting in adverse health effects to assess whether the device could have inadvertently malfunctioned.”
The Expert Panel determined that, “Properly defining and articulating testing protocols for [ESWs] would impose standard methods for assessing device performance over time. Enhancing knowledge in this area would help establish more robust information around safety parameters and technical specifications.” The Expert Panel also accurately identified the need for ESW technology to be regularly measured through the use of a standardized measurement protocol and that “Specifications between [ESWs] are variable . . . and may change with use and under different conditions . . . and the characteristics of newer devices are unknown.”
This report “provides government decision-makers, academia, and stakeholders with high-quality information required to develop informed and innovative public policy” and also echoes the recommendations of the Braidwood Inquiry for ESW guidelines in British Columbia, as well as the guidelines set by the Alberta Solicitor General and Minister of Public Safety and other leaders throughout Canada.
“It is heartening to see that the CCA, one of the most credible scientific bodies in North America, has joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in calling for a standardized measurement method of these potentially deadly weapons,” said Doug DeLeaver, Chairman of the Aegis Axeos Advisory Board and retired Chief of Police and Chief of Staff for the Maryland Transit Administration. “The regular measurement of ESWs by law enforcement agencies prior to deployment will not only protect officers lives and reduce liabilities but also provide autonomous oversight of the measurement and recording process. The timely and accurate measurement of ESWs after deployments proximal to deaths will also ensure that the rights of the deceased are properly represented by immediate measurement and comparison to the historical baseline performance of the ESW involved,” continued DeLeaver.
“Given that numerous independent and expert scientific reports, as well as manufacturers, have all acknowledged that the electrical current discharged by ESWs can vary over time and capture cardiac function, it is time that integrity, accountability and transparency become part of the policies, practices, and processes of these potentially deadly weapons,” said Ken Stethem, founder and CEO of Aegis Industries. “Law enforcement agencies will not only protect their officers, the public and themselves from unnecessary liabilities through regular and proper measurement but also protect the investment an agency makes in these valuable but expensive weapons. Without a proactive ESW measurement program, as is practiced with other weapons, radar guns, lasers, and breathalyzers, law enforcement agencies cannot be sure whether ESWs are operating properly or reliably,” continued Stethem, “And measurement of ESWs is a best practice that cannot and should not be ignored.”
About Aegis Industries: Headquartered in Rockville, MD, Aegis Industries is the emerging market leader in the measurement of ESW technologies and other professional security solutions for the military, law enforcement, corrections, and private security markets worldwide. Aegis’ solutions include the Mark 23 Axeos, the world’s first patented and most advanced ESW Waveform Analyzer. The Axeos allows law enforcement to safely and regularly measure their ESW inventory locally and economically.
For more information, visit www.aegisaxeos.com.
