Well, it could be deadly for someone who is has pre-existing cardiovascular problems. Most likely the population the police would be dealing with would be the ones who have acquired those medical problems from substance abuse. Alcohol and other drugs are well known to have severe effects on the heart and weaken the body generally. It is probably still a better choice than being shot with a gun or beaten into submission.

ouch

I think it is the best alternative and should be utilized before Deadly Force if it can be helped.

Most police belts these days carry a taser, oc(pepper) spray, an asp (collapsable baton), and a gun. If any of those had to be used on me, I would opt for the taser and day of the week and twice on sunday. This is obviously not to take place of good verbal skills, but if the necessary force is escalated, the taser is the best tool. OC spray burns for hours, an asp breaks bones and we all know what guns do. Not only is the taser very effective at stopping a threat, but it has immediate and full recovery. I also think it's important for officers to have proper and continual training on when to and when not to use a taser. I volunteered to be tased and yes it hurts, but after 5 seconds, it's over. Just think about it, if you were in a situation where one of those tools had to be used on you, which would you rather have: eyes and face burning for hours on end, a couple broken bones or a full and immediate recovery after 5 seconds?