Vancouver transit police request Taser investigation

Transit police in Greater Vancouver have requested a formal probe into the force's own stun-gun practices in order to clear the air over the weapons' use.

Insp. Dan Dureau said his office has asked B.C.'s police complaint commissioner to order an external investigation of how TransLink cops use Tasers, weapons that deliver an incapacitating electrical shock to a person.

"Any use of any force within our department is scrutinized on several levels, so we have already done that in all these cases," Dureau said.

"But because of the media attention to Tasers now, the chief has decided to take it one step further by having the [complaints commissioner] assign an outside body to do the investigation."

The investigation follows the release of internal police documents that revealed that in at least three cases in the last 18 months, transit constables used Tasers to stun people who had fled or non-violently resisted arrest during transit fare checks.